Driver in protest hit-and-run released under restrictions after fearing a lynch mob

Police said Friday that the 22-year-old driver from Kafr Qasim who is suspected of hitting a pedestrian during the ultra-Orthodox protest at Geha Junction was questioned under caution at the Bnei Brak-Ramat Gan station. She is suspected of assault causing injury, traffic violations and public nuisance, and was released under restrictive conditions while the investigation continues.

The incident took place Thursday afternoon during protests that brought the Gush Dan area to a standstill. Video showed the driver accelerating on Jabotinsky Street in Petah Tikva while protesters surrounded her, then striking a 93-year-old man. He was moderately wounded, including a head injury, and evacuated to Beilinson Hospital. Shortly afterward, the driver turned herself in to police and was also taken for medical treatment.

According to her account, she feared a lynch and thought the protesters would attack her, which is why she threatened them with pepper spray. The day’s events also included additional scenes of chaos and violence at other protest sites.

At a separate demonstration against arrests of draft evaders on Highway 6 near Ben Shemen Interchange, a woman driver came out with an iron bar toward protesters and waved it at them before being attacked. At the same location, the windshield of the car of David Sasi, spokesperson for Transport Minister Miri Regev, was smashed after protesters hit the vehicle as he tried to move forward while police attempted to direct traffic. At Ganot Interchange, clashes between protesters and drivers were also documented, and another hit-and-run left a 21-year-old man moderately injured with limb and head wounds; Magen David Adom teams treated him at the scene.