Le Figaro Nantes
The thunderous boom almost ended with a bang. On Saturday evening, a police patrol intervened in a building on Boulevard Auguste Péneau, in the west of Nantes, to arrest a 31-year-old man who had just threatened his neighbours by brandishing a gun. It wasn't the only piece in his arsenal. A second rifle and a handgun were also found at the individual's home. In all three cases, they were fake weapons.
Weapons by destination
The owner of the airsoft guns was taken into custody the same evening, then brought before the prosecutor's office on Sunday before being released. He will appear before the Nantes Criminal Court for "threats with a weapon". "BB guns remain weapons, by destination, likely to injure and, above all, can be mistaken for real firearms," a police source told Le Figaro on Monday.
According to our colleagues from Ouest France, Saturday's altercation would have occurred as part of a noisy and highly alcoholic party, organized by the neighbors of the man placed in custody. The latter, suffering and annoyed by the commotion, is said to have first sent his son to try to mediate. In vain. The revellers then try to chat with their ailing neighbor, who greets them with his "real" fake gun. This was not the first snag between the two neighbours. According to the police, the affected households have been in the cold for two years.