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Man killed in apparent road rage incident; wife watches helplessly

Georges Al Reef was stabbed several times by Tarek Yateem after a road dispute. (Photo via LBCI News)

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — A father of four was stabbed to death in Beirut on Wednesday in an apparent road rage incident near Gemmayzeh.

According to reports, Georges Al Reef and his wife got into a right of way dispute with Tarek Yateem and Lina Haidar, who attempted to get in front of Al Reef.

Haidar, who was driving, forcefully hit Al Reef’s car and kept going. That’s when Al Reef and his wife followed the car to reportedly get its license plate number.

Al Reef’s wife called the Internal Security Forces for help, but police said there were no personnel nearby.

The chase led to Gemmayzeh, where Yateem got out of the car and began attacking Al Reef, repeatedly stabbing him with a knife.

The attack took place roughly 40 meters from the home of Energy Minister Arthur Nazarian, who watched from his balcony.

According to The Daily Star, Yateem was the bodyguard of prominent businessman Antoun Sehnaoui, the chairman of Société Générale de Banque au Liban.

Relatives and officials urged for the death penalty for Yateem on Friday at the funeral service for Al Reef.

Hospital officials say Al Reef was stabbed about 15 times in the chest. He died at Haddad Hospital in Achrafieh on Thursday.

Surveillance video shows several witnesses who watched the attack, but no one helped. His wife is seen begging Yateem to stop.

Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea called for a “maximum” punishment for Yateem, who was previously involved in a 2010 shooting at the White House restaurant in Sodeco.

“The Lebanese judiciary should give the maximum penalty for the perpetrator of this heinous crime, to be a clear lesson to all who would do a similar act,” Geagea wrote on Twitter.

Yateem is currently in police custody. He had several arrest warrants issued against him for previous assaults.

WATCH the attack, via LBCI News:

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