84-year-old man assaulted in Ramat Gan bike shop
The assault occurrs following an argument between the old man and the owner of a bike shop over the return of a mobility scooter; indictment filed against 43-year-old Yigal Bar-Lev for aggravated assault.
The district attorney decided to file charges against Bar-Lev in the Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court following a review of the assault. The indictment read: "The plaintiff came to the store of the accused with the aid of a cane and demanded that he return the money paid for the mobility scooter." It was further reported that an argument ensued and a store employee "shoved the plaintiff backward toward the entrance of the store, where he continued his claims against the accused."
While Yosef stood at the doorway and continued to argue with the storeowner—who was repairing a bike tire—he called the defendant "a cheat." This prompted Bar-Lev to come from behind the counter and strike the senior citizen in the face with an open hand, causing the man to collapse to the ground.
The indictment against Bar-Lev continued, "Upon seeing the plaintiff lying on the floor in agony, he returned to his work repairing the bike wheel as if nothing had happened." The indictment went on to detail how Bar-Lev demanded that his employee remove Yosef from the store. Finally, both lifted the man and carried him onto the sidewalk, where they left him alone and bruised.
MDA paramedics arrived on the scene and took the man to Tel Hashomer Hospital. Ramat Gan police also arrived at the scene and detained Bar-Lev.
Lavi described the situation, saying, "I bought a mobility scooter from him and I returned it after a day or two. I told him, 'It's not for me, I can't use it.' He told me would try to sell it to someone else and later told me that he succeeded and the other person would pay for it in installments. He didn't give me my refund and then called me a thief. I told him I'm owed NIS 4,000, but he told me he would give me 1,000. This was all over NIS 3,000."
According to Lavi, after Bar-Lev assaulted him, "He didn't even call an ambulance. He dragged me into the street and his assistant helped him. His assistant was all right though; he at least brought me water."
Findings from a Knesset research project demonstrated that most attacks against the elderly are committed by the young. In addition, the study showed that in recent years, there was a 14% rise in violent crime in the general population, while the elderly population experienced an increase of 24%.
