A 52-year-old Lyonnais suspected of having stolen and then set on fire vehicles in Lyon, injuring a total of 173 people, is referred this Thursday, July 30 to the prosecution, said the departmental direction of public security of the Rhône.
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The man is suspected of having stolen and then set on fire around twenty vehicles in the underground parking lots of residences in Lyon and in the neighboring town of Villeurbanne, between December and July. These fires have " by propagation destroyed or degraded " other vehicles, bringing the total number of owner victims to 173, police said in a statement.
Sentenced to five years in prison for trafficking in stolen vehicles
The investigation carried out by the departmental security of the Rhône made it possible to understand the mechanics in place: the vehicles, mostly from French brands, were stolen on the public road and then dismantled in an underground car park in Villeurbanne, before being “ Transported to surrounding residences where they were set on fire ”.
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On Tuesday, police arrested a man who had previously been sentenced to five years for trafficking in stolen vehicles. Excavations made it possible to seize " numerous vehicle starting computers ", as well as " to discover two boxes configured as an underground garage ". In police custody, the Lyonnais admitted to being " the author of the thefts of vehicles and their fire aimed at removing his traces ", according to the DDSP.
The fires started by the suspect repeatedly affected the residents of the residences, sometimes forced " to evacuate in the middle of the night " or " inconvenienced by the release of fumes ", underlined the DDSP. " The heat given off from certain fires (fire, editor's note) has even weakened the structure of certain buildings, " the police insisted.
