Unlicensed driver flees police at 150 km/h and crashes into an ambulance
A speed check on Highway 79 turned into a dangerous pursuit: according to the indictment, the driver weaved between vehicles, crashed into an ambulance, and caused other drivers to brake sharply. After being apprehended, it was discovered he was an illegal resident who had never obtained a driver's license.
A routine speed check on Highway 79 turned into a dangerous pursuit within seconds: a driver clocked speeding fled from police, accelerated to about 150 km/h, weaved between vehicles, and crashed into an ambulance. After being arrested, it was discovered he was an illegal resident who had never obtained a driver's license. Yesterday, an indictment was filed against him at the Nazareth Magistrate's Court.
The incident occurred on August 13, around 07:38. Traffic police officers stationed in a patrol car on the side of Highway 79, near the Tzipori interchange, noticed a Skoda vehicle traveling at 121 km/h in a 90 km/h zone.
The officers signaled the driver to stop, but according to the indictment, he accelerated and fled. The officers began a pursuit, during which the driver cut across lanes and crashed into the front of an ambulance. Even the collision did not stop him, and he continued driving.
"It could easily have ended with many casualties"
Upon reaching the HaMovil junction, the driver moved to the left shoulder, accelerated to approximately 150 km/h, and overtook trucks and private vehicles. As a result, other drivers were forced to perform emergency braking and swerve to avoid a collision. A truck driver nearly hit the guardrail after being forced to swerve to avoid being hit.
"During the pursuit, in certain sections he reached a speed of 150 km/h," said the acting commander of the Nazareth station, Chief Inspector Rotem Dai. "This is a main, busy road during morning hours, and this incident could easily have ended with many casualties."
The driver continued with dangerous overtaking in the Kafr Kanna area until the officers lost visual contact. Searches continued, and several hours later the vehicle was located on Highway 65, near the Kafr Qara junction, where the driver was arrested.
Upon his arrest, it was revealed that the driver was Qatsi Khalil, 27, a resident of Anin in the Palestinian Authority territories. According to Chief Inspector Dai, the investigation showed that he was an illegal resident who entered Israel through a breach in the fence in the Jerusalem area and used an Israeli ID card to pose as a resident of Umm al-Fahm to employers. The driver had never obtained a driver's license.
The Nazareth North prosecution branch filed an indictment against Khalil at the Nazareth Magistrate's Court, charging him with reckless driving, illegal entry and stay in Israel, obstructing a police officer, use of a forged document, and driving without a license.
