16-Year-Old High School Student Drives Without License, Hits Policewoman in Tiberias

A 16-year-old high school student from northern Israel took his parents' car without permission and went on a dangerous driving spree in Tiberias. During a police checkpoint operation overnight, the teenager panicked upon seeing the officers, attempted to flee by reversing into a parked car, then drove forward, hitting a policewoman before escaping the scene. Police opened fire at the vehicle fearing a terror attack.

Officers quickly located the car and found the suspect along with two other teenagers, a boy and a girl. The police confirmed the youth had no driving license and had never applied for one. The policewoman was lightly injured and taken to Poriya Medical Center in Tiberias. The suspect was taken for questioning at the Tiberias police station.

Police described the incident as serious and potentially disastrous, emphasizing the risk to both officers and the teenagers involved. The suspect’s lawyer, Ofer Sabo, representing him through the Public Defender’s Office, called the event a youthful prank and urged for therapeutic rather than punitive measures, warning against harming the minor’s future. The police plan to request an extension of the suspect’s detention at the Nazareth Magistrate’s Court.