Soccer player’s remand extended in hit-and-run incident in Tel Aviv
The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday extended the detention of soccer player Itzhak Asefa, who was the driver in the suspected hit-andrun incident which occurred in the early hours of Monday morning.
Two teenage boys were injured in the accident; one seriously and the other moderately.
The judge Roee Perry, ruled that the suspect’s detention should be extended by five days for the police to continue with its investigation into the incident. He also said there are grounds for the detention of the suspect out of concern the suspect would disrupt legal proceedings.
He said the offense’s circumstances were aggravated by the fact that the suspect was a new driver who was suspected of drinking and driving, and displaying dangerous and antisocial behavior by abandoning the wounded “wallowing in their blood,” and not alerting rescue services.
The police prosecutor said Wednesday that Asefa was found to have consumed five times the amount of alcohol allowed for new drivers. Asefa received his driving license a year ago.
Reportedly, 250 milligrams of alcohol were found in Asefa’s blood. The limit for a new driver is 10 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. It is not yet known whether he drank the alcohol before or after the accident.
Asefa has exercised his right to remain silent.
“We will continue to act by all means that are available to us to locate drivers who commit felony offenses and endanger the lives of those who use the roads,” the police said.
Asefa, 19, plays for Premier League soccer team F.C. Ashdod. His car hit and injured two teenagers who were riding an electric bike on Rokach Boulevard in Tel Aviv. Another soccer player from Ironi Kiryat Shmona, who had been out with Asefa that night, was released to house arrest and according to Channel 10 News, was given back his driving license and is set to participate in soccer training on Thursday.
According to Channel 10, the two had been in separate cars.
After the accident occurred, Asefa reportedly continued to another nightclub in south Tel Aviv. About an hour and a half after the accident, Asefa and his friend were seen checking the damage done to the vehicle and parking it, before getting into his friend’s car and returning to the scene of the accident, where they stopped briefly before returning to the southern part of the city.
Asefa’s family on Tuesday expressed their sorrow over the accident and sent well wishes to the family of the seriously injured boy.