A night out in Caen turned deadly after a driver ploughed a car into a crowd outside a bar, leaving two people dead and a string of others fighting for their lives, police in northern France said.
Officers detained a 26-year-old man following the incident last night. Authorities had initially reported that one person was killed at the scene and 10 others were injured.
Police said seven of the wounded were in critical condition, and confirmed that a second victim died early this morning.
The vehicle-ramming is believed to have followed a fight, according to a police source.
Prosecutors said the suspect, who was born in Russia, was not known to intelligence services. He was, however, known to police “for traffic offences”.
After fleeing the scene, he was tracked down and arrested in Ouistreham, about 20km away, the same police source said.
A security official for Caen said all the victims appeared to be men aged between 17 and 40.
An investigation has been opened into charges of murder and aggravated assault, the deputy prosecutor said.
“For the moment, we are not dealing with a terrorist motive, but the investigation is only just beginning,” he said.
