Police helicopter helps catch 16-year-old riding ATV without a license in southern Israel

A 16-year-old from the Bedouin diaspora was arrested in southern Israel after leading police on a chase on an all-terrain vehicle, with a police helicopter tracking him from the air. The incident was published on Thursday and filmed from above.

According to police, officers from the Yoav Unit spotted the teenager driving unlawfully during a nationwide enforcement operation on roads in the south. When he noticed the officers, he sped off in an attempt to escape. Police responded with a pursuit using their own ATVs, while an aerial unit helicopter followed the chase and relayed real-time directions to ground forces.

The teen eventually abandoned the vehicle and was caught after a short foot chase. An initial on-scene check showed that he had never obtained a driving license and was not wearing a helmet while driving the ATV. He was taken for questioning at the Segev Shalom police station.

After the interrogation, police issued him a summons for a juvenile court hearing as part of a traffic case opened against him. The operation was part of the nationwide enforcement campaign called "Safe Road," which targets traffic offenses. Police said the case fits a recent pattern of similar incidents in the south involving unlicensed drivers trying to flee enforcement officers.