At about 10:50am Thursday, a routine police patrol assigned to keep on eye on neighborhood schools stopped an Arab male and requested that he present ID. Police report the male was not dressed suspiciously, but something about him attracted their attention. The incident occurred on Vardinon Street in the Gilo neighborhood of the southern capital.

The male, a resident of PA (Palestinian Authority) autonomous area presented his green ID card, then brandished a knife and attacked the policeman. The policeman, reportedly in his 30s, was seriously wounded. His partner, a female officer, ran to the patrol car to call for backup, realizing the terrorist was fleeing the scene. Her partner, who fell to the ground wounded, managed to fire at the fleeing terrorist. He fired several shots, with at least one hitting the suspect.

An 86-year-old male appears to have attempted to stop the fleeing terrorist, or was just in his path, falling victim. He was gravely wounded and despite resuscitation efforts lasting for about an hour, he was pronounced dead by doctors in the trauma unit of Shaare Zedek Medical Center. It is reported that he sustained a stab wound in the area of his upper left chest.

The policeman was transported to the trauma unit of Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital. He appears to be in moderate-to-serious and stable condition.

Paramedic Itzik Assraf, the first unit on the scene, reports the policeman had four stab wounds to his back and abdomen, but was conscious. Nearby MDA EMS personnel found the elderly man who was in critical condition, in traumatic cardiac arrest.

Citizen Yoav Mizrachi is the hero of the day; capturing the terrorist and holding him until police arrived to take him into custody. Mizrachi told police he ran after the fleeing suspect for about 150 meters, grabbed him by his shoulders and threw him to the ground. He then held him until police took over.

The attack took place close to Gilo’s Tali School. The school principal, who heard shots and witnessed the policeman falling to the ground, acted immediately, ordering all classrooms locked and students in one classroom that she checked had already gotten down under desks. She explained they are well trained and the frequent drills have prepared the elementary school students for every eventuality. She explains the school’s security guard was one of the people chasing after the fleeing terrorist.

In a statement to the media, Jerusalem Police Chief Ilan Franco admits the actions of the female officer are questionable, leaving one to ponder why she did not fire at the fleeing suspect to neutralize him prior to running to the vehicle. He stated that the patrol on the other hand did stop the suspect and demand ID, and promised the investigation into the incident will determine if those involved acted according to protocol. Police are also uncertain at this preliminary stage of the investigation if the terrorist planned an attack or just used the opportunity which presented itself to stab the policeman.

As is the case in real-time news reporting regarding terror attacks, information changes as details are released and confirmed. This was the case this morning as well. The age of the civilian murdered in the attack still remains a subject of controversy, with reports ranging from “in his 60s” to 86. YWN has not been able to get an accurate statement from hospital officials at the time of this report. There is also confusion regarding which hospital various victims were transported to, also a common occurrence with the real-time reporting of events as they unfold.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)