Riots in Saint-Pierre-des-Corps: ten police officers injured after collision with motorcyclist
During the night of 19 to 20 September, urban unrest erupted in Saint-Pierre-des-Corps near Tours, leaving ten members of the security forces injured.
Violent clashes near Tours after illegal motorcycle stunt intercepted by police
Ten members of the security forces were injured during urban unrest in Saint-Pierre-des-Corps (Indre-et-Loire), during the night of Saturday 19 to Sunday 20 September, according to franceinfo.fr. Around twenty vehicles were set on fire and fireworks mortars were fired at several neighbourhoods, in immediate proximity to residential areas.
The clashes involved "several dozen young people" and erupted after a motorcyclist was injured in the leg in a collision with a police vehicle. Five young people, born between 2005 and 2010, were arrested for "participation with a weapon in a gathering with concealed face", according to Tours prosecutor Catherine Sorita-Minard.
An operation to stop illegal motorcycle stunts at the origin of events
The incidents began on Saturday around 7 p.m. Police intervened in the Rabaterie neighbourhood to put an end to disruptions caused by several young people engaged in motorcycle stunts, according to the prefecture. During this intervention, one of the motorcycles was struck by a police vehicle.
The motorcyclist, born in 2006, was hospitalised with a leg injury, though his life is not in danger. He was to be questioned on Sunday by investigators, according to the prosecutor, who opened a judicial investigation into wilful harm.
An investigating judge assigned, the officer placed in custody
"An investigating judge is going to be assigned", declared prosecutor Sorita-Minard on social network X, recalling that the police officer driving the vehicle had been placed in police custody immediately after the collision. A separate inquiry was also opened into urban motorcycle stunts and refusal to comply.
Some young witnesses to the scene claim that the security forces deliberately hit the motorcyclist. The authorities indicate that nothing can confirm this version.
Residents in shock
Witnesses shared their emotion with France Télévisions: "We're in shock. I hope it will stop the vandalism, but I'm shocked. It's sad because I saw the scene, but we also want news about the young lad."
Olivier Conte, mayor of Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, acknowledged the existence of testimonies implicating the security forces, whilst calling for calm. "Today, the investigation must prove or not prove these facts. But we cannot resort to violence, burning, wrecking. That's not how we achieve justice," he stated.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)