French police officers in custody after deadly crash with teen in Paris suburb

Two police officers are in custody for questioning after the death of a teenager who was killed when his motorbike collided with a police car after he had allegedly refused to stop in a suburb of Paris.

The drivers of two police cars are in custody after a teen ridinga motorbike died in a collision with one of the vehicles. © Francois Mori/AP

A police car hit the 16-year-old, who allegedly refused to stop his motorbike for a police check in the suburb of Elancourt, in the Yvelines, on Wednesday.

One police car gave chase to the motorbike, which collided at an intersection with another police vehicle leaving a separate incident.

The teenager, identified in the media as Sefa S, was in cardiac arrest when he was transported to hospital. He died of his injuries on Wednesday night.

• In a Paris suburb, young people learn how to handle discriminatory police stops

The Versailles prosecutor has opened two probes: one into police allegations the teenager failed to comply with a traffic stop, and the other into the police officers for “involuntary injuries by driver”.

Police in custody

The drivers of the two police vehicles were taken into custody for questioning.

Government spokesperson Olivier Veran said the investigations under way would determine the "exact circumstances" of what happened, and called for calm.

“I am calling for restraint and careful consideration," he said on France Inter radio. "Regardless of how serious a situation is, it needs answers that we do not yet have."

A mobile security force was dispatched to the town overnight in anticipation of any unrest.

• Riots in France’s banlieues are over for now, but deep-rooted anger remains

Avoiding unrest

The police shooting death of 17-year-old Nahel at a traffic stop in another Paris suburb at the end of June sparked five days of protests and rioting across the country.

Looters attacked shops and businesses and set fires set at public buildings including schools and town halls.

The insurance industry association France Assureurs on Wednesday said the total damage from the riots was 730 million euros – 80 million more than previously assessed.

The vast majority of the damage was to public buildings and businesses, and not individual property, as was the case during the 2005 riots.

(with newswires)