Barak Meshulam, father of two, was run over by a Palestinian driving a stolen car.
By Pesach Benson, United with Israel
A police officer was run over and killed by a Palestinian driving a stolen car near the Israeli city of Raanana Sunday morning.
The officer was identified as Staff Sgt. Maj. Barak Meshulam, a 29-year-old father of two who lived in Kfar Saba.
A 17-year-old Palestinian from Ramallah was arrested and is being interrogated. According to Hebrew media reports, the police ruled out “nationalist motives,” a euphemism for terror.
Police were pursuing the Palestinian who was driving a car stolen in the Tel Aviv area. Meshulam was manning a checkpoint between Ra’anana and Kfar Saba when he was hit in the pre-dawn hours. The Palestinian fled the scene on foot but was apprehended a short time later.
A Magen David Adom crew found Meshulam on the side of the road, unresponsive.
According to a police statement, he began serving in the police through his mandatory service in a Border Police unit from 2011-2014. Afterwards, Meshuslam continued as an officer at the Kfar Saba station.
“Israel Police lost a dear officer tonight, one who performed his job exactly as he was supposed to, as an officer and a defender of the public. Barak heard on the intercom of a stolen vehicle coming to his operational area. He arrived at the intersection and blocked it off, hoping to capture the vehicle and its driver,” said Israeli Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai.
“This is a daily activity that is done by thousands of police officers. This incident only goes to show the brunt that our officers carry and how much they put on the line for the safety of the public,” Shabtai added.
In June, a drunk driver killed 46-year-old police volunteer Amichai Carmeli at a sobriety checkpoint in Rishon LeZion. Two other police volunteers were injured.
Meshulalem is survived by his wife and children.
Details of his funeral were not yet announced.
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