ATV driver charged after hitting teenage athletes

Yaniv Fierovskin, 23, who made headlines after running over two up-and-coming teenage athletes with his ATV in August, was indicted on Wednesday on charges of assault leading to injury, causing grievous bodily harm, obstruction of justice and abandoning a crime scene.

Police allege that on Friday, August 31, Fierovskin was driving recklessly near Kibbutz Givat Brenner where a group of runners was training.

After he sprayed them with gravel when he wanted to pass, the runners shouted at Fierovskin to drive slower, whereupon he returned for another pass with his ATV and hit 15-year-old Tigist Bito and 19-year-old Radait Baltat.

Fierovskin then fled the scene and allegedly washed away mud and other evidence from his vehicle.

After he was apprehended by police, Fierovskin confessed to his role in the incident but denied he had hit the runners on purpose, saying, “I wanted to prove a point to them, but the ATV betrayed me and hit them.”

The victims, one of whom suffered a broken leg, are considered potential candidates for Israel’s track-and-field team for the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. Medical reports indicate that both will make a full recovery.

The prosecution recommended that Fierovskin be held in custody during the legal proceedings against him.