A high-speed car chase through the streets of Paris early Saturday morning resulted in a dramatic crash, leaving 13 people injured, including 10 police officers. Authorities said the pursuit began when a driver refused to stop after running a red light in the city’s 14th district around 5:45 am.

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Suspected intoxicated driver loses control

Police chased the suspect's vehicle for several kilometres, moving into the 15th district before the driver lost control and crashed into a traffic light pole. Two police cars closely following the vehicle then collided with it, with one squad car landing on top of the suspect’s car in a pile-up.  

A bystander described the stacked and embedded vehicles as looking like something out of a movie. CCTV footage captured armed officers emerging from the wreckage and forcibly removing a passenger from the suspect’s car.  

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Multiple injuries and arrests

Authorities confirmed that 10 police officers suffered light injuries and were hospitalised, though all have since been released. “It’s a miracle that no one died,” said Anthony Samama, deputy in charge of the area. The three people in the suspect’s car, aged 30, 22, and 19, were arrested and taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Two of them were known to police.  

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Call for stronger penalties

The incident reignited discussions about penalties for refusing police orders. Currently, such offences in France carry a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a fine of €15,000 (£12,600).