Netanya: Traffic cop shoots out tires to end chase

A traffic cop shot out the tires of a vehicle that was tearing through the streets of Netanya Sunday night, putting a stop to a car chase in the middle of the city.

The National Traffic police said that around 1:30 on Monday morning their cameras picked up a Honda racing through the Shfayim Interchange at 172 kilometers per hour, nearly double the speed limit. Traffic police gave chase and demanded the man pull over but he continued, making a U-turn at the Sapir junction and heading towards the Kiryat Sharon neighborhood while driving against the flow of traffic and running red lights on residential streets.

At the Beit Goldmintz junction a police cruiser was placed in the road to block the man's path, but he proceeded to ram the cruiser and continue on his way.

It was then, according to police, that a traffic officer pulled out his service pistol and fired a warning shot into the air before shooting at the car's wheels, taking out both of the back tires.

Though he could have still continued on his way driving on the rims, the driver surrendered, his drunken dash from police over a little more than 10 minutes after it began.

Police said the man's blood alcohol level registered over twice the legal limit. He and a passenger, both Netanya natives in their 30s with criminal records, were arrested on the spot.

When the driver recovers from his hangover, he can expect to face charges of drunk driving, endangering the lives of bystanders and failure to follow a police command.