PARIS – Police took down an armed man after a car intentionally rammed into a police van Monday on the iconic Champs-Elysees in central Paris, authorities said.
The small white car caught on fire after the collision and the driver may be dead, France’s interior ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet told reporters Monday afternoon.
The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an anti-terror investigation into the incident, Brandet said.
About 20 police vans and multiple armed police surrounded a man on the ground. The incident took place at 3:40 p.m. local time (9:40 a.m. ET).
Authorities advised people to avoid the area.
In April, a man shot at police officers on the Champs-Elysees, killing one officer and wounding two others. Police shot and killed Karim Cheurfi as he tried to escape on the busy tourist boulevard.
Developing story. More to come.
