A gendarme was seriously injured late Wednesday afternoon in Pugnac (Gironde) after being hit by a motorist following a refusal to comply, the gendarmerie said.
“He was dragged for several tens of meters, suffered from broken legs and skin abrasions on his body,” said the gendarmes.
A man was arrested on Thursday morning and taken into custody, a judicial source said.
According to Sud-Ouest, the gendarmes were at the edge of the road and had signaled to the driver to stop, before he accelerated and rushed at one of the soldiers who did not have time to avoid the vehicle. .
Seriously injured, the 48-year-old man was airlifted to Bordeaux University Hospital.
“He was hospitalized but his days are not in danger, his vital prognosis is not engaged,” added the same source.
The “actively wanted” suspect
The man placed in police custody in this investigation opened for "attempted homicide of a person holding public authority" is indeed the "owner" of the vehicle which struck the agent, said the gendarmerie.
But the fact that he was indeed the driver “must be verified”.
“Full support for the gendarme seriously injured after being run over by a motorist in Gironde, following a refusal to comply.
Refusals to comply kill: we must constantly repeat this.
The suspect is actively sought and the sparrowhawk plan is triggered,” Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin tweeted on Wednesday.
Full support for the seriously injured policeman after being run over by a motorist in Gironde, following a refusal to comply.
Refusals to comply kill: we must constantly repeat this.
The suspect is actively sought and the sparrowhawk plan is triggered.
– Gerald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) October 19, 2022
A helicopter and field staff, consisting of a team with dogs, have been deployed, detailed the gendarmerie.
The driver's car was found a few minutes after the accident, says the regional newspaper.
The research section of Bordeaux is seized of the investigation.
Since the beginning of the year, 12 people have died after police fire in the context of refusing to comply.
The last death of a gendarme during a refusal to comply dates back to July 2020 in Lot-et-Garonne.
