PARIS: A driver who ran over a cyclist after a heated altercation in central Paris has been charged with murder, according to a source close to the case on Friday. The 52-year-old driver of the SUV is accused of intentionally targeting the 27-year-old cyclist during the incident on Tuesday.
A judge will soon decide whether the driver should remain in custody until the trial. The incident occurred in the affluent 8th district of Paris amid growing tensions over road space in the congested city, where confrontations between cyclists and motorists are common.
The driver, who had his teenage daughter in the car, was arrested at the scene. French cycling advocacy groups have condemned the event, with “Paris en Selle” describing it as “an unacceptable tragedy.” Last year, 226 cyclists lost their lives on French roads.
