Fists, stones and shattered windows: "Mike Tyson" of the coastal city spreads terror

A young man known to police in Herzliya is suspected of a series of violent attacks and vandalism, including assaulting an elderly man who refused to give him alms and smashing windows at the city post office. Despite the string of incidents and his classification as a "recurring threat," he has been repeatedly released from custody. Police and the municipality are calling for an appropriate therapeutic framework.

Residents and business owners in Herzliya are dealing with a young man well known to police, suspected of a series of violent and vandalism incidents across the city. Among the incidents: punching an elderly man after he refused to give alms, assaulting a convenience store worker, and smashing windows at the post office with stones. Some incidents were captured on security cameras. Police presented to the court a picture of a person repeatedly involved in similar incidents, defining him as "a figure from Herzliya who constitutes a recurring and repeated threat." A police representative argued that the cumulative picture must be examined, as "the accumulation of incidents... is what establishes the danger." The suspect has a prior record, and during proceedings his competence and condition were questioned. Police requested an appropriate therapeutic framework. His defense attorney opposed detention, arguing that a person should not be kept behind bars just because no alternative was found. The court ordered his release under conditions. Police appealed to the Tel Aviv District Court, but the appeal was rejected by Judge Alaa Masarwa, who ruled he found no error in the original decision. However, the judge noted that low-level offenses that repeat themselves "could establish grounds for detention based on dangerousness." The decision drew criticism from police and the Herzliya municipality, who are familiar with the sequence of events. Sources involved believe that repeated release to the street does not provide a solution, and that a therapeutic framework is needed to treat him and reduce the risk of recurrence.