By COLlive reporter
A vehicle crashed into a Lag BaOmer parade organized by Chabad in Beersheba on Tuesday evening, injuring several participants as children marched with Jewish signs in keeping with the Rebbe’s call to mark the day with public displays of Jewish pride.
The incident occurred at 7:57 p.m. on Avigdor Hameiri Street, when emergency services received reports that pedestrians had been struck by a car during the procession. Medics from Magen David Adom treated the injured at the scene and transported them to Soroka Medical Center.
Among the injured were a 4-year-old girl with a head injury, a 19-year-old man with injuries to his limbs, and a woman in her 40s who also suffered limb injuries. All were reported to be in light condition.
Police said the driver, a 32-year-old resident of Ar’ara in the Negev, a Bedouin town, is suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol. Initial findings indicate he was involved in a self-accident before striking the group of pedestrians. Authorities have treated the incident as a criminal traffic offense, with no indication of a terror-related motive.
Officers from the Beersheba station responded and arrested the suspect after he attempted to flee the scene.
He is expected to be brought before the Beersheba Magistrate’s Court, where police will request an extension of his detention as the investigation continues.
