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Police Nationale copyright DGPN-SICOPRoad rage driver in France causes 6-year-old to fall off bike – then attacks her father and police
Police in France have arrested a 22-year-old man after a road rage incident in which he caused a six-year-old girl to fall off her bike, attacked her father, then assaulted police officers who were trying to calm him down.
The Dauphiné Libéré reports that the incident began shortly before 6.30pm on Wednesday evening as a man, accompanied by his two daughters, cycled along Grenoble’s Rue de Stalingrad towards Rue des Alliés.
A car approached them from behind at speed, with the motorist said to be beeping his horn “furiously,” causing the girl to fall off her bike.
The motorist then got out of the vehicle and attacked the girl’s father, hitting and kicking him, and then attempted to drive off, but was prevented from doing so by passers-by.
Officers from Grenoble’s local police force arrived and restrained the man with handcuffs, then called for assistance from the Police Nationale.
Once they arrived, they told the local officers to release the man and issue him with a summons to appear at a police station the following day.
But the newspaper says that as soon as the man had the handcuffs taken off, he began insulting and threatening the cyclist once more, and then threw insults at the police when asked to calm down, as well as spitting at the officers and trying to punch one of them in the head.
He was arrested for “outrage et rebellion” – roughly comparable to insulting behaviour and resisting public authority – and taken into custody, the Dauphiné Libéré adds.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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21 comments
> On the other hand, I've had a lot of dangerous, close passes, for example on the non-cycle path part of the route around Lake Annecy.
That's becasue Lake Annecy is in the Savoie and AdH is in France, erm I mean the Isère where, apart from Grenoble, the driving standards are generally a lot better. Another Savoyard thing is to come up close behind you and toot their horn. A lot of drunk drivers in the Savoie too.
Grenoble is an exception, especially in places like Rue Stalingrad where a lot of drivers seem to have passed their test, if test they have, in some mountain village in Algeria.
May I suggest that the driver, far from being a Brit , could have been chemically enhanced?
"Outrage et rebellion" sounds so much cooler than any charges you get in the UK.
Just sayin.
In fact I'm sure this driver must have been British. It would explain his general reaction to cyclists being on the road and then the total indignation when the police had an issue with his driving rather than advising the cycling that they should be wear helmets and high vis as these give magic protection from all aggressive drivers.
If that happened in the UK the driver would probably get some sort of medal.
Plus a two page spread in the Daily Mail: "Hero Driver Hits Back at Cycling Thugs....'enough is enough' motorist declares whilst resisting arrest and spitting at police officers..."
I only partly agree. I spend quite a lot of time in France. I've found drivers to be very cool around Les Deux Alpes and Alpe d' Huez, which are hugely popular with cyclists - they'll shout encouragement, not abuse, as they pass.
On the other hand, I've had a lot of dangerous, close passes, for example on the non-cycle path part of the route around Lake Annecy.
Yeah, I've had similar experiences. Drivers on the busy-ish D road from Chamonix down the valley back towards Geneva gave a lot of close passes. But on a technical descent down from a ski resort I had a postman offer me advice - "Tu freine trop!" - and he was right, though to be fair letting it all go on a twisty and unfamiliar descent doesn't exactly come naturally to me. But a postie giving me descending advice! How French is that? Loved it.
"You don't have to be a brit to be a tit" love it!
I've ridden and driven in France a bit and found both much more pleasant than the UK.
My experience in France is that they are generally far more civilised than us in the UK. Cycling in France has been delightful. In-fact, I'm becoming increasingly convinced that we British are barely civilised and it's unfortunately getting worse. As for the Gendarmes - my limited experience leads me to believe they are really charming, even when giving one a mild rebuke.
As for the Gendarmes - my limited experience leads me to believe they are really charming, even when giving one a mild rebuke.[/quote]
let us just say that my experience and yours are VERY different.... give me the British Police every time
I assume he's a British motorist on holiday ?
I'm not surprised at all by this. The problem with France is that while it's true people don't have a particular animosity against cyclists (not to the same extent at least as in the UK), some people have an extreme animosity against just anyone (you know, the kind of irrational animosity you find in the UK against cyclists, but directed at everyone). It is unsettling that you see that one's animosity doesn't stop when they see a child, doesn't stop when they see a cop. It is really bizarre. Thankfully they're a minority, but all of the countries I've lived in, it's only in France I've seen that kind of people.
Incidentally, there's not "cyclists pay no road tax" stuff, because road tax has been abolished in France.
I live in London but was born and brought up in the West Midlands and spent a year or so in Bristol too. I come across people on a very regular basis who are just as you describe. They aren't French (most of them, anyway). They're just part of the spectrum of humanity. Difficulty dealing with anger is not a national trait.
I was actually in Grenoble for work this week (a trip I make regularly). I often take my bike there - it's a great place to ride, very friendly towards cyclists and also a very family-friendly place. I'm glad to see the police dealing appropriately with a moron, but I'm not sure why the need to read national stereotypes into a single incident...
It was also abolished in the UK; in 1937.
http://ipayroadtax.com/
I have to agree that riding in France is much better than here.... and I hate to be pedantic.... but.... doesn't this news story s**t all over your statement
You do not have to be Brit to be a tit behind the wheel
No, but it helps!*
* Or so it seems...
He will be charged about €350+ for "outrage a agents" (insulting the cops , then a good fine and given at least 3 months of "prison avec sursis" (prison sentence to be served if he misbehave again) .
This is not the UK - In France we take this kind of stuff very seriously, cyclist are part of the road traffic. You ll never hear something like "cyclist dont pay road tax " in France.
We are not the best in the British eyes, but when it comes to cycling, people look at you with respect, overtake with big safety margins.
We invented the the Tour de France for god's sake
[[[[[[ Yes, you did, and we are very grateful, and proud of you! Vive la France....or quite a lot of it, anyway.
Angelfishsolo, The police initially summoned him to court for a Public Order Offence similar to Section 4 or Affray. Great idea, I wish we could do that! Would save lots of time! He was then further arrested when it was clear that his behaviour would continue! Good job by Les Gendarmes
What an idiot. Surprised to find that the French haven't dealt with it more seriously though. Surely there's dangerous driving and assault (or their equivalents) to add?
So he was only taken into custody because he attacked a Police officer and not for the attack on the cyclists. Says it all