Night of urban violence in Alençon, fifteen vehicles set on fire – BFMTV

When it came time to intervene, firefighters and security forces were the target of mortar fire, and were forced to retreat.

Thirteen vehicles were set on fire overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday in the Perseigne district of the city of Alençon (Orne). These disturbances are said to be caused by around twenty young people, according to a police source at BFMTV. The police have been called in for reinforcement for the day of Wednesday, declares the prefect of Orne Françoise Tahéri on our antenna.

“This night, we had to deplore a night of urban violence in Perseigne in Alençon, there are a dozen vehicles which were set on fire,” she explained on BFMTV. That night, “the police intervened quickly to stabilize the situation, they were reinforced by the gendarmes”.

Law enforcement and firefighters forced to leave the premises

Firefighters and police officers intervened around midnight, after having been notified of several fires on private vehicles in the district of La Perseigne. But deployed on the spot, they came under about fifteen mortar fire from about twenty individuals posted at different places in the neighborhood. Thirteen gendarmes intervened as reinforcements, and the clashes stopped around 3:30 am.

“I am delighted to note that there were no victims”, declares the prefect, because “in view of the mortar fire which was wiped by the police, by the gendarmes and by the firefighters, there would be may have been injured “.

The arrest of young people from the neighborhood at the origin of the violence?

According to a police source at BFMTV, the individuals “probably” wanted to protest against the arrest of two young people – currently in police custody – suspected of being involved in petty drug trafficking in the neighborhood (cannabis, cocaine, heroin). The pattern was classic: the young people set fire to private vehicles in order to trigger an intervention by firefighters and police to be able to do battle and gravel the vehicles.

“The investigation will tell what caused this outbreak of violence,” said François Tahéri, but “what is certain is that on Tuesday the police arrested drug traffickers in flagrante delicto. The investigation will tell s ‘there is a link between these events, one can suppose it having regard to the concomitance of the facts “.

No arrests have yet been made, according to our information, and the Perseigne district is calm this morning.