Israeli security forces launched a manhunt for an Arab who stole an assault rifle from a policeman in the Hebron area on Wednesday.
The police stated that an officer who was involved in traffic enforcement at the Al-Fawwar junction in the southern Hebron Mountains stopped an Arab vehicle for inspection.
During the inspection, the driver of the vehicle grabbed the M-16 rifle of one of the officers and began driving while dragging the officer until the weapon detached from his body.
Footage of the incident shows a vehicle with Palestinian Authority license plates trying to bypass the checkpoint. In response, the policemen unstrapped their weapons from their bodies and appear to try to hit the car or driver. The driver takes hold of one of the guns and speeds away, as one of the policemen falls down.
תיעוד חטיפת הנשק מהשוטר https://t.co/azNjRTl6d1 pic.twitter.com/nobkOIHQS4
— בז news (@1717Bazz) June 8, 2022
אל פוואר, תיעוד נוסף מרגע חטיפת הנשק מהשוטר pic.twitter.com/xWshwXTKFx
— בז news (@1717Bazz) June 8, 2022
The suspect fled in the direction of Hebron, and massive police and army forces arrived at the scene and are conducting searches for the suspect vehicle.
The suspect, whose identity is known to police, subsequently turned himself and the stolen weapon over to the Palestinian Authority police. The PA returned the weapon to the Israeli police.
