Tuesday October 15, 2024, late in the afternoon, an SUV driver ran over a cyclist in the heart of Paris. According to him, he was trying to escape. According to witnesses, he drove over the cyclist deliberately.
Published: October 18, 2024 at 1:37 p.m.
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UA 27-year-old cyclist lost his life after being hit by a motorist in an SUV late in the afternoon, Tuesday October 15, on Boulevard Malesherbes, in Paris. The motorist was indicted for murder on Friday October 18, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced. A judge of freedoms and detention must decide whether or not to incarcerate him.
The driver, a 52-year-old salesman and father of four, was late for an appointment for his 17-year-old daughter in the car with him.
According to Le Parisien, around ten infractions were noted: red lights burned, bus lanes used, cyclists brushed… For nearly 200 m, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office, the driver went up the cycle path on Boulevard Malesherbes.
And that’s where he finds himself blocked by a cyclist, Paul Varry, 27, a cycling activist in Paris, also caught in Parisian traffic jams.
Flight, but no murder, driver says
After asking the cyclist to move aside, an argument broke out, during which the driver ran over the victim’s foot, who, in return, hit the hood of the car. The driver steps back to free his foot. According to the salesperson, the cyclist behaved like a “madman”, an “animal” wanting to kill him and his daughter. It was therefore to “escape” that he accelerated.
However, the investigation and testimony point to deliberate intent. According to witnesses, he accelerated and crushed Paul Varry. The victim’s family’s lawyer describes the act as “barbaric.” “He did not hesitate to crush a body with a vehicle weighing more than two tonnes,” he told our colleagues.
Gatherings in tribute to Paul Varry are organized throughout France on Saturday October 19, notably in Lille, Lyon, Toulouse, Nantes and Bordeaux.
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