Four Minors Indicted for Assaulting Cinema Usher After Smoking Dispute in Rehovot Mall

A serious indictment has been filed against four minors aged 14 and 15 for violently assaulting a 19-year-old cinema usher in a mall in Rehovot. The incident occurred after the usher asked them to stop smoking electronic cigarettes during a movie screening and to leave the auditorium. According to the indictment, the youths entered the cinema without tickets, smoked inside during the film, and disturbed other viewers. When the usher confronted them, the situation escalated rapidly, and the minors attacked him with punches and kicks, causing severe injuries including a broken nose. The usher was hospitalized, while the suspects fled the scene, with their escape captured on security cameras.

Police from the Rehovot station investigated the case, locating and questioning the four suspects in the juvenile division. Each minor gave differing accounts: one admitted entering without a ticket but claimed to try to separate others; another denied involvement and said he was taught not to incriminate friends; a third said he did not notice the attack and fled; the fourth admitted smoking but alleged the usher attacked him first. All denied initiating the assault or claimed self-defense. During the investigation, police used a covert tactic by placing the minors together in a cell with recorded conversations, in which they implicated each other in the attack.

The case was forwarded to the Central District prosecution, which charged the youths with aggravated assault and criminal trespass. Despite police requests to extend their detention, the minors were released to house arrest pending ongoing legal proceedings. Defense attorneys argue for individual assessment of each minor's role, with some claiming the usher was the initial aggressor. The trial is expected to continue in court.