Nazareth court indicts Majdal Shams man over Bobcat attack on police officer

An indictment has been filed in the Nazareth District Court against Ravii Ben-Zivah, a 51-year-old resident of Majdal Shams, accusing him of aggravated intentional injury after an incident involving a community police officer in the lower Hermon area.

According to the indictment, Senior Master Sgt. Nida Daer, a community police officer in the Moradot Hermon area, nearly lost his life while trying to return a stolen mobile phone to its lawful owner and was allegedly targeted by a Bobcat operator who tried to run him over.

How the incident unfolded

Daer said that on August 25, a report was received at the Golan police station about the theft of a mobile phone from a Golan resident.

"On August 25, a report came into the Golan station about the theft of a mobile phone from a Golan resident. The phone's owner was referred to me, we met, and after speaking we arranged to meet near the location where we had traced the phone."

He said the complainant parked his car near the community of Sha'al in the Golan, and the two then drove together in a police vehicle toward the signal from the stolen phone, where they identified a Bobcat operating at the site.

According to Daer, the complainant immediately recognized the suspect because he knew him and had been at his home five days before the theft.

The officer's account

Daer said he asked the phone owner to remain in the patrol vehicle, approached the Bobcat and addressed the suspect directly.

"I said, 'Good morning, Ravii, how many phones do you have?' He immediately hid two phones under his feet, pushed me backward and knocked me onto the Bobcat bucket."

Daer said the suspect then started the Bobcat, lifted the bucket and threw him several meters.

"As a result, I was injured in my ribs, knee and pelvis."

He added that the suspect then tried again to approach him with the Bobcat in an attempt to run him over, but a pipe at the scene stopped the vehicle. Daer said he then fired two warning shots into the air, causing the suspect to pull back and begin fleeing in the Bobcat.

According to Daer, the suspect apparently spotted the phone owner and drove quickly toward the police vehicle, struck it, lifted it into the air and threw it aside while the man's friend was inside.

Daer said he kept running toward the suspect so he would not be harmed again, drew his handgun, and the suspect raised his hands. He said the suspect shut down the Bobcat only after being ordered to stop and then surrendered.

Injuries, charges and defense response

Daer described the incident as a terrifying experience.

"It was a horror movie in every sense. I have been a police officer for 18 years, and this is the first time someone has tried to kill me with a Bobcat. I feel I survived only by a miracle."

He said that as the Bobcat drove toward him, he had dark thoughts as a father of three daughters and believed it might be the end. He added that despite the pain and his injuries, he got up and kept fighting until he subdued the suspect.

Daer was evacuated by intensive care ambulance to Ziv Medical Center in Safed and received a morphine injection. He said he continues to suffer from pain.

In addition to aggravated intentional injury, Ben-Zivah is also charged with:

• assaulting a police officer under aggravated circumstances;

• willful damage to a vehicle;

• obstructing a police officer in the line of duty;

• theft.

The indictment was filed by attorney Asil Amun Qasem, a senior deputy in the Northern District Prosecutor's Office.

Attorney Shelly Gurvitz Levy, who represents Ben-Zivah, said in response that her client denies all the allegations.

"This is a normative man, an exemplary family man, who earns his living honestly as a heavy equipment operator. He denies everything alleged against him. My client fell victim to this situation. He did not steal the phone, but found it and planned to return it to its owner. He is a friend of the phone's owner and had no intention of stealing it."

For his part, Daer said he considers the defendant dangerous and expects the court to impose a severe sentence. He said the case began as a simple phone theft matter and escalated into a serious district court case.