The day after a strong mobilization in France against the proposed law "global security" and against police violence, the four police officers accused of the beating of Michel Zecler, a black music producer, were brought to justice on Sunday in mid -day.
The public prosecutor, Rémy Heitz, indicated that the indictment of the police had been requested by the Paris prosecutor's office, as well as the provisional detention for three of them.
A detention requested to
"avoid a risk of consultation between the perpetrators or pressure on the witnesses",
explained the public prosecutor.
The first three police officers were indicted for intentional violence in meetings, racist comments and false in public writing.
A crime punishable by assizes.
Read also:
Michel Zecler case: the detailed account of what happened
A placement under judicial supervision was also required against the fourth policeman, accused of having thrown a riot grenade in the private room where the producer was.
This placement includes in particular the prohibition to exercise his functions.
An examining magistrate, who must decide whether he follows the requisitions of the prosecution, will also investigate the entire case.
The four police officers first mentioned a "legitimate" arrest and assured that their only objective was to bring out the producer for an identity check.
On November 21, the police carried out a particularly violent arrest of the producer in his studios in the 17th arrondissement of Paris.
The latter, who benefited from six days of temporary incapacity for work (ITT), presented in particular a scalp wound, a labial wound, a wound in the left foot and several bruises.
Heard by investigators at the IGPN on several occasions between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning, the four police officers first mentioned a
"legitimate"
arrest
and assured that their only objective was to bring out the producer for a control of identity.
Read also:
Who is Michel Zecler, the rap producer beaten up by the police?
Walking in the street without a mask, the producer would have withdrawn to his premises to escape this control.
Control also motivated by the fact that he was carrying a bag with a very strong smell of cannabis, according to the police.
It turned out to contain 0.5 grams of cannabis.
Once in the room, which they believed, they assure in their defense, that it was an entrance hall and not a private place, they explained that they were unable to control the room. '
struggling man'.
And explained the blows given by the
"panic"
which had seized them because of the resistance of the individual, and because the places, of 4 m², were very cramped.
Finally, they denied having uttered racist remarks ("dirty nigger"), however corroborated by a witness.
During a last hearing, the police - a sergeant and three peacekeepers - who
“present good, even very good, service records”,
according to the prosecutor, all the same ended up admitting that the beating did not occur. 'were not justified and that they had essentially acted
"under the effect of the fear felt in the airlock".
The fourth policeman, who threw the tear gas canister, is justified by his ignorance of the context and the confusion then reigning.
According to the prosecutor, four of the nine people present in the studio, in addition to Michel Zecler, filed a complaint for
"violence"
against the
police
.
"A shame"
While the producer quickly denounced the violence to which he had been subjected to a doctor, the investigation, according to Rémy Heitz, changed last Monday with a search of the studio, which made it possible to obtain the images of studio video surveillance.
The Paris prosecutor's office then closed a first investigation, targeting Michel Zecler, to open the investigation targeting the police.
Revealed Thursday by the site Loopsider, the images provoked outrage in the public.
According to Michel Zecler's entourage, the Élysée joined him yesterday to inquire about him and reminded him that, for Emmanuel Macron, what he had experienced was
"a shame".
The producer took to Instagram: “
I have a feeling that my case may be too much of a straw for many of you.
I demand that no violence or amalgamation be done in my name
”.
The Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin, announced Thursday
“the dismissal”
of the police officers involved,
“as soon as the facts are established by justice”.
He accused them of having
"soiled the uniform of the Republic".