Tel Aviv Man Attacks Pedestrians With Stick Demanding Cell Phones

A man attacked pedestrians in central Tel Aviv on the night of August 29, demanding their cell phones. According to the prosecution, the suspect approached a passerby on Yehuda Halevi Street and demanded his phone. When the victim refused, the attacker retrieved a stick from a nearby trash can, held it to the victim's neck, and repeated his demand. The first victim managed to fend off the attacker.

A second victim, a 66-year-old man, was less fortunate. After refusing to hand over his phone, the attacker struck him in the face with the stick and began to choke him. During the struggle, the victim dropped his phone, which the assailant then took before fleeing. Police from the Lev station apprehended the suspect nearby. He was identified as a man in his 30s from Kiryat Gat and was found in possession of the stolen phone, which was returned to its owner. The victim sustained a bruised nose from the assault, according to police.

On September 3, the Tel Aviv District Prosecutor's Office filed charges against the man for property extortion by threat and assault on an elderly person causing bodily harm. The prosecution also requested that he be held in custody until the end of legal proceedings.

The report also referenced a separate incident in early August where police stopped an Eritrean national on the Tel Aviv promenade for riding a bicycle on the sidewalk and endangering pedestrians. Officers noticed the cyclist's pockets were full, and upon inspection, discovered a large number of mobile phones, suspected to have been stolen from the beach.