Orthodox Youth Beaten by Haifa Police, With Video Capturing Talk of Evidence Deletion, Case Closed by Police Investigators
Shalom Green, a young ultra-Orthodox man, was violently detained by Haifa police officers even though he had not committed any offense. According to an investigation by Channel 13 News, Green was riding late at night in a car with another man named Nehorai, and when the two reached a police checkpoint, the driver began fleeing the scene. While one officer gave chase, the officers who remained at the scene turned to Green, whom, he says, was only a hitchhiker and did not know the driver. In the footage, the officers can be heard ordering Green to get out of the car and lie on the ground, while he tries to explain that he has no connection to the driver. “I don’t know him personally... he’s not my friend,” he is heard saying, alongside pleas that force not be used against him because of back problems from which he suffers. Despite this, he says one of the officers opened the car door, pulled out a Taser and used it on him, even though he did not resist arrest and cooperated.
According to Green, while he was lying on the ground, another patrol car arrived and additional officers joined the arrest. “Everyone is hitting me from here and from there,” he said, while the footage apparently captures harsh exchanges between the officers and the detainee, including instructions to search him. But according to Green, the most dramatic part happened only after he was placed in the patrol car. The car camera, which remained on, continued recording the officers, and, as alleged, they spoke among themselves about body cameras, turning off the recording, and the possibility of deleting or tampering with the videos. One of the female officers is heard saying, “I hope the videos were deleted” and “I hope it didn’t film,” while according to Green, without the car camera he might have found himself accused of assaulting police officers. Despite the documentation, the report says, Green was released after several hours without questioning. It was also alleged that the Police Internal Investigations Department decided to close the case on the grounds that no offense had been committed by the officer involved.
Green described the incident as humiliating and difficult. In his words, “The police פשוט decide to take turns and walk me around like an animal,” and he added that the greatest pain for him is that “police officers who are supposed to protect you in this country are the ones who end up beating you for no reason.”
The Israel Police said in response: “Haifa police officers stopped a vehicle for inspection and the driver fled. During the attempt to stop him, he violently assaulted a police officer and the investigation is ongoing. A statement was taken from the subject of your inquiry and it was decided to release him. The conduct of the officers should be examined by the authorized body.”
