The robbers, dressed as food couriers
Footage obtained by Ynet shows dramatic scenes from an intense January police chase in Jerusalem following a heist by criminals disguised as food delivery workers. The crime targeted a businessman and a well-known TikTok influencer in the capital's upscale Holyland neighborhood, ending with a shootout on a main street that left one suspect critically injured.
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Three suspects, posing as food couriers, entered last month the home of Yoni Cohen, a businessman living in the capital's affluent Holyland neighborhood with his family. Using food parcels as props, they claimed they were there to deliver to Cohen.
After gaining access to Cohen's residence, they tied Cohen to a chair and started searching the house. Unable to find valuable items, they decided to steal Cohen's luxury Audi Q8 and fled the scene.
Cohen managed to escape his restraints and sought help from a neighbor, prompting the police to initiate a high-speed chase of the thieves in his car.
Near Sacher Park, a police motorcyclist spotted the vehicle and signaled it to stop. When the driver tried to escape, hitting the officer, the officer fired his weapon, critically wounding the driver.
"They came to my house in the morning dressed as Wolt delivery guys. At first, there was one but then came three more and joined him," Cohen told Ynet shortly after the ordeal.
"They confronted me and tied me up in the room with cable ties. They asked where the money and watches were, and asked me to go into my bank account and transfer money to their account. At the time, my wife and my 9-month-old daughter were at home, they also tied up my wife, the baby was left alone in the crib."
"They were very frustrated that they didn't find anything. I told them: 'There is no money.' They found Rolex boxes and asked me where are they and I said they were not there. They took the keys to the Audi, went down to the parking lot, tried to get out and almost ran over the guard. Before they left the house, they kicked me into the bomb shelter. I managed to crawl to the door, reach the neighbor, and call the police."
Cohen often flaunts his lifestyle on social media, which includes driving luxury cars and owning luxury watches. "I think this has something to do with my posts on social networks, they were mainly looking for money," he said.
"It seems strange to me that Wolt people would knock on the door, but I thought my wife had ordered food. For some reason, I opened the door, and this is what happened. I gave a detailed statement to the police for hours. I did not imagine that such a thing could happen. I was with my pregnant wife and the child at home, it was a lot of pressure."
First published: 12:34, 02.29.24