A 45-year old man was arrested on suspicion of running over and killing a 12-year old boy on Route 4 near the town of Givat Shmuel on Wednesday evening on the holiday of Yom Kippur. Eran Azoulay of Beer Yaakov was arrested for negligent manslaughter, driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages, and driving carelessly. He is being held by police for the death of Barak Khoury, a resident of Ramat Gan. Azoulay reportedly had twice the legal limit of alcohol in his blood at the time he was arrested. The boy was wearing a helmet and protective gear when he was hit. He was set to celebrate his bar mitzvah in one month.
Israeli children frequently take advantage of the holiday to ride their bicycles on abnormally empty roads.
Azoulay was convicted in 2015 of drunk driving and received a ticket for the same offense a year earlier.
In a separate incident, an 11-year-old boy was seriously injured when he was hit by a vehicle while riding on the Ayalon Highway near the town of Kfar Shmaryahu. The 52-year-old driver was taken to the hospital with light injuries.
Paramedics from the Magen David Adom emergency services treated 2,583 people in Israel during the course of Yom Kippur. 226 people were injured while riding bicycles, skates, scooters, and skateboards. 239 people were treated because they fainted, were dehydrated or felt ill due to the fast.
