A motorcyclist ran down a police officer in Bat Yam on the Sabbath, causing him serious injuries. On Sunday, a group of thieves attempted to run down officers on Highway 1. According to the wounded policeman, a major reason for the attacks is that in Israel, civilians simply do not fear police.
Yossi Levy, 32, was taking part in a routine traffic operation on Saturday afternoon in Bat Yam. He and a fellow officer signaled a motorcycle driver to stop – but instead of stopping, the driver swerved into Levy, knocking him to the ground, and then escaped.
Levy was left with serious head injuries. His condition was later upgraded to “moderate,” and he is recovering in the hospital.
On Sunday, Levy spoke to Israeli journalists and compared the law enforcement to Israel to that in the United States, where he lived for over a decade. “When I looked at officers there, I saw that they got respect,” he said. “Here they also respect us, but people aren't afraid of us in the same way; they aren't afraid to disobey orders.”
While living abroad, Levy kept alive his dream of returning to Israel and joining the police force – a dream he fulfilled less than one year ago. “I never thought something like this would happen,” Levy said from his hospital bed on Sunday. “But this is part of police work.”
Thieves Swerve Towards Police
At approximately the same time that Levy warned reporters about the attitude to police in Israel, a group of thieves was attempting a hit-and-run attack on Highway 1. The three, Arab residents of Jerusalem, were chased by police after attempting to break into cars in Holon.
As they raced toward Highway 1, the thieves attempted to slam into a detective's car and run over a police officer. The attempted attacks failed. After a chase that led to the entrance to the Ben Shemen forest, police opened fire, forcing the vehicle to a halt.
The three suspects surrendered and were arrested. On Monday, they will be brought to court for an extension of their remand.
Cop Gets Jail for Shooting Attacker
Both the Bat Yam attack and the attempted hit-and-run Sunday took place less than a week after a police officer was sentenced to jail time for shooting and killing a thief who tried to run him down. A judge ruled that officer Shachar Mizrachi was not justified in shooting Mahmoud Ganaim shortly after the latter tried to run him over while stealing a car.