Due to a police error, a family trip by the Mamo family from Bat Yam ended in a nightmare: At night, traffic police officers removed the driver of the car, Rabbi Yitzhak Mamo, his wife, and their three young children from the car in the middle of a busy road, claiming that their vehicle was stolen.
According to the indictment, which was filed with the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court, Mamu was stopped for a routine check near the Yoseftal Interchange on the Ayalon Highway, while he was traveling with his family. After checking the vehicle's details, the police claimed that it was a suspected stolen vehicle and ordered Mamu and his family to get out of the vehicle.
In the lawsuit, the couple claims that they tried to explain to the police that it was a mistake and presented them with their car license, but to no avail - they were forced to abandon their car late at night in the middle of the busy road.
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""It was a very unpleasant incident to say the least," his mother toldNews 2 Online, "Getting off a busy road in the middle of the night with three babies is a very questionable experience. The indifference the police showed to our sensitive situation was what irritated me most.".
He said that the police refused his request to drive the car to a place where they could take a taxi, and they were forced to wake up a relative to come pick them up.
According to the plaintiffs, the next day an official at the Holon police station called them and asked them to come to the station. "I arrived at the Ashdod police station commander's office and he told me that it was a misunderstanding and that he was sorry for the harassment caused to me and my family. He also told me that he would investigate the case and inform me of the conclusions they would reach.".
In the lawsuit, filed through attorney Avraham Biton, Mamu claims that since the incident he has contacted the police many times in order to find out what the investigation has revealed, but the police have evaded his questions.
Mamo and his wife are demanding that the court order compensation in the amount of 200,000 shekels. In the lawsuit, the couple claims: "The police violated the plaintiffs' freedom of movement when they deprived them of their freedom of movement, threw them out of the vehicle and left them lost after midnight.".
The Israel Police responded to Hadashot 2: "The lawsuit has not yet been received by our office, and therefore we cannot comment on the claims. The lawsuit will be handled in court when it is received.".
