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Cédric Chouviat died on Sunday after being arrested by three police officers on Friday January 3 near the Eiffel Tower. (illustration image) REUTERS / Charles Platiau

A delivery man who died in Paris after a traffic stop was suffocated with a broken larynx during his arrest, according to the first results of the autopsy on Tuesday January 7.

Cédric Chouviat, 42, suffered a heart attack on Friday morning, near the Eiffel Tower, after being tackled to the ground, helmet on his head, by three police officers, shortly after a tense check, motivated according to a source policewoman using the phone while driving her scooter. He had been " aggressive " before uttering insults, the source added.

Transported in critical condition to the hospital, he died Sunday at 3:30 am, according to the Paris prosecutor's office. " The first elements " of forensic scientists report " an asphyxiation manifestation with a fractured larynx, " said the prosecution in a statement.

Manslaughter investigation

In view of these elements, the prosecution, which had conducted an investigation on Sunday into " search for the causes of death ", decided to open a judicial investigation for " manslaughter ".

While referring to " the relief of the family to be able to have access to an independent judge and thus be able to participate in the investigation ", his lawyers nevertheless regretted this tort classification chosen by the prosecution.

" The family will ask the examining magistrate to restore the only qualification of the facts which must be that of willful violence resulting in death ", a crime liable to assize, said Masters Arié Alimi, William Bourdon and Vincent Brengarth in a press release.

Shock videos

The family's lawyers released videos of the scene to the press on Tuesday morning after being called to testify. A first recording shows the delivery man turning nervously around the police by filming them. Another shows him then on his stomach struggling, still helmeted, under the weight of three police officers, then inert on other images.

Claiming to " trust the justice system and the investigators to shed light on the exact circumstances of the death ", Interior Minister Christophe Castaner declared that these autopsy results " raise legitimate questions, to which answers will have to be provided." in all transparency ”.

(AFP)