An IDF veteran suffering from PTSD was prevented from using a public bus with his service dog and arrested by the police. “It was a humiliating and terrible experience,” said 36-year-old Kobi Levi, after the traumatic event.
The bus driver refused to allow him to board the bus with his service dog, despite Levi presenting the required certification. The confrontation with the driver culminated in Levi’s arrest, involving the use of force, threats with a taser, and being held in a detention cell for five hours—during which his dog was denied water. “They tried to take my dog to a kennel in Tel Aviv and laughed at me,” Levi recounted.
Veteran abused and manhandled by police
The bus driver confronted him in front of all the passengers, declaring that he would not continue driving until Levi got off the bus. When he refused to comply, the driver called the police. The officers also disregarded the certification Levi presented. Instead of instructing the driver to allow the service dog on board, they handcuffed Levi using force and took him to the police station.
“I was returning from a visit to a bereaved family. On the way back, I waited for the bus with Morpheus, my dog. When the bus arrived, the driver refused to let me board," Levi told Ynet. "The driver said he would not allow me on, stopped the bus, and declared he wouldn’t continue driving until I got off. I begged him to look at the certification and told him I was a combat veteran, but he didn’t care. He cursed at me and called the police.”
Levi said five officers showed up after the driver alerted the police. "I told them I was a combat veteran and showed them the certification for my dog, but it didn’t matter,” he said. “After a few minutes, they told me I was being detained. One officer tried to put handcuffs on me. I told them they couldn’t handcuff me because of my mental health condition. They used force, injured my hands, and took me in a patrol car to the Ramat Gan police station.”
At the station, officers threatened to use a taser on Levi and his service dog if he didn’t enter the detention cell. “They injured my hands. Magen David Adom paramedics were at the station and treated me. After that, the officer in charge told me to go into the cell. I told him they couldn’t do that. He replied, ‘If you don’t go in, I’ll taser you and your dog.’ I went in handcuffed, and a few minutes later, they tried to take Morpheus to a kennel in Tel Aviv. They tried to get him to leave with them, but he wouldn’t go.”
Levi claims he sat in the detention cell for five hours, barefoot and handcuffed. “I sat in the cell for five hours without shoes, and they wouldn’t let me give Morpheus a bowl of water. After five hours, they released me without even conducting an investigation. The officer who arrested me and hit me cursed at the officer who sent me home.”
“Right now, I feel awful,” Levi added tearfully. “I sat in a detention cell for five hours. They tried to take Morpheus out of the cell, but he wouldn’t leave. They humiliated me. It was a truly degrading experience on the bus in front of everyone. I felt completely broken; it was an awful feeling of humiliation. Five hours in a detention cell—for what? And the fact that this happened the day before the National Day of Recognition for IDF Wounded Veterans makes it even sadder and more shocking.”
“I’m very scared, crying a lot, and my hands hurt terribly,” Levi shared. “They laughed at me from one of the police cameras, so I could hear it the entire time,” he added painfully. “I heard one of the officers say four times, ‘I turned him into tahini,’ and it’s humiliating. I can’t calm down at all.”
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“We regret the distress caused and clarify that the conduct of the officers is under investigation, and the necessary lessons will be learned," the police said in a statement. "The Tel Aviv District Commander views the incident in Bnei Brak, in which a citizen was arrested on a bus by police officers in a manner that contradicts the values of the Israel Police, with great severity. As a result, he has ordered an immediate inquiry into the event and has suspended the officers involved from operational duties until the investigation is concluded.”
The Electra Afikim bus company also issued an apology: “We deeply apologize to the passenger. The driver has been suspended pending the completion of a full investigation into the incident, and a disciplinary hearing will be held based on the final findings. We are conducting dedicated meetings with all drivers and company employees to reinforce procedures and prevent similar incidents.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said that suspending the officers involved was the right thing to do. "I will not tolerate any form of violence, especially against combat veterans who have protected Israel with their lives. We will do everything to preserve their dignity.”