Police opened fire on a suspected stolen vehicle on Route 60 in the West Bank on Friday afternoon after its driver allegedly broke through checkpoints and endangered officers during a pursuit from Jerusalem toward the Gush Etzion junction. The vehicle subsequently overturned and caught fire, leaving the driver critically injured and igniting a blaze that spread to nearby vegetation.
The incident occurred north of Kiryat Arba, near the Gad Natan farm, prompting authorities to close Route 60 in both directions. The vehicle had Israeli license plates, but the driver's identity had not yet been established. Police said officers launched a pursuit after receiving a report that the vehicle had been stolen in Jerusalem and was fleeing the area.
Police shoot at suspected stolen car in West Bank chase; driver critically injured in fiery crash
(Photo: Fire and Rescue Services)
According to police, the driver began driving recklessly, endangering officers and other road users while breaking through police checkpoints in an attempt to escape. "Police officers who feared for their lives opened fire at the vehicle. The driver then crashed, causing the vehicle to overturn, catch fire and start a blaze," police said.
The suspect was pulled from the vehicle and received medical treatment, while firefighters worked to extinguish the burning car and surrounding vegetation. Fire crews from the Judea station arrived to find the driver lying beside the burning vehicle, with flames spreading into nearby brush and woodland.
Fire commander Liran Ben Harosh said crews were dispatched in force after receiving reports of a traffic accident involving a burning vehicle. "When I arrived, I saw a vehicle on fire on a slope beside the road, with one of its occupants lying nearby. Medical teams were unable to approach because of the intense heat radiating from the flames," he said.
"The fire had also begun spreading to nearby vegetation and woodland. We worked to bring down the flames around the vehicle to allow medical teams to approach, while additional crews tackled the brush fire," Ben Harosh added.
Firefighters searched inside and around the vehicle and ruled out the possibility that anyone remained trapped.