Arab hijacks car in central Israel: ‘Drive or I’ll kill you’

The District Attorney filed a charge in the Central District Court against Sa’id Allenbari, 39, of Lod for robbery, threatening life, interfering with a policeman performing his job, serious injury under aggravated circumstances, violation of a supervision order and driving while intoxicated.

According to the indictment, Allenbari entered a woman’s vehicle at the Kaplan Hospital parking lot in Rehovot. Allenbari opened the passenger door, got in the vehicle and told her “Drive or I’ll kill you. Take me to Ramla. I’m running away from someone.”

The driver, who was afraid of Allenbari, began to drive on Route 40 heading north. During the trip, Allenbari instructed her to “drive, drive,” hit her with his hand on her right shoulder and made a threatening gesture toward her, as if he were holding something in his hand.

Upon reaching an intersection at a red light, the woman stopped the vehicle and fled. Allenbari then moved into the driver’s seat and began driving north.

The woman called the police. As Allenbari arrived at the Lod central junction, a number of police officers who were on the scene ran toward him. When Allenbari spotted one of the police officers, he started driving and swerved abruptly toward the right shoulder, and the policeman had to jump aside to avoid being hit by the vehicle.

Allenbari continued at high speed and hit a car stuck in traffic, continued driving and struck another policeman, swerved the vehicle back toward the right lane and crashed into another vehicle, then struck another policeman standing nearby. As a result of the collision, the vehicle was hurled forward and hit a police car and three other cars at the intersection. Three police officers suffered various fractures, including pelvic, joint and leg fractures.

The acts were committed after Allenbari consumed alcohol, in contravention of a sex offender supervision order imposed on him.

Attorney Sagi Segev, from the Central District Attorney’s Office, wrote in the arrest request: “The circumstances of the incident indicate the great dangerousness of the respondent, who entered the complainant’s vehicle and demanded with threats that she transport him from the scene. After she escaped from the vehicle he continued driving frenetically, ignoring a police roadblock and hitting two policemen who stood at the roadblock and causing them and another person bodily fractures. Watching footage of the incident shows how only by a miracle lives were not cut short by the respondent’s unrestrained behavior.”