Riots in Saint-Pierre-des-Corps: 14 cars set alight after collision between motorcyclist and police
An urban motorbike stunt gathering descends into chaos in Saint-Pierre-des-Corps: 14 cars set on fire, 3 police officers injured and 5 arrests after a night of clashes.
Night of clashes in the La Rabaterie district
Firework mortars and the light from a gendarmerie helicopter marked the night of Saturday 19 to Sunday 20 September in Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, Indre-et-Loire. According to TF1 Info, at least 14 cars were set alight in the La Rabaterie district, the scene of violent clashes between police and rioters.
Everything began at 19:00 the previous evening, when police were called to an urban motorbike stunt gathering in a car park. A man born in 2006, riding a motorcycle, refused to comply with their orders. A collision with the police vehicle followed. The young man was seriously wounded in the leg.
A witness who captured the scene on video described the impact on condition of anonymity: "I heard a massive bang. Everyone gathered around. The car was there and the motorbike was lying against the wall. The young man ended up on the other side. He was conscious, he was suffering. His leg was shattered. It looked like a war zone."
Motorcyclist seriously wounded, officer in police custody
The motorcyclist remains hospitalised. Olivier Conte, mayor (DVD) of Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, clarified that the young man "has serious complications to his leg, but it is not broken" and that, according to the medical information available to him, "he should recover use of it with physiotherapy". The police officer at the wheel was placed in police custody; an investigation has been opened to determine the exact circumstances of the collision.
Following the night of violence, residents of this suburb of Tours encountered by TF1 Info teams are in shock. Cleaning crews describe a scene of desolation: destroyed street furniture, charred car wrecks.
Three police officers injured, five arrests
The clashes that erupted after the collision left three police officers injured, two of whom required medical treatment, according to Tours prosecutor Catherine Sorita-Minard. Five young people, including minors, were arrested for "participation with a weapon in an unlawful assembly with face concealed", the magistrate specified. All are without previous criminal records.
Fearing a resumption of violence, CRS 8 — a company specialising in riot control in urban areas — deployed during the night of clashes, remains mobilised on the ground.
Source: TF1 Info