Cop who 'choked' protester to face charges
Officer who was photographed while manhandling demonstrator to be tried for illegal use of force
A police officer who was photographed while grabbing a protester by her neck in June is to be indicted for illegal use of force, the Police Internal Investigations Department announced.
Chief Superintendent Yossi Sperling's "behavior under the circumstances expresses a lack of professionalism and appears to constitute a disciplinary violation," the police said in a statement, but noted that his actions did not warrant any criminal charges.
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"According to the evidence collected during the investigation, the force employed by the officer against the protester exceeded the reasonable (amount) and was not justified."
Police further emphasized that the cop appeared to have "temporarily lost his head" while on the job in response to the "extremely harsh swearwords" that were leveled at him by the protester.
85 protesters were arrested (Photo: Yaron Brener)
The incident occurred during a demonstration against the government's economic policies. The rally, which took place in Tel Aviv, turned violent when several protesters smashed bank windows and broke into their vestibules. The demonstrators blocked major roads in the city and clashed with police. Some 85 people were arrested.
Photos and videos released the following day showed Sperling choking and dragging a young woman, Maya Gorkin, before arresting her. The images were widely circulated and prompted the authorities to investigate the incident.
Omri Efraim contributed to the report
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