Indictment Filed Over Ambush Shooting in Tel Aviv

State prosecutors on Sunday filed an indictment in the Tel Aviv District Court against Elik Ben, 40, of Tel Aviv, and Pikado Givto, 26, of Or Yehuda. They are charged with aggravated assault, unlawful possession and transport of a weapon, and discharging a firearm in a residential area after allegedly trying to hurt a man by shooting at his car.

According to the indictment, the two planned the attack in advance, armed themselves with a pistol and ammunition, and went early in the morning to a main street in Tel Aviv. They waited there for the intended target, who arrived a few minutes later driving with two passengers. Ben and Givto then blocked his vehicle with their own car, forcing him to stop.

The indictment says Givto got out and fired several shots at close range at the victim’s car, while Ben left the car and moved toward the target. The man tried to escape by reversing, but his vehicle hit a pole and a tree. The car was struck by three bullets.

After the shooting, Ben and Givto fled in their vehicle. Later that day, security forces arrested them at a hotel on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Prosecutors also asked the court to keep both men in custody until the end of the proceedings.