Israeli indicted for road rage ax attack on Palestinian
Court says Shlomi Katsav shattered truck driver's windshield after being cut off on a West Bank highway last week
The Lod District Court on Sunday indicted an Israeli man for allegedly throwing an ax through the windshield of a a Palestinian man’s truck outside a West Bank settlement last week.
According to the indictment, Shlomi Katsav became enraged at a Palestinian driver after he cut him off near the Karnei Shomron junction on Route 55 in the Northern West Bank last Wednesday.
The two drivers then engaged in a honking contest while passing each other recklessly on the road, the indictment said.
At one point Katsav managed to pull ahead of the Palestinian driver and waited for him at the entrance of the settlement with an ax. When the vehicle approached Karnei Shomron, Katsav hurled the ax at the truck, shattering the windshield.
No one was injured in the incident.
Katsav then fled the scene to his home in Karnei Shomron, where he was arrested several hours later, when local police received a complaint from the Palestinian driver.
Prosecutors on Sunday requested Katsav be remanded pending the conclusion of the legal proceedings against him. He faces charges of throwing an object at a vehicle, and could spend up to 20 years in prison if convicted.