Two police officers were sentenced, on Thursday, November 7, by the Bobigny criminal court to four years in prison for seriously injuring a motorist and his passenger after refusing to comply in August 2021 in Seine-Saint-Denis. In addition, they are between 30 and 33 years old and are permanently prohibited from serving in the national police and carrying weapons for five years.
The court considered that the police, who fired eight bullets in six seconds, “could not be based on article 435-1 of the internal security code”that regulates the use of weapons by law enforcement, because they were not “without uniform” nor equipped with“badges and armbands (…) apparent “ during this nocturnal intervention.
“Besides, there is no self-defense when you use your weapons.”added Dominique Pittilloni, president of the 14my correctional chamber of the Bobigny court, highlighting a “disproportion between the shots that seriously injured the victims and the behavior of the driver”.
“This is a decision that we do not understand and that we will appeal immediately”his lawyer, M., reacted to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Thursday.my Laurent-Franck Liénard. During the trial in early October, the prosecutor requested a year in prison under electronic monitoring.
Nordine, the driver of the vehicle, shed some tears while listening to the deliberations. Hit by five bullets in the abdomen, arms, groin, femoral artery and thorax, he was prescribed 127 days of total disability for work (ITT). Since then he became disabled and lost 10 centimeters in one of his arms. Bullet fragments remain in his body. Merryl, the passenger, was shot, had her spleen removed, and had 100 days of TTI.
Eight bullets fired in 6.25 seconds
“Merryl is satisfied that the guilty plea has been made, she believes that the ban on practicing the police profession fits the facts”his lawyer, M., told AFP.my Marine Allali, describing this decision as“unpublished”.
“For the future, regarding the way in which police officers have the right to use their weapons, it is important that the court adopts a purely legalistic view of article 435-1”Nordine’s lawyer, M.my Margot Pugliese. For his second lawyer, Vincent Brengarth, “Justice has finally been done for Nordine, in a case that began with his accusation and a complete imbalance in the procedure”. In an accessory proceeding arising from the same events, Nordine was sentenced on appeal to two years in prison for aggravated refusal to comply and intentional violence.
The crew of the Stains anti-crime brigade (BAC), dressed in civilian clothes and in an unmarked car, carried out this control on the night of August 15 to 16, 2021, in Seine-Saint-Denis. An amateur video, widely shared on social media, captured part of the intervention that followed an initial exchange between the officials and the drunk driver.
One of the police officers tries to enter the cabin of the car. The driver puts reverse gear. The two police officers fired several times aiming at the motorist. Eight bullets are fired in 6.25 seconds. The two brigade members used their weapons for the first time. During the trial they insisted that they considered their lives were in danger.
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“Wouldn’t it have been better to let the vehicle go?” »the president asked them. “At first I tried to stop the driver. (…). “When I make the decision to use a weapon, I have no other option.”responded the police officer who fired three times. “We never wanted things like this to happen”his colleague explained. The intervention occurred thirty minutes before the end of his shift.
