An off-duty police officer violently attacked on the tram in Lyon

An off-duty police officer was violently attacked late Friday afternoon on the T4 tramway at the Jet d’eau-Mendès France stop in the 8th arrondissement of Lyon. According to the Unit 69 union, the peacekeeper was about to take his duty when he asked four young people “with aggressive behavior” to stop “their incivility”. “The four individuals bothered travelers with their shoving, their spitting and their insults,” specifies the police union.

According to the latter, “recognized as a police officer”, he was then attacked before being “lynched to the ground”. “Thrown to the ground, he received numerous blows, notably to the face, eyebrow arch and nose,” continues Unit 69. Transported to hospital, the peacekeeper was prescribed total incapacity for work, the number of days of which was not specified.

An investigation was opened to identify the four attackers. According to Le Progrès, video surveillance images from the tram will be used to find them. Still according to the daily, two users intervened to stop the attack and the tram driver decided not to restart until the four suspects had gotten off the train.

“This violence is neither banal nor acceptable. It must be fought with the greatest firmness. To attack a police officer because he is a police officer is to attack the institution he represents and the values ​​of the Republic,” condemned Unit 69. The prefect of Rhône, Étienne Guyot, also “condemned with the greatest firmness” this attack and “expressed his total support to the injured official and wishes him a speedy recovery.”