Israeli Police Officer Shoots at Suspect Who Tried to Run Him Over in Tel Aviv Chase

A routine vehicle inspection on Salameh Street in southern Tel Aviv escalated into a dangerous police chase involving gunfire on Thursday. Police officers set up a checkpoint to enhance security and signaled a car with three passengers to stop for identification. Instead of complying, the driver accelerated toward an officer standing in the vehicle's path, attempting to run him over and then fleeing at high speed, endangering officers and bystanders.

Recognizing an immediate threat to his life, the officer jumped onto the front of the speeding car and fired his personal weapon at the occupants. Despite the gunfire, the suspect vehicle broke through the police blockade and escaped. Large forces from the Yiftach district were deployed to the area and began extensive searches.

Minutes later, emergency services received a report of a shooting victim found a few streets away from the incident. Initial police investigation identified the injured person as one of the suspects, a foreign national, who sustained moderate injuries. Shortly afterward, police located the abandoned suspect vehicle in a nearby side street, but the other suspects remained at large, prompting an ongoing manhunt.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir publicly supported the officers' actions, stating, "I fully back the police who fired at the suspect trying to run them over. Police officers are not targets, and anyone who attempts to breach a police checkpoint and run over officers cannot expect them to stand by." He emphasized that the officers acted in accordance with his direct instructions and reiterated his policy that officers facing life-threatening situations will receive full backing for their defensive actions.