Paris police fire on car that crashes into Tour de France barricades

Police in Paris fired on a car that crashed through barricades in place for the final stage of the Tour de France early Sunday, but said they didn’t suspect it was a terrorism-related incident.

Hours before the start of the final stage of the Tour de France, a car with at least two occupants struck a taxi and crashed into crowd-control barricades in the Place de la Concorde on the eastern end of the Champs-Elysees. The car was fired upon before it managed to drive away with police in pursuit. Police told AP they were continuing to search for the car and that their investigation is ongoing.

“This is a minor incident. It wasn’t aimed at the Tour de France, it’s not terrorism,” a police official told Reuters. “It’s just a simple refusal to comply, as there are many every day.”

A police official told the Associated Press they believe the car’s driver likely was trying to avoid submitting to a police check after leaving one of the area’s ritzy nightclubs. The incident occurred around 7:50 a.m. local time (10:50 p.m. PDT Saturday).

Security for the final stage through Paris is tight following double attacks in January by Islamic extremists. Attacks on the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a kosher grocery market killed 20 people, including the three attackers.

The final stage of the Tour de France is scheduled to start in Sevres, southwest of Paris, at 7:35 a.m. PDT (5:30 p.m. local time). The riders are expected to be in Paris around 8:30 a.m.

British rider Chris Froome is set to win his second Tour de France in three years following the completion of the mostly ceremonial run into the French capital.