17.09.2025 14:25
In the Gebze district of Kocaeli, a father named Ö.K. verbally warned the driver of a luxury SUV that was speeding past them. However, the driver slapped Ö.K. in front of him and his children. The victimized father, recounting his experience, denied the driver's claim that he had "cursed," stating, "My child doesn't want to go to school. The kids keep asking: 'Dad, why did that guy hit you?'" as he shared what had happened.
Ö.K., who became the focus of Turkey's agenda after being slapped in front of his children for warning a fast driver named Ozan Canyürek while taking his children to school in the Cumhuriyet neighborhood of Gebze district in Kocaeli, shared his experiences.
"HE FORCED ME TO APOLOGIZE" Ö.K. stated that he was coming home from work and had set out with his daughter and son to take his child to school. "A jeep came towards us swerving quickly. We couldn't move to the side from the vehicles next to us. I raised my hand and said, 'Slow down.' It went 50 meters ahead and then came back again. He said, 'What are you saying, man?' I told him that he was raising dust and that the children were scared. I pointed out that all the children were going to school and that it was school time. He started insulting me, saying things like, 'Am I going to ask you? Am I going to learn from you?' He was swearing while talking. The child was next to me, and he didn't care. His brother came from the back. I thought he was a normal citizen passing by. While I was showing the road and indicating that it was dangerous, his brother hit my arm and pushed me down. He opened the car door in a way that would hit me and my son and got out. 'Look at me, champ, what do you mean? What's your problem?' he approached me in a showy, tough manner. As I tried to take it easy, he kept trying to dominate as if I were the guilty one. I said, 'You need to go slow; it's a side street. I'm not saying anything wrong to you. I'm not insulting you.' He was swearing at me.
"I DIDN'T SWEAR" Ö.K. stated that he never swears in front of children and that anyone can ask the people he knows in his normal life. "He still tried to humiliate me, and he did so in front of my children. Then he came towards me. He grabbed my cheeks. He squeezed my throat and face. Then he said, 'Apologize to me.' I said, 'Why should I apologize? You are the one who should apologize; I am not at fault.' He still insisted, 'You will apologize.' I saw that things were going to get worse; my daughter was holding my hand, and my son was moving back and forth in fear. I was also watching them because the children were extremely scared. I realized things were going to get worse, so I apologized to get them to leave as soon as possible, at least so that my children wouldn't be scared any longer," he said.
"I APOLOGIZED, HE SLAPPED ME" Ö.K. expressed that despite apologizing, the suspect Ozan C. slapped him. "I had just apologized, and he still had his hand on me, and he slapped me. Then he said in a swearing manner, 'Get lost.' In fact, it can be seen from the other camera behind me, he was making gestures with his hand. While I continued in the direction of the school, his brother did not get into the car. He moved along with us in the direction of the school we were going to, passed us, and then disappeared down the street," he said.
DENIED THE ALLEGATIONS OF SWEARING Ö.K. stated that he did not know the individuals involved. "I have never encountered them before. I have no feud with anyone. My wife, friends, relatives, and neighbors in this neighborhood can all be asked. Even the police asked. Nothing came out from anyone. I have no criminal record, nor do I have any incidents with anyone. That's why I don't know them. I did not insult them. He says to me, 'He swore at my mother. I have my child in the car.' I only said, 'Slow down.' I raised my hand. It is visible in the footage. There was only him in the car. The car was empty; he is lying. If he has a child in the car, is that how he drives? I mean, he doesn't think about his own child, but expects someone else to think about it?" he said.
CHILDREN DO NOT WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL Ö.K. stated that the children were very scared. "I am also feeling down, but I have to go to work. The police said, 'Let's take a report; don't go to work or anything.' I did not accept this. I have been forcing my son to go to school for days. In the morning, the child is crying on the phone, saying, 'Dad, I am not going to school.' I am trying to distract him. For days, the child does not want to go to school. The teacher is helping him to distract him. They are taking care of him during breaks and so on. The principals are also taking care of him, but the children's psychology has worsened. The children keep asking us questions: 'Dad, why did that guy hit you? Dad, we didn't do anything; we were just going to school. Why did this happen?' My wife says that since she stayed with the children at night, 'He keeps waking up. He sits up in bed.' Previously, my children never had such a thing. There was absolutely no swearing or insults. I only said, 'Slow down.' I said, 'There are children.' That's all," he said.