Three family members were killed in a gruesome hit-and-run accident, including a
mother and daughter, as they crossed the street in Netanya on Friday
night.
Police were searching for one of the people in the car,
35-year-old Shushan Baraby, who they said was seen fleeing the scene on foot.
Police sent out a call to the public on Friday night asking if anyone has seen
Baraby to please contact them immediately.
Police said they have not
determined if Baraby was driving on Friday night or if a second man, 26-year-old Yochai Glicksman – who turned
himself in shortly after the accident – was at the wheel of the car, an Audi
sedan that police said belonged to Baraby.
They added on Saturday that Glicksman was not intoxicated.
On Saturday, Glicksman’s wife came to his defense, telling reporters that her husband
was asleep at home when the accident took place. His attorney said on Saturday
that her client did initially confess to driving the car, before changing his
story.
On Saturday night, the Rishon
Lezion Magistrate’s Court extended Glicksman's remand by five days.
The victims of the hit-and-run were Svetlana Yigudiyev, 56, and
her daughter Shoshana Yigudiyev, 25, both from Dimona, and her cousin Alexandra
Rubinov, 67, from Netanya. They were scheduled to be laid to rest on Sunday.
They were on a crosswalk on Ben-Tzvi Boulevard
at 8 p.m. on Friday, when Baraby’s vehicle hit them, police said. The car was
reportedly traveling well over the speed limit.
Though Netanya police
would not comment on Baraby’s record, it has been widely reported since Friday
night that he has a long criminal record, including several violent
offenses.
He is reportedly a member of the Abutbul crime
family.
Friday’s accident took place almost a year after 25-year-old Lee
Zeitouni was killed when she was run over while using a pedestrian crossing in
north Tel Aviv. The driver of the car that hit Zeitouni and one of the
passengers, both citizens of France, fled Israel immediately after the
accident.
Police did not say whether they fear that Baraby may try to
flee the country.