Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Car Hits Spectators at Illegal Tuning Meet in Reims

The driver's arrest and pretrial detention have intensified calls to fast‑track harsher penalties for motorized rodeos with an 800-euro administrative fine.

Overview

  • A car participating in an unauthorized nighttime tuning meeting struck people at a Reims roundabout late Friday, causing multiple injuries and chaotic scenes as bystanders were knocked down.
  • Initial reports said eight people were hurt but a later judicial update reduced the confirmed toll to four injured, three of whom remain hospitalized with one victim suffering a near‑amputation of a foot.
  • The driver was arrested at the scene, tested positive for alcohol, was driving without a valid licence and is described by prosecutors as a multirecidivist; he has been placed in custody and was presented to a judge.
  • Two young children were in the vehicle and sustained minor injuries, and hospitals treated victims for severe trauma and shock after emergency services transported them to CHU de Reims.
  • Local officials condemned the illegal gatherings as dangerous and said the incident strengthens momentum for a Senate proposal that would create an 800-euro forfaitaire délictuelle to speed sanctions against motorized rodeos.