A 17-year-old French citizen died in the hospital this past Saturday morning as a result of his injuries following an accident which took place on Friday evening in Chelles (Seine-et-Marne) after the scooter’s driver–who is still in hospital–refused to stop when ordered to do so by the police, the Meaux public prosecutor’s office confirmed to BFMTV.
Two flagrante delicto investigations have been opened by the Meaux public prosecutor’s office–one of which was for “refusal to comply”–which has been assigned to the Chelles-Villeparisis police station.
The other, for “manslaughter and unintentional injury,” has been entrusted to the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN) in Paris.
On Friday evening at approximately 11 P.M., the anti-crime squad (BAC) of Neuilly-sur-Marne (Seine-Saint-Denis) demonstrated its intention to pull over a scooter which had just run a red light. Upon activating its flashing lights, the police were unable to get the driver to stop.
A chase of about 2 kilometers ensued between the towns of Neuilly sur Marne and Chelles (Seine-et-Marne). Upon arriving in Chelles, the driver of the scooter attempted to avoid vehicles stopped at a red light, and changed lanes in front of the police vehicle. It was at this point that the driver lost control and the scooter slammed into a stationary car.
The two people on the two-wheeler, two young men aged 17, were trapped under the car. One of them – presumably the passenger – lost his helmet under the force of the impact. The scooter landed a few meters further ahead after colliding with the stationary vehicle.
Several young people have died in France in recent months as a result of police pursuits. On the night of October 6-7, a 23-year-old man died in a scooter accident while being chased by municipal police officers in Saint-Priest (Rhône).
Two months earlier, on the night of August 5-6, two young people on scooters in Limoges died after colliding with a vehicle while trying to evade a police checkpoint.
The two Limoges fatalities came just over a month after the late June demise of Nahel, aged 17, who was gunned down by police fire during a roadside check in Nanterre. His death triggered several nights of intense urban violence across the country.