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Two arrested for allegedly blinding and robbing Rehovot cab driver, 72
Police on Tuesday arrested two men from Rehovot for allegedly assaulting a taxi driver and hijacking his cab. The victim, a 72-year-old man from the area, lost an eye in the attack. Police say the suspects, aged 19 and 21, confessed to the crime.
Yaacov Mizrahi, a pensioner who supplemented his income by occasionally driving a cab, was found lying on the side of the road near Rishon Letzion by two passersby, who called an ambulance.
Mizrahi had been assaulted and beaten by two passengers who had asked him to take them from Rehovot to Palmahim around midnight on Monday. The men stabbed Mizrahi in the eye with a screwdriver, and then made off with his cab.
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The suspects allegedly had called Mizrahi's cab company and ordered a cab from Remez Street in Rehovot. They placed the call from one of their cell phones, police said.
The Rehovot police station tracked down the suspects shortly after the incident, following an intensive investigation. The older suspect had been previously convicted of theft. The younger man did not have a police record.
Police found the cab parked in a residential area of Rehovot.
The two suspects confessed that they had planned to rob the cab driver who came to pick them up, and said they had agreed to call off their plan if the driver happened to be young, on the assumption that he would put up more of a fight, police said.
They said they were surprised that Mizrahi did put up a fight, and said this was why they assaulted him. They expressed regret for the crime, police added. They are scheduled to be arraigned this morning at the Rishon Letzion Magistrate's Court.
The medical staff at Assaf Harofeh Hospital, near Tzrifin, spent two hours trying to save Mizrahi's eye, but failed. His four children, who were staying at his bedside, told Haaretz he regained consciousness Tuesday.
"We're in shock. It's very difficult to take. We can't believe this actually happened to us. We're hurting and we are outraged," said his son Gil Mizrahi.
Last month, another cab driver was robbed, assaulted and injured in Rehovot, after his passengers refused to pay him for the ride. Suspects were arrested in the case.
"My father is a very good person who never thought anything bad could happen to him. Now they took out one his eyes and beat him all over. It's shocking. Is this what it's come to?" his son said.
In the past two years alone, two taxi drivers have been murdered. One, an Arab from East Jerusalem, was murdered in a Tel Aviv apartment by a French immigrant, who cited political motives for the killing.
Source: Roni Singer-Heruti. Two arrested for allegedly blinding and robbing cab driver, 72. Haaretz.com (20 Feb 2008) [FullText]
Yaacov Mizrahi, a pensioner who supplemented his income by occasionally driving a cab, was found lying on the side of the road near Rishon Letzion by two passersby, who called an ambulance.
Mizrahi had been assaulted and beaten by two passengers who had asked him to take them from Rehovot to Palmahim around midnight on Monday. The men stabbed Mizrahi in the eye with a screwdriver, and then made off with his cab.
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The suspects allegedly had called Mizrahi's cab company and ordered a cab from Remez Street in Rehovot. They placed the call from one of their cell phones, police said.
The Rehovot police station tracked down the suspects shortly after the incident, following an intensive investigation. The older suspect had been previously convicted of theft. The younger man did not have a police record.
Police found the cab parked in a residential area of Rehovot.
The two suspects confessed that they had planned to rob the cab driver who came to pick them up, and said they had agreed to call off their plan if the driver happened to be young, on the assumption that he would put up more of a fight, police said.
They said they were surprised that Mizrahi did put up a fight, and said this was why they assaulted him. They expressed regret for the crime, police added. They are scheduled to be arraigned this morning at the Rishon Letzion Magistrate's Court.
The medical staff at Assaf Harofeh Hospital, near Tzrifin, spent two hours trying to save Mizrahi's eye, but failed. His four children, who were staying at his bedside, told Haaretz he regained consciousness Tuesday.
"We're in shock. It's very difficult to take. We can't believe this actually happened to us. We're hurting and we are outraged," said his son Gil Mizrahi.
Last month, another cab driver was robbed, assaulted and injured in Rehovot, after his passengers refused to pay him for the ride. Suspects were arrested in the case.
"My father is a very good person who never thought anything bad could happen to him. Now they took out one his eyes and beat him all over. It's shocking. Is this what it's come to?" his son said.
In the past two years alone, two taxi drivers have been murdered. One, an Arab from East Jerusalem, was murdered in a Tel Aviv apartment by a French immigrant, who cited political motives for the killing.
Source: Roni Singer-Heruti. Two arrested for allegedly blinding and robbing cab driver, 72. Haaretz.com (20 Feb 2008) [FullText]
Labels: Rehovot Criminal
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