Paris: robbery of a luxury store with a ram car, a man arrested

Europe 1 with AFP 11:48 a.m., August 16, 2022

A man, suspected of a car-ram robbery against a luxury store on the night of Monday to Tuesday in Paris, was arrested shortly after the events in the Seine as he tried to flee the police, a- we learned from police sources close to the case.

Around 2 a.m., the 24-year-old suspect drove a car against the window of the Valentino brand, an Italian haute couture house, rue Saint-Honoré, in the heart of the capital.

After seizing several items, including luxury handbags, the man fled with his car, according to a police source.

Spotted by a police crew near the Place de l'Opéra, he was chased, but refused to stop and continued on his way to the nearby Place de la Concorde, where he abandoned his vehicle, added the police source.

The fugitive then plunged into the Seine where he was picked up by the river brigade before being placed in police custody.

Aggravated theft and refusal to comply

"The loot is being evaluated. Subject to verification, it would have been found in full," according to a source familiar with the matter.

"Thirty handbags", sold between around 1,000 and 3,000 euros according to the brand's website, were found in the suspect's car, according to a second source familiar with the matter. 

An investigation was opened, in particular of the head of aggravated theft and refusal to comply, and the investigations were entrusted to the 1st district of the Parisian judicial police (1st DPJ), indicated the Paris prosecutor's office, requested by AFP.