State files indictment against hit-and-run defendant

Yaniv Feirovskine, 23, accused of hitting two women with his ATV on August 31 before fleeing the scene.

By YONAH JEREMY BOB
Hit-and-run suspect Yaniv Feirovskin 370 (photo credit: Courtesy Facebook Page)
Hit-and-run suspect Yaniv Feirovskin 370
(photo credit: Courtesy Facebook Page)
an indictment with the Lod District Court against 23-yearold Yaniv Feirovskine, alleging that he hit two female runners with his all-terrain vehicle before fleeing the scene in late August near Kibbutz Givat Brenner.
The indictment states that Feirovskine was driving a Yamaha tractor at high speeds near the runner on the day of the incident, August 31.
At first, said the indictment, the accused simply passed the runners. However, the accused then turned around, ignored the runners’ pleas to stop and ran down two of the runners, causing serious physical harm, the indictment alleges.
Next, the accused fled the scene, leaving the runners behind despite their being seriously injured and in need of medical attention, said the indictment.
After that, the indictment states, the accused went home and washed off the tractor in an attempt to erase any evidence of the incident, in case police came to check his vehicle.
On that basis, the indictment also alleges a count for obstructing the investigation.
Only three days ago, a Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court had upheld the accused’s remand pending completion of the investigation, and largely on the basis of a confession and reenactment of the incident.
Police said the confession had been obtained without any irregularities, although the suspect’s lawyer claimed it had been obtained under duress and through improper promises.
Feirovskine, of Moshav Ganei Yohanan near Rehovot, was arrested nearly two weeks ago.
He originally denied having hit the runners.
At his remand hearing, Feirovskine’s attorney claimed that police had said they would guarantee his client a sentence of 250 hours of community service at worst, and that he could be home for Rosh Hashana if he confessed.
The police insisted that all they had promised was that telling the truth would clear his conscience.
One reason for the discrepancy is that while almost all police interaction with Feirovskine was taped, one preinterrogation conversation was not.
This is not uncommon, and defense attorneys often seek to latch onto potential holes in a case and argue that they indicate a cover-up regarding what was said to the suspect.
Feirovskine’s lawyers will get another chance to cast doubts on his confession if the case goes to trial, but at the earlier remand stage, the judge did not accept Feirovskine’s claim that he had been coerced or lied to.
The alleged hit-and-run incident took place while 15 runners trained on a dirt path next to Givat Brenner’s fields. Two of them, including Olympic hopeful Radat Baltah, were injured.
Some of the runners confirmed the version of events alleged in the indictment, and said the ATV driver had sped by them, kicking up a large cloud of dust. They said that after they signaled for him to slow down he turned around and drove back, intentionally slamming into the two runners before driving off.
A manhunt was launched shortly thereafter.