Police release full account after claims of officer violence in Jerusalem scooter arrest

Israel Police released footage Thursday evening from the arrest of a 14.5-year-old ultra-Orthodox boy in Jerusalem after social media posts accused an officer of using violence. Police said the circulating clips were partial and did not show the danger the rider posed to the public.

According to police, the officer saw the teenager riding an electric scooter without a helmet, crossing intersections and traffic lights on red, crossing a solid lane divider, and nearly hitting pedestrians in a crosswalk. Police said the boy noticed the officer following him, refused to stop, and tried to flee.

The force said the arrest was part of a targeted enforcement operation aimed at road safety. Even after being detained, police said, the minor continued to resist, so he was taken to a station for identification and for handling the offenses attributed to him. After his details were checked, police confirmed he was about 14.5 years old.

Police said he rode without a license plate, without a helmet, and without the required riding permit, endangering road users. He was summoned for a fast-track court process on aggravated red-light driving charges and was later released home. Police dismissed the online criticism as a “partial and biased recording” accompanied by “false claims and baseless slander against the officer who acted at the scene,” and said they would continue enforcing life-endangering traffic violations “firmly and with a heavy hand.”