Once again, a case which can only lead to embarrassment for Israel Police when an over zealous officer pulled a jaywalker into a police station, where she was handcuffed and detained for hours.

A 42-year-old Herzliya woman left her place of work, a dry cleaner in Tel Aviv and crossed the street in the middle of the block. She was called over by a policewoman and asked to show her identity card. She explained she left her wallet in the store across the street, but the policewoman would not permit her to get it.

She finally persuaded the policewoman to permit her to call a colleague in the store, to bring her the wallet with her ID card so she can accept the jaywalking summons.

The ‘suspect’ explains she began pacing while speaking on the phone and apparently did not hear something that the policewoman said. The policewoman reports that the woman “went berserk” and tried to run away, leading to her slapping on the handcuffs and taking her to a police station, where she remains restrained for some two hours.

She was finally set free and given a NIS 100 fine for jaywalking.

Police issued a statement confirming the policewoman’s allegations that the woman did not adhere to her instructions and tried to flee the crime scene. There was no plausible explanation for the decision to retrain her for hours with handcuffs.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)