Ofer Tzabari arrives at court
Ofer Tzabari arrives at courtFlash 90

Disturbing new details have emerged about an incident Thursday, in which a young female police officer was run over in Bat Yam while trying to arrest a driver committing sex crimes - who turns out to be an employee of a professional soccer team in the Israeli league.

The suspect's identity was revealed on Friday as Ofer Tzabari, manager of the Hapoel Petah Tikva soccer team.

The 19-year-old traffic officer, who has been on the force for a year-and-a-half, sustained moderate wounds including a broken pelvic bone in the incident, after being hit by the jeep which fled the scene and was later stopped by police in a two hour chase.

Her father Doron Zeitoun told Walla! details about the case, noting his daughter and the officer with her "saw the car moving at the side of the road," raising their suspicions.

"They opened the door and saw in the back seat a naked man committing indecent actions on a young boy," said Zeitoun. "They wanted to arrest him but he asked to get dressed. She didn't let him, and at that moment he got in the car, started it up, and after she tried to stop him - he ran her over and fled."

As he fled the scene the officer with Zeitoun opened fire, apparently hitting the rear windshield of the jeep. After evading a massive police hunt for two hours, the suspect, first identified merely as a 54-year-old from Petah Tikva, was eventually apprehended and on Friday brought in for a hearing on an extension of his arrest.

The coach of the professional soccer team where Tzabari is employed told the Hebrew-language news site "I'm in shock, I don't believe what you're saying. The shock I'm experiencing now is indescribable, it's the last thing I would have thought of him. I don't know what to do with myself."

Also responding to the incident was the captain of the team, who said "I want to cry. I will need a lot of time to digest this story."