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Paris police open fire on car that tried to crash Tour de France barricades Paris police open fire on car that tried to crash Tour de France barricades
(about 1 hour later)
Police in Paris have opened fire on a car that tried to crash the barricades hours before the final arrival of the Tour de France cycling race. Police in Paris have opened fire on a car that reportedly tried to crash through barricades in the centre of the city set up ahead of the arrival of the Tour de France.
Luc Poignant, a spokesman with the SGP police union, said the car escaped with its two occupants apparently unharmed after coming under fire on Sunday in the Place de la Concorde, where the cyclists make their final triumphant rounds to conclude the race. According to a series of French reports citing various police sources, the shots were fired in Place de la Concorde on Sunday after the car drove at high speed into the barriers, before being driven away. There were no reported injuries and police were searching for a man driving the car and a male passenger.
Poignant said officers were finishing setting up the barricades for the race when the car tried to crash through the barriers. Officers opened fire on the car, which ultimately drove away. While France remains on high alert for potential terrorism incidents in the wake of the murder of 17 people in January, when gunmen attacked the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish food store, initial reports suggested the incident was not a pre-planned attack.
Poignant told the BFM television network that no officers were injured. A police official told Reuters: “This is a minor incident. It wasn’t aimed at the Tour de France, it’s not terrorism, it’s just a simple refusal to comply, as there are many every day.”
According to RTL television, the car initially crashed into another vehicle in the Champs-Élysées, which connects with Place de la Concorde, before trying to flee police on duty in the street ahead of the Tour’s arrival.
The incident happened at about 11am local time (10am BST), according to Luc Poignant, a spokesman for the SGP police union. He said police are hunting for the people in the car.
The final stage of the Tour will, as is traditional, end with a circuit through central Paris followed by a sprint finish along the Champs-Élysées. The race’s director, Thierry Gouvenou, told Associated Press he had little information about the incident with the car but did not foresee any impact on the stage.
The stage itself does not leave its start point, the town of Sèvres, until 4.15pm local time, with the riders not due to arrive in central Paris until nearly 6pm. Britain’s Chris Froome is all but guaranteed victory, with a lead of more than a minute over his closest rival, Nairo Quintana of Colombia.
Traditionally, the final stage is something of a procession, with no attempts made to unseat the race leader, although the finish is closely contested by specialist sprinters in the race.