A trial opens today to judge three men accused of violently attacking and attempting to kill a police officer on a commuter train in 2021. The officer narrowly escaped death thanks to the intervention of a witness . The chilling details of this attack reveal the extreme violence faced by the police…
It is an extraordinary trial which opens this Monday before the Val-d’Oise juvenile court. Three individuals are on trial for attempting to kill a police officer on a Parisian commuter train in November 2021. The facts, of rare violence, shocked the police and relaunched the debate on growing insecurity in transport .
An ultraviolent attack on a crowded train
On November 2, 2021, shortly before 10:30 p.m., Alexis*, a young 26-year-old police officer, returned home after his day of work. He boards a line H train at Gare du Nord in Paris, in the company of a colleague. The latter gets off a few minutes later, leaving Alexis alone in the crowded train.
It was then that three individuals violently attacked the police officer. According to sources close to the investigation, the attackers recognized him and targeted him because of his profession. A barrage of blows followed, the young man was kicked and punched, including in the face and head.
Despite Alexis’ cries for help, no one on the train intervenes. His attackers sent him death threats: “We’re going to kill you, you dirty cop, you’re going to die!” ». One of them even tries to strangle him. The ordeal lasts for many minutes, the police officer loses consciousness several times.
A passenger intervenes, the policeman escapes death
When all seems lost, a passenger finally decides to intervene at the risk of his life. He intervened and managed to stop the violence and alert the emergency services, probably saving the police officer’s life. Alexis is taken to hospital in critical condition. He suffered multiple facial fractures and will have lifelong consequences from this attack.
An investigation was quickly opened and the attackers were identified using surveillance cameras. These are three young men aged 17, 18 and 20, already known to the courts. They were arrested in the following days and placed in detention.
A high-voltage trial
18 months after the events, the three accused appear from today before the juvenile assize court for attempted murder of a person holding public authority. They face life imprisonment.
-For the civil parties, this is clearly a crimes of anti-cop clothes. The central question will be to determine whether the attackers knew the victim’s status as a police officer, which would constitute an aggravating circumstance.
This is the trial of anti-cop hatred, of gratuitous violence against those who protect us. We hope for exemplary sanctions.
A police union official
In the dock, the three young men deny having any knowledge of Alexis’ profession. But for the prosecution, numerous elements prove the opposite, starting with the comments made during the attack.
A case symptomatic of a growing malaise
Beyond its ultraviolent nature, this affair highlights several worrying issues:
- The increase in violence against police officers, who are increasingly targeted, including outside their hours of duty
- Growing insecurity on public transport, particularly in the Paris suburbs
- The law of silence which reigns in certain territories, where interposing to help the police is a feat
For police unions, it is urgent that strong measures be taken to stop this spiral of violence and restore republican authority in lawless areas. The trial which opens today will be closely scrutinized. Its outcome will set the tone for the criminal response to this type of aggression.
*The first name has been changed
