The act of a 24-year-old driver who crashed into the terrace of a café in Paris on Wednesday evening, leaving one dead and six injured, "could have been intentional" in view of "his statements," the prosecutor's office announced on Thursday, July 18.
The suspect, who had no previous criminal record, was released from police custody and taken to the psychiatric unit of the Paris Police Prefecture, the prosecutor's office told Le Monde. The investigation was reclassified as murder and attempted murder, and entrusted to the criminal brigade. "This reclassification of the facts was made in view of the statements made by the accused in police custody, suggesting that the act may have been intentional," explained the prosecutor.
The incident took place at around 7:30 pm on Wednesday, nine days before the start of the Paris Olympic Games, on the terrace of the cafe Le Ramus, in the calm and peaceful Père-Lachaise Avenue. One person died, according to a police source and the prosecutor's office, and six were injured, three of whom were in critical condition and three in relative emergency, according to a police source and the public prosecutor's office.
"Investigations into the possible presence of a passenger and the toxicology of the suspect are continuing," the prosecutor's office said on Thursday. The driver, a French national, has no previous criminal convictions, according to the same source.
The waiter at a nearby establishment saw the car passing "at full speed" and heard a loud noise. He told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on condition of anonymity that the car had "crossed the one-way street and sped off."
"All the injured are customers," "people on terraces, as the weather is fine today," Eric Pliez, mayor of the 20th arrondissement, reacted to the press on Wednesday evening, visibly emotional.
A psychological unit has been set up at the local town hall, where "priority will be given to the 23 people who witnessed the scene, who are shocked," as Vincent Goulin, one of his deputies, pointed out. "We're very moved, it has upset us all."
"This is a safe and peaceful neighborhood, which magnifies the shock of local residents and shopkeepers at the accident," the mayor told AFP on Thursday. "We are here to listen to and reassure residents and shopkeepers, and to suggest that those who wish to do so can contact the crisis unit," he added.
A local resident, Brigitte, 70, explained that "at Le Ramus, they always have a crazy crowd because this is where families gather after a funeral at the Père Lachaise [cemetery]." "My heart aches for the staff," she confided.
An AFP journalist noted on Thursday that there was no longer any police tape in front of Le Ramus, but that a large impact was still visible on one of the glass doors at the bar's entrance. Three bouquets of roses were laid on the ground in front of the establishment.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.