Wednesday, July 24, 2019, 17:47 Suspects have been detained over the Tuesday, July 9, hit and run collision near Kafr Qara in which minorities moderately injured a Jewish motorcyclist, Lior Mizrahi, throwing him onto the side of the road and fleeing. Some of the suspects have been released. The driver will be held until Thursday, July 25. On Wednesday, July 24, in a formal confrontation between Mizrahi and the driver the suspect’s intention of assault was proven.
The collision; Video credit: Lior Mizrahi
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who is representing Mizrahi and assisting him with realizing his rights as a crime victim, stated that, “We are pleased that the traffic police apprehended the suspects and hope that the investigation will be thorough and that the suspects, who intentionally endangered the life of Lior and the lives of other drivers, will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. We will continue to follow this case during the court hearings.”
The police announcement mentioned that the suspect, a 24-year resident of one of the towns in the northern region of Israel, was driving the car at the time of the collision and also that his driver’s license had expired in May of this year. He was taken in for interrogation on suspicion of aggravated assault by vehicle and also for abandoning the injured motorcyclist.
The collision occurred on the night of Tuesday, July 9, on Route 65 near the Arab town Kafr Qara. In a letter which Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher sent to the Iron Police he wrote that, “A car driven by minorities intentionally hit my client’s motorcycle while he was riding it. My client was traveling on Route 65, in the right lane, when suddenly a white Mercedes recklessly entered his traffic lane, cutting him off.”
Furthermore, “My client continued riding and noticed that the [Mercedes] vehicle recklessly cut off additional vehicles. When the traffic slowed down slightly my client passed the [Mercedes] vehicle and signaled the driver to drive safely. Then the passengers of the vehicle opened their windows, cursed my client and made obscene hand gestures. One of the passengers also leaned part of his body out of the window.”
After several seconds “the [Mercedes] vehicle entered my client’s traffic lane, hit him and fled the scene while my client lay injured on the side of the road. My client was moderately injured and evacuated to the HaEmek Hospital. This was an extremely serious incident of an intentional injury by a vehicle and abandonment of an injured person.”
The injured motorcyclist, Lior Mizrahi, aged 50 and a father of six, related the incident: “I was traveling northbound on Route 65 when suddenly a white Mercedes snuck up on me and cut me off. There was only a pace between us. I slowed down and turned on my camera in order to record the license plate number. When we approached the next intersection, Kafr Qara, the [Mercedes] vehicle slowed down and when I pulled up next to it they still had not calmed down. They opened the windows and inside the vehicle I identified four or five minorities who started to curse and act crazy. One of them even stuck his head out of the window.”
Mizrahi described the final moments before the collision: “Suddenly the driver swerved his vehicle towards me, cut right, collided with me in motion, and threw me. I landed sprawled on the road and the motorcycle continued to roll. They simply kept driving. They have no problem with murdering someone. It’s incredible, the ease with which passers-by can be murdered. I have six children. To think of what could have been in another second…”