A police officer killed during a road check after refusing to comply, in the Alpes-Maritimes

A gendarme died in Mougins (Alpes-Maritimes) near Cannes on Monday evening, August 26, after refusing to comply with a traffic stop, the Grasse prosecutor’s office announced. The victim, a senior member of the motorized gendarmerie platoon, was violently hit at the exit of the A8 motorway at around 8:40 p.m., when a person driving a black BMW refused to stop during this routine check, the gendarmerie explained. The man fled before being arrested a few hours later in Cannes.

“The criminal driver suspected of fatally knocking down a police officer in Mougins was arrested in Cannes last night,” announced Tuesday morning, on the X platform, the resigning Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin.

Mr. Darmanin said on BFM-TV on Tuesday that the man was a “Cape Verdean in legal status”who had committed in the past “numerous traffic offences, including refusals to comply”. Stating that there were approximately “25,000 refusals to comply per year”the resigning minister ruled that the reckless driver had committed “a criminal act”.

In a press release, the Interior Ministry stated that the gendarme who died Monday evening was 54 years old, married and the father of two children aged 12 and 16. According to the same press release, this warrant officer had been engaged in the gendarmerie for thirty years as a non-commissioned officer and had joined the Mandelieu-la-Napoule platoon in 2007.

The President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, reacted on the social network X a few hours after the tragedy. “I share the deep sorrow of his family and his comrades in the Mandelieu-la-Napoule motorway squad.”he wrote. “The nation stands by their side and expresses its gratitude to the gendarmes who protect it.” “Those who attack those who protect us must never know respite”wrote, for his part, the resigning Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal.

Deployment of a major device to find the fugitive

A major operation had been put in place by the authorities to find the fugitive, with a helicopter and the support of gendarmes from groups in neighbouring departments. Checks were carried out at traffic intersections, and all necessary information had been shared with Italy, in the event that the fugitive attempted to cross the border.

“Deep sadness and immense anger after the death of a police officer following a refusal to comply in Mougins”reacted, on X, Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice.

“Immense emotion and anger on learning of the death of a police officer in Mougins this evening, killed by a criminal on the run after refusing to comply”commented Eric Ciotti, deputy for the Alpes-Maritimes and president of the A droite! group in the National Assembly, allied with the National Rally.