France: two versions clash after the death of a young man hit by a police car
An 18-year-old young man on a scooter died Wednesday evening in Aubervilliers, north of Paris.
He was hit by a police car.
The passenger who accompanied him was injured.
The family announced Friday evening that they were going to file a complaint against the police officers, who for their part are supported by their hierarchy and in particular by the Paris police prefect.
Three days after the events, not everyone has the same interpretation of what happened.
Two narratives clash.
The location of the collision between a scooter and a police vehicle that occurred on the evening of March 13, 2024 in Aubervilliers.
AFP - WAFAA ESSALHI
By: RFI with AFP
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The video of the tragedy has been widely relayed on social networks since Wednesday.
We see the two men riding a scooter on an avenue in Aubervilliers, when a car from Bac, the anti-crime brigade, arrives in the other direction.
Called for reinforcement after refusing to comply, the police vehicle moved to the left.
And hits the scooter the wrong way.
The 18-year-old driver died a few minutes after the accident.
Despite this video, two versions clash.
For Yassine Bouzrou, the deceased young man's lawyer, there is no doubt: the Bac vehicle "
voluntarily
" hit the scooter.
“
The video shows that it is the police vehicle which swerves and which hits the scooter in the wrong direction and deliberately
,” the lawyer said Friday evening.
Me Bouzrou announced his intention to file a complaint against the police officers for intentional violence leading to death without intention of causing it, and aggravated intentional violence.
The police defend the theory of the accident
The police, through their lawyer, on the contrary defend the accident theory.
They would have moved to the other lane, to avoid another vehicle which was not respecting a priority.
“
It is quite obvious that the police vehicle had to make an emergency avoidance maneuver at the last moment, because the third-party vehicle was cutting it off, this is clear from the video
,” Me Jérôme told AFP Andrei, lawyer for the two police officers in the front of the vehicle.
This vehicle appears to be a taxi, also visible in the video.
According to a press release from the Bobigny public prosecutor's office on Thursday, which was based on the first elements of the investigation, "
the driver of the Bac crew was forced to swerve to avoid a vehicle which did not respect a priority and collided with the scooter coming in the opposite direction
.
Two open investigations
The
prosecution's "
allegations " about an "
accidental collision linked to the behavior of a third party motorist appear fanciful and are refuted by the video
", believes the young man's lawyer, who requests a change of scenery for the procedure - in other words, that the The judicial investigation is entrusted to a jurisdiction other than that currently competent.
Two investigations are open.
One for refusal to comply.
The other for “
homicide and involuntary injuries
” against the three police officers present in the vehicle.
They were interviewed freely by IGPN investigators.
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