“They avoided the worst”: police officers open fire to stop a reckless driver after a crazy chase in Béziers

The police chased the driver from the police station to La Dévèze where the chase ended. JPA – Midi Libre

A 24-year-old driver was arrested this Saturday, September 28, by the Béziers national police after a wild chase that began not far from the police station, in the city center, and ended in La Devèze. One police officer was slightly injured.

This Saturday, September 28, around 5 a.m., the driver of a car refused to stop at a stop sign. Police officers who were on the scene wanted to check him. That's when a crazy chase began in Béziers. It started in the city center, not far from the police station, and stopped at La Devèze. Throughout the journey, the police officers who had chased the vehicle and its three occupants were unable to record all the infractions. They called for help from the police officers from the Béziers and Agde ferry terminals who arrived as reinforcements.

The police officer opens fire

Seeing that he could not get away from the police, the reckless driver did not hesitate to go through improbable corners in the La Devèze district. He took a piece of land that ended with bollards and stairs. He did not hesitate to jump his last ones and thus block his car. The police then came out with weapons in hand to definitively arrest the fugitives.

Nothing worked, the reckless driver made a few maneuvers to get away. One of the police officers fired his service weapon, hitting the escapees' car in the trunk as they were starting off again. They had just jostled one of the two police officers. He was slightly injured in the knee. The driver, disturbed by the bullet impact, then swerved and destroyed a bus stop and then hit a wall. This had the effect of definitively stopping the escape.

“It takes a shock of authority”

The reckless driver was arrested as well as the backseat passenger. The front passenger fled. He is currently being sought. The other two were taken to the police station where they were taken into custody. They were leaving a club. The 24-year-old driver does not have a driver's license and is well known for refusing to comply.

Contacted this Saturday morning by telephone, Eddy Deboste of the Alliance Police union insisted: “We really need a shock of authority. We cannot let the police put themselves in danger when they are there to protect us. It was a very young crew and we must highlight their composure and professionalism in this story. They avoided the worst. There will have to be a judicial sanction that is commensurate with these facts."

In Béziers, judges punish

This week, no one will be able to say that justice has been lenient with the reckless drivers who commit such crimes. A driver who injured a police officer was sentenced to six years in prison, another three years after a wild chase in Béziers.