The police say they “were not in pursuit” when the vehicle, in which there were six people, all minors, overturned.
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A 16-year-old boy died in a road accident in Wattrelos, in the Lille metropolis (North), on the night of Tuesday July 26 to Wednesday July 27. Five other minors aged 15 to 17 were in the car when it overturned, announced the Departmental Directorate of Public Security, according to which the driver was trying to avoid a police check.
The victim was a passenger in the vehicle, whose driver, also 16, was arrested. Three other occupants of the car, slightly injured, were hospitalized in Lille and Roubaix, the firefighters added.
According to the DDSP’s account, a police vehicle passed the teenagers’ car and turned around to check it, turning on its flashing lights. Attempting to flee, the driver then “burned traffic lights and took roundabouts in the wrong direction”, before hitting the sidewalk of an avenue. The vehicle then overturned, killing one of its young passengers.
The DDSP ensures that “the police crew was not in pursuit” at the time of the accident, which happened very quickly, but “followed the car, signaling its progress and asking for resources”.
According to France Bleu Nord, an investigation has been opened by the Lille prosecutor’s office.