The parents of a minor who was approximately 14-years-old at the time he was severely assaulted by a policeman have filed a lawsuit. The incident occurred at Givat HaBaladim near Kochav HaShachar, when a policeman from Shai Police, in March 2017, assaulted the minor. The lawsuit was filed in the Jerusalem Magistrate Court against the policeman and the Israeli Police for damages.

Honenu Attorneys are assisting the parents, who have demanded NIS 75,000 in damages. The statement of claim includes a mention that the policeman was known for his violence against hilltop youth and that complaints had been filed against him before the Givat HaBaladim incident.

During the incident, which occurred on the morning of March 2, 2017, several policemen arrived at Givat HaBaladim to detain one of the youths at the site. When the subsequently injured youth saw one of the policemen forcibly pulling the detainee, he called out to him, “No violence.” The call angered the policeman, who reacted furiously and violently. The statement of claim, which is corroborated by still photographs and a video clip, states that the policeman bent the minor’s head down, kicked him hard in his genitals and shattered his arm on his own knee. The injured minor was evacuated to the Hadassah Mt. Scopus Hospital in Jerusalem where his broken arm was set in a cast.

The parents are demanding compensation from the policeman for the assault and the medical damages caused to their son. They are suing also the Israeli Police due to the fact that the policeman had a history of violent behavior, particularly against hilltop youth and those who resembled their typical appearance, and many complaints had been filed against him.

The Honenu Attorneys assisting the parents detailed the complaints in the statement of claim, three of which were filed before the March 2017 incident at Givat HaBaladim. The first of the three complaints is of the policeman threatening a handcuffed minor with his fist, the second is of forcibly slapping a minor during interrogation, and the third is of him smashing a handcuffed minor’s head into a rock. The assaulted minor’s smashed head required 12 stitches.

Honenu Attorney Menasheh Yado, who is representing the minor’s parents, stated that, “The strong-arm of the Central Unit of the Yehuda and Shomron Police against the hill-top youth resulted in a violent policeman on a patrol who broke the arm of a minor. For this the suit is being filed on behalf of the minor against the policeman and against the Israeli Police.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)