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French police car in hit-and-run crash after officer fires Taser

Six French police officers from Roubaix in northern France are under investigation after their five-seat car crashed into a parked vehicle when a woman officer fired a Taser at the driver, apparently as a joke, after which, according to a local prosecutor, they fled the scene.

La rédaction de Mediapart

This article is freely available.

A police car crashed in northern France after an officer in the passenger seat fired her Taser in the direction of the driver, reports BBC News.

Six officers were in the vehicle when the driver lost control and hit a parked car in Roubaix, near Lille, on Saturday.

The police car left the scene without stopping, prosecutors said. There were no reports of injuries.

Three officers, including the one who discharged the Taser, are in custody.

The incident happened while the officers were en route to Roubaix after finishing their shifts, local media report.

Maître Emmanuel Riglaire, a lawyer for the police officer who fired the Taser, told France Bleu Nord that the atmosphere was "good-natured" because "they're staff who get on well".

"They're having fun amongst themselves and act like idiots," Mr Riglaire said.

Read more of this report from BBC News.