Bus driver attacked in Jerusalem by teenagers who broke his teeth

A Superbus driver was attacked last night on line 2 in Jerusalem, the democratic labor union "Koach LaOvdim" announced this morning (Sunday). The driver, M., was attacked by several teenagers who began hitting the sides of the bus when it stopped at the Eshkol-Ramot junction at a red light. The driver opened the window and sustained severe blows, which caused him to lose consciousness for several minutes and resulted in four of his teeth being broken.

After regaining consciousness, the driver said he heard the teenagers continuing to threaten and curse him. The driver escaped the junction and contacted the police. Afterwards, he was evacuated for medical treatment. The driver M. described the moments of terror:

"I just started my shift, I hear heavy blows on the side of the vehicle. I opened the window and I get hit with massive blows. I was unconscious for maybe two minutes, and when I recovered, I felt blood in my mouth. Around me - curses and faces full of hate. For what? I don't know."

M. added: "I just started my shift. I was scared and crossed the junction, but I probably wasn't fully conscious yet and felt like I was losing control. By luck, I managed to park the bus. I don't want to think about what could have happened if there were passengers on the bus."

Head of the transport division at Koach LaOvdim, Itay Cohen, said: "Another line has been crossed in violence against public transport workers, and only the driver's resourcefulness prevented a disaster. What would have happened if, after this attempted lynching, he had hit a private car? We welcome the activity of the mobile security unit in Jerusalem, but it is impossible for only three mobile guards to provide a response to violence on buses. We call on the company's management to cooperate with us and transfer the footage of the attack to the police as soon as possible. We are in a labor dispute over this issue and will not compromise on the safety of the drivers!".

About a month ago, a mass brawl was documented between teenagers during the end-of-year trip of "Tzofim" (Scouts) members in Tel Aviv. The confrontation began with the theft of equipment belonging to 7th-grade scouts from one troop by scouts from another, but developed into a brawl that got out of control, as scouts, parents, and adult staff who happened to be at the scene were also injured while trying to separate them. MADA paramedics who were required to accompany the camp provided medical treatment to some of the injured.

At the same time, three teenagers accused of the murder of Yamanu Zalke on Independence Day in Petah Tikva were released to house arrest. The three minors were released to alternative detention conditions set by the court, among other things against the background of the probation service's recommendations and previous decisions made in the case.

An attorney for one of the teenagers accused of assault and causing bodily harm under aggravating circumstances said that he "was not at the scene for two hours and did not know that the deceased had been stabbed." The prosecution announced that it would not file an appeal regarding the release of the three.