A disturbing incident in the heart of Ashdod's Haredi Quarter 7 neighborhood on Sunday morning has left the local ultra-Orthodox community shocked and angry, after a married man from the Gur Hasidic community was violently detained by police in what officers later described as a case of mistaken identity.
The incident took place on Shderot Yerushalayim near Rechov Ba'al HaNes. According to witness accounts relayed to Kikar HaShabbat, police officers identified the man, who they apparently believed was a deserter from military service. Witnesses said the man, startled by the encounter, tried to move away, at which point officers moved to restrain him with significant force.
Eyewitnesses described a violent scene playing out on the street, saying the man was handcuffed at his hands and feet and struck repeatedly. According to their accounts, his glasses were broken and his pants torn during the encounter, and he sustained injuries that left him bleeding in several places. Bystanders said they were stunned to witness the scene unfolding in their own neighborhood.
Only after he had already been restrained and injured, witnesses said, did officers determine that the man was not who they believed him to be. According to the accounts relayed to Kikar HaShabbat, officers removed his handcuffs and left the scene quickly without offering an apology or medical assistance.
