Police shoot-out in Antibes

It appears that police had been tracking a gang they believe are behind a string of armed robberies with violence in homes across the Alpes-Maritimes. On Friday at about 8.30pm in the Badine area, four men were being shadowed by members of Nice’s BRI (Brigade de Recherche et d’Intervention) when their VW Golf came to face to face with about 20 police officers who were trying to cut them off at the corner of Chemin du Colle and Avenue Nicolas-Ausel.

The driver tried to turn the car round and when that failed to drive straight at the block, injuring two policemen in the process. Four of their colleagues then decided to use their guns to shoot out the car’s tyres and petrol tank, but a bullet hit the driver in the abdomen and another caught the passenger behind.

All four injured were taken to hospital, the driver in a serious condition, and the two remaining passengers were taken into custody.

Police found two handguns, plastic handcuffs and sticking tape in the Golf. Although the men, who are from a group of travellers camped near Villeneuve-Loubet and Cagnes-sur-Mer, are known to the police and reputed to be violent, an inquiry is bound to focus on what grounds the police had for stopping the vehicle in the first place. CL