Police insist that officers only opened fire on Salah Sleimah, 30, when they felt compelled to do so, realizing they were in life-threatening danger.

Jerusalem police received a phone call at 7:00am on Shabbos morning, reporting a clothing store window on Emek Refaim Street had been smashed. A police unit arrived to find to men loading the store’s contents into a Mazda 3 sedan. Police ordered them to stop, at which time they entered their car and began driving in reverse, trying to rundown the policemen.

Police fired at the vehicle with a handgun and machinegun, and the burglars shifted into drive and fled, striking parked vehicles in the process. A pursuit resulted and the car was apprehended in a parking lot about a mile from the scene.

Sleimah collapsed after getting out of the vehicle and resuscitation efforts failed. A Jewish woman who was accompanying him was taken into custody. 

Police report the shooting is being investigated. Officials add that Sleimah had an illustrious criminal record as does the woman in custody. The woman in custody was remanded for four days. At present, she tells police she does not remember anything pertaining to the incident.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)