Fugitive Prisoner Steals Mercedes in North, Caught After Warning Shots

A 47-year-old prisoner from Yafa was arrested after a dramatic police chase in northern Israel ended with warning shots and his capture. Police say he used a three-day holiday furlough to disappear, then stole a luxury Mercedes worth about 250,000 shekels.

According to the Israel Police, he was supposed to report to a destination in southern Israel when his leave ended, but he never arrived and lost contact with authorities. Northern District officers began searching for him, recognizing him from a previous incident in which he was arrested after a lengthy chase.

Days later, police received a complaint from a car lot owner in Kiryat Shmona, who said a man had come to supposedly buy a Mercedes, but during a drive with a lot employee to transfer payment, he fled with the car. In a quick investigation, officers connected the cases and located the vehicle in the Nazareth area and nearby.

A Northern District motorcycle unit spotted the Mercedes in Kafr Kanna and ordered the driver to stop. Police said he then drove recklessly, endangered pedestrians, and finally crashed into a wall inside a residential neighborhood. Officers chased him on foot and fired warning shots into the air before arresting him. He has since been charged, and police filed a request to keep him in custody until the end of proceedings at the Nazareth-Nof HaGalil Magistrate’s Court.