Cop indicted for yanking on ultra-Orthodox man’s sidelock

The Justice Ministry’s Police Internal Investigations Department filed an indictment Wednesday against a police officer who is accused of assaulting an ultra-Orthodox man by yanking on his sidelocks in an unprovoked attack as he was arresting him.

The alleged assault on Mordechai Kreuzer in July was caught on camera and published by Hebrew media, leading to a backlash of accusations of police brutality.

PIID filed the indictment at the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court against Yaakov Sheetrit, who is accused of assault as well as obstruction of justice in the course of the subsequent probe.

Another officer who was also involved in the incident will have his case dealt with by a disciplinary tribunal, Haaretz reported.

The incident happened during a demonstration against the demolition of illegal buildings in the central city of Beit Shemesh, which has a large ultra-Orthodox community.

Sheetrit and other officers told a crowd of protesters to disperse from a parking lot and then allegedly began pushing and shoving them.

At one point their attention became focused on Kreuzer, and Sheetrit allegedly hit him in the face, then dragged him away to a patrol car, pulling him by his sidelock.

During the clash Kreuzer suffered injuries to his face, back, elbow, forearm, shoulder and pelvis.

Sheetrit was also injured, apparently falling over and requiring a cast for his leg. He later claimed that Kreuzer attacked him with punches and kicks and that he was also assaulted by other demonstrators, a claim not borne out by the video evidence.

Kreuzer was initially arrested and charged with assaulting an officer but released after the video came to light. He said that in the hours after his arrest, which happened on a Friday, he was further mistreated by police at the jail and forced to ride in a car on Shabbat.

Sheetrit was suspended from duties after the investigation opened.

At the time, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, who had come under fire over accusation of police brutality against Ethiopian-Israelis, called the incident appalling and said he approved of the officer’s suspension.

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, head of the Haredi political party Shas, said at the time the incident “bordered on anti-Semitism.”