Four convicted in incident that led to death of ‘hilltop youth’ Ahuvia Sandak
Suspects, two adults and two minors, accept plea deal for property damage and stone throwing with racist motive; prosecution recommends community service
Four so-called “hilltop youths” — two adults and two minors — who threw stones at Palestinian vehicles in an incident that resulted in the death of their friend, 16-year-old Ahuvia Sandak, were convicted Sunday as part of a plea deal.
The charges included stone-throwing and causing property damage with a racist motive. The prosecution will request that the court impose community service sentences — nine months for the two adults and six months for the two minors.
The Jerusalem District Prosecutor’s Office filed the indictment against the four teens last weekend. According to the indictment, in 2020, the four were traveling in the area of the settlement of Kochav Hashahar along with Sandak, who was driving without a license.
At one point, they stopped by the side of the road after a curve, climbed a hill on the side of the road, and “waited for an opportunity when a vehicle would pass by, which they could identify as being driven by Arabs, so they could throw stones at it.”
The indictment stated that at some point, the teens spotted a car, positioned themselves behind their vehicle, and threw stones at it from a few meters away. Two of the stones hit the vehicle, breaking a window. Afterward, the defendants entered their car and fled the scene.
Police said officers had signaled for their vehicle to halt after catching the young men hurling rocks at passing Palestinian vehicles. The suspects refused to stop and sought to flee the scene, then lost control of their vehicle, which rolled over near the Michmash Junction, killing Sandak and injuring the four others.
The suspects were apprehended and taken to Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus in Jerusalem with light to moderate injuries.
The suspects’ lawyers claimed that the police car had rammed the fleeing vehicle causing it to flip, and alleged that the officers were responsible for Sandak’s death.
After a vote in Knesset in 2021, a probe was opened into possible police misconduct, but the investigation was closed the following year after then-attorney general Avichai Mandelblit found no wrongdoing.
The Justice Ministry released footage from the scene, showing the car the teens were driving recklessly overtaking a police vehicle during the pursuit and driving at high speeds.
Sandak became a cause célèbre for far-right activists, and repeated protests over his death in the wake of the incident escalated into violence and arrests.
