Teenager hit by car and killed in Hadera after apparent dispute in parking lot
Amichai Atia, 17, of Itamar was leaving a Selichot service when a driver, reportedly 21 from Kafr Manda, hit him before himself getting shot by Atia's friend; terror not suspected
A 17-year-old was run over by a car and killed in the city of Hadera overnight Thursday-Friday, after which the driver was shot and injured.
Police are treating the incident, which took place in a shopping mall parking lot, as criminal, rather than as an act of terror.
The victim was identified as Amichai Atia, from the northern West Bank settlement of Itamar. At the time of the incident, he had just taken part in a late-night Selichot service, the penitential prayers recited during the Jewish High Holiday season. He was attending the service with fellow students from his religious high school, the Hitzim Yeshiva.
The alleged assailant was described in Hebrew media as the 21-year-old driver of a commercial vehicle, from the Arab town of Kafr Manda in northern Israel. He was not named.
Police said in their statement that the incident began as a confrontation between the two individuals and escalated to violence as Atia was hit and fatally injured by the vehicle.
Amid the confrontation, the driver was shot and lightly injured, although the police statement didn’t say who was suspected of firing the shots. According to Ynet, the shooter was a friend of Atia’s, 23. The driver was taken from the scene for medical treatment.
Magen David Adom paramedics told Hebrew media they found the teenager unconscious and without a pulse, and attempted to resuscitate him while taking him to the city’s Hillel Yaffe Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The driver is being investigated on suspicion of reckless driving, endangering human lives on a public road, and abandonment, the Ynet news site reported.
The Kan public broadcaster shared footage ostensibly taken of the incident, though what is happening in the video is not entirely clear.
Atia is survived by his parents and five siblings, including a twin brother. The Itamar municipality said in a statement that he “took full part in the life of the community, was loved by his friends and admired by those around him, and left a deep impression,” adding that the teenager’s entire family is “very significant and loved in the community.”