Police shoot dead man who allegedly attacked officer after car chase near Umm al-Fahm; municipality demands probe

Police shot and killed a man who allegedly attacked an officer after a car chase near Umm al-Fahm around noon, the northern Arab municipality says.

The man is identified as Alaa Mahameed, a man in his early 50s.

The Umm al-Fahm municipality condemns the killing, holds police responsible for the death and demands an independent commission to “probe the circumstances of the incident, the arrest and the motive for the shooting.”

According to police, Border Police officers operating on Route 65 noticed a “suspicious vehicle” and ordered it to stop, but the driver failed to comply and instead “fled from the forces in a manner that endangered travelers.”

The chase ended inside Umm al-Fahm, but the driver “acted in a manner that aroused the suspicion” of the officers, and when one of them approached the car, “the suspect exited his vehicle, tackled the officer and began assaulting him,” police say.

The officer, “sensing his life was in danger,” shot the suspect, who was taken by medics for treatment, police add. The suspect was later pronounced dead.