Last update - 00:00 14/03/2008
Police suspect homicide as two men trample cop with car, killing him
By Mijal Grinberg, Jack Khoury, and Fadi Eyadat, Haaretz Correspondents
Police believe the suspects who allegedly trampled a police officer with their car on Thursday near the southern town of Mitzpeh Ramon did so intentionally, and should be charged with murder.
The Be'er Sheva Magistrate extended by eight days the remand Friday of two suspects alleged to have rammed their car into police officer Yigal Cohen, killing him in an incident which occurred Thursday night near the northern entrance to Mitzpeh Ramon.
Cohen was laid to rest Friday in Mitzpeh Ramon, with Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen in attendance at the funeral. Cohen is survived by his wife and two young children.
Cohen was on duty Thursday night on Highway 40 near the exit to Mitzpeh Ramon. At around 11:00 P.M., Cohen signaled for an oncoming vehicle with two Bedouin males inside to stop, however the driver proceeded to run over him and flee the scene. Cohen suffered fatal injuries and a Magen David Adom medical crew pronounced him dead.
The two men, whose car flipped over during the ensuing getaway, were arrested soon afterwards. During a subsequent search of the car, police discovered industrial items that were alleged to have been stolen.
Police arrested four men on Friday suspected of attempting to run a police officer over with their car in Kiryat Malachi.
During a narcotics surveillance operation in the southern city on Friday, officers spotted a suspect who was one of the subjects of the operation parked in a nearby car.
The suspect and his three accomplices then fled the scene, leading police on a car chase. Police say during the chase the suspect attempted to run over a senior officer from the police intelligence division.
The officer was not injured in the incident.
The chase came to an end after police opened fire on the car, forcing the four assailants to surrender.