Par Vincent Guerrier Published on May 8, 2025 at 2:19 p.m. ; Updated on May 8, 2025 at 3:35 p.m.
The sun’s rays were barely guessing in the town of Bellême (Orne)nestled in the heart of a postcard pole. At 6 am, however, this Thursday, May 8, 2025, around fifty gendarmes broke the silence of the sleepers to knock on the doors. Soldiers from 11 department units (research units, territorial units and PSIG).
Eleven days after the violence of the night of April 26 to 27, which caused a wave of emotion and indignation of the inhabitants, we only expected that.
A well -established survey
The Alençon prosecutor’s office had opened a flagration investigation entrusted to the research brigade of Mortagne-au-Perche. Thirty-seven complaints are filed in total.
The investigators had a lot of information but they were waiting for the right time to act and not to weaken a procedure that it was necessary to “arm”, especially in the presence of many minors.
The soldiers of the gendarmerie carried out numerous hearings of witnesses, the operation of video surveillance of different businesses and the hospital as well as to technical investigations. Fire expertise was also diligent, confirming the intervention of a third party.
Nine young people from 14 to 20 years old
Ce May 8it was often necessary to wake up parents before going to get the children to draw them from the bed, direction police custody.
In just over three hours in total, nine young people are taken under good escort, in a vast coordinated action of the Orne gendarmes which also act in neighboring municipalities.
Six minors
Young people aged 14 to 20, confirms the prosecution. They were all placed in police custody. In the lot, six are minors, aged 14 to 17.
But after the first waves, only one alleged perpetrator of the facts is missing. It remains untraceable at 8 am.
What we know
Before noon, elected officials learn the good news by the gendarmes: the last one was arrested. All the allegedly sought after authors are therefore arrested.
They should be confronted to know the real motivations for this chain of degradations which lasted almost six hours in the town.
This day, 9 people were placed in police custody of the heads of violence committed in a meeting, threats of offense with order to fulfill a condition, degradation or deterioration of the property of others aggravated by two circumstances, degradations of the property of others in a meeting, degradation by dangerous means and violation of domicile.
37 complaints
In its press release sent in the early afternoon, Laëtitia Mirande, the prosecutor, lists the 37 complaints filed. There are 2 victims (owner and tenant) of the set garage, 24 victims of degradation of vehicles, a complaint from the town hall of Bellême following degradations on ephemeral shops and property of public utility. There are also 4 complaints of merchants for degradations, in particular windows and outdoor furniture. A complaint for violation of domicile and degradations. Three complaints for damage to mailboxes or gates.
A stowed person
Even more surprising, the investigators receive, during the investigation, a complaint for violence in a meeting without total incapacity for work. One person, on the evening of the facts, was surrounded by several individuals who threw stones at him. Finally, a complaint for threats under condition has been filed.
The patterns
Still according to our sources, the investigators know that these young people were all together in an evening on Saturday April 26, 2025. Once out of town, violence would have mounted crescendo.
But why? They will have to respond to justice, probably in the days or weeks to come.
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