At around 3.30 am on Sunday 5 March, police officers were carrying out roadside checks between Espaly and Polignac when a vehicle drove past them at high speed with its lights off. The driver, who refused to comply, is a 19-year-old man.
After issuing warnings, a soldier fired his service weapon twice at the tyres in an attempt to stop the reckless driver.
The police then gave chase and eventually managed to bring the vehicle to a halt by ramming it.
The man was drunk at the time of his arrest; toxicology tests revealed a high level of THC (cannabis) and he was driving without a driving licence.
According to the lawyer for the civil party (representing the gendarmes), this constituted “a genuine endangerment of others”.
He was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, 12 of which were suspended, and two years’ probation.
However, as the man was already on a suspended sentence, his custodial sentence will last one year.