Courneuve police station attacked: nine arrests, announces Nuñez

Europe 1 with AFP 9:17 a.m., March 18, 2024

Nine people suspected of having participated, on Sunday evening, in the firework mortar attack against the La Courneuve police station (Seine-Saint-Denis) were arrested, police prefect Laurent Nuñez announced Monday morning.

"A little before 11 p.m. (...), around fifty individuals attacked the La Courneuve police station with mainly mortar fire (fireworks, editor's note)", declared the police prefect on TF1.

An attack in the wake of the death of a young man

Videos posted on social networks show groups of people firing fireworks in abundance at the facade of the police station.

This attack occurred four days after the death in Aubervilliers of a young man from La Courneuve, Wanys R., during a chase with the police.

“We can make a link between this attack on the police station and the death” because “obviously the young people came from the neighborhood where he came from”, underlined a little later Laurent Nuñez on BFMTV.

Seven adults, aged 18 to 21, and two minors are among those arrested.

“From 11:30 p.m., calm returned,” said the police prefect, thanks to the arrival of “local reinforcements” and “BAC (anti-crime brigades, Editor’s note) night from Seine-Saint-Denis and Paris” .

Several “security operations”, in particular to put out garbage fires and “disperse the small groups of young people” scattered around the police station, were carried out, he continued, praising the “strong responsiveness” of the police forces. order.

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Two police officers slightly injured

The police prefect, who specified that two police officers had been "slightly injured", also announced the dispatch of "mobile forces from midday" on Monday around the police station and in La Courneuve.

“These acts are unspeakable and nothing can excuse this criminal behavior,” responded the Alliance union in a press release.

The town has been the subject of particular attention since the death Wednesday evening in Aubervilliers of Wanys R., 18 years old.

The scooter driven by the young man was pursued by the police after a refusal to control.

In an avenue in Aubervilliers, his two-wheeler was hit by a vehicle from an anti-crime brigade (BAC) called for reinforcements, which was coming in the opposite direction.

In the collision, Wanys R. was killed and his passenger injured.

A video of the tragedy was widely distributed on social networks and in the media.

The family's lawyer accused the police on Friday of having "deliberately" hit him, with the police's lawyer criticizing an "untruth" and defending the accident theory.