Jerusalem Riots Video Shows Driver Being Pelted With Rocks, Officer Coming to Rescue

During violent clashes in Jerusalem, Palestinian protestors reportedly threw rocks at a car, causing the Jewish driver to lose control and swerve onto a sidewalk. The protestors allegedly continued the assault on the car with stones, and opened the doors in an apparent attempt to attack the driver and his passenger before an Israel police officer arrived at the scene and fired warning shots to disperse the gathering.

A video of the incident was posted with a written account on the Jerusalem Post's website.

See the video below. Warning: Contains graphic content.

Israel Police told the Post that the car was driving outside Lions Gate near the Temple Mount of Jersalem's Old City Monday morning when the stone throwers attacked. Several bystanders were said to be injured when the driver veered onto the sidewalk.

Palestinian media reported that several Palestinian youths were among those injured by the out-of-control car. The Magen David Adom (MDA) ambulance service told the Post that the car's occupants, two men aged 27 and 28, suffered minor injures and received medical treatment. Some people on the scene also were effected by tear gas.

"We had stones thrown at us during the whole time we were driving on the street. I was talking with the police on the phone during the whole thing and told them that they were throwing rocks at me," the driver of the car told the Jerusalem Post. "I had nowhere to go, so I started driving back and forth. At some point, the car stopped and they opened the door and began hitting us."

"They hit us until a single police officer arrived and brought an end to the event," he added.

"During the event, I found a car that went over the pavement, which I realized was unusual. So I made my way to the vehicle," the police officer who responded to the incident told the newspaper. Like the men in the car, the officer's name was not published.

He continued, "I saw that the vehicle had stones thrown at it, and seeing as it was an event that could put lives at risk, I found myself having to shoot gunfire into the air. I drove away the mob, rescued the those in the car and called for a rescue."

Jerusalem has faced weeks of unrest before Israel police raided the Islamic Holy site Aqsa Mosque this morning, leaving hundreds of Palestinians and police officers wounded. On Monday evening, militants in Gaza fired rockets toward Jerusalem, and the Israeli military retaliated with airstrikes. Hamas later claimed responsibility for the rockets. Islamic Jihad, a separate militant group, also fired an anti-tank missile along the Gaza perimeter toward an Israeli vehicle and injured its driver.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that by Monday afternoon, more than 330 Palestinians had been injured. Israel police reported at least 21 police officers were injured during the day.