According to police, the incident occurred two hours before the stage finish. Le Parisien reported that the suspect threatened spectators with a knife before attempting to flee the area.
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A man is arrested after stabbing a police officer near the finish of stage 4 of the Tour de France in Rouen on 8/7. Photo: AFP |
As police pursued and attempted to subdue the suspect, he stabbed one of the riot police officers in the chest.
"Thanks to his protective vest, the riot police officer was not injured. Seeing his colleague attacked, another riot police officer opened fire," prosecutor Sebastien Gallois said.
The suspect received treatment at the scene and was subsequently arrested. An investigation into the attempted murder of a police officer has been opened and assigned to the Seine-Maritime interregional judicial police.
The suspect is believed to be a 21-year-old man who had been on a "wanted" list since escaping from a hospital a few weeks prior. Most of the spectators in Rouen seemed unaware of the situation due to the size of the crowd.
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Tadej Pogacar (white jersey) celebrates winning stage 4 of the 2025 Tour de France on 8/7. Photo: AFP |
Tadej Pogacar edged out Mathieu van der Poel and Jonas Vingegaard in the final sprint to win stage 4 of the 2025 Tour de France, marking his 100th career victory. This is Pogacar's 18th stage win at the Tour de France, and he is aiming for his 4th overall title, following wins in 2020, 2021, and 2024.
The stage 4 victory also tied Pogacar with Mathieu van der Poel in the general classification (both at 16 hours 46 minutes). However, Van der Poel retained the yellow jersey due to tie-breaker rules.
In stage 5 of the 2025 Tour de France today, 9/7, the cyclists will compete in an individual time trial over a 33 km course around the city of Caen. The top contender is Remco Evenepoel, the world and Olympic time trial champion. He is currently trailing Pogacar by almost a minute in the general classification.
The Tour de France is the most prestigious road cycling race in the world, held annually since 1903. With 21 stages covering almost 3,500 km throughout France and neighboring countries, the race attracts millions of spectators worldwide and is a quintessential sporting symbol of the European summer.
Compiled by Hong Duy
