Another Earth-Mover Rampage in Jerusalem

In copy of earlier episode, backhoe attacks bus; 23 injured.

ByABC News
February 12, 2009, 4:28 PM

JERUSALEM, Israel, July 22, 2008— -- A man in a backhoe went on a rampage today on King David Street in downtown Jerusalem, beginning his path of destruction within 100 yards of where U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama is due to arrive tonight.

Twenty-three people were injured in the attack, according to Israel Radio, with one seriously injured before the East Jerusalem driver was shot dead by a civilian. The driver had an Israeli identification card, according to police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.

This is the second attack with a piece of construction equipment in Jerusalem this month, the last one taking place three weeks ago on busy Jaffa Street.

The attack took place as Israeli President Shimon Peres hosted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at his house, near the attack. Abbas condemned the attack, according to Israel Radio.

Yohanan Levine, 16, was on King David Street at the time of the attack, on the way to his house nearby. "The first thing I heard was a baby crying, and then everyone started to panic," he said. "I saw the tractor go into the bus; all the glass on the bus exploded."

The bus driver stopped the bus after it was hit from behind, thinking that the impact was from an accident, according to Jerusalem resident Cochava Kaslasi, who was on the bus at the time.

The backhoe came around the side of the bus, hitting it again, knocking out all the glass from the windows. "Some people fell to the ground," she said. "Some were injured."

The bus then turned off its regular route to let the passengers get off.

The machine then started going into cars, Levine said. "It was doing all the things that the tractor knows how to do, using the fork and the arm of the tractor," Levine said. "It pushed up the bus."

Levine said he looked into the backhoe driver's eyes. "He saw me," Levine said. "And I saw in his eyes only anger."

Kenny Lerner was sitting at a restaurant when the waiter warned him of the attack. "I saw the tractor just go 'boom' into one [car], 'boom' into another," Lerner said, motioning with his hands the frenzied nature of the driver.