The dramatic accident in which two young men lost their lives, on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, in Saint-Herblain, is the consequence of a chase with a police vehicle, announced Renaud Gaudeul, prosecutor of the Republic of Nantes, this Wednesday. Originally, around 3:40 a.m., a Renault Mégane stopped in the middle of the road near the Dervallières district, west of Nantes, had attracted the attention of a police patrol, especially since the two men on board looked “particularly young”.
As the officials approached, the car began to move forward at “low speed” and “with hesitant driving”, thus ignoring the siren and the flashing light for nearly two kilometers. But at the Armor roundabout, at the entrance to the Nantes-Vannes dual carriageway, the Mégane suddenly accelerated to peak speeds of over 140 km/h. The chase, lasting six minutes for ten kilometers traveled, ended on rue Syonnière, a wooded and winding road, in Saint-Herblain.
Unknown to the police
The fugitives’ vehicle, which had managed to get away from the police car, left the road and hit a tree “violently”, reports Renaud Gaudeul. The two victims, aged 21, did not survive the shock. Unknown to the police, they lived in Béganne and La Roche-Bernard, two towns in Morbihan. The car belonged to the driver.
“We are not in a position to reveal, at this stage, why they refused to obey the police”, indicates the prosecutor. Alcohol and toxicology analyzes have not yet delivered their results. Autopsies will be performed from Thursday. “There is no element implicating the police services at this stage”, adds Renaud Gaudeul.