The teenager says an officer held his head underwater. The case has been referred to France’s General Inspectorate of the National Police.
The prosecutor’s office in Vesoul said on Oct. 7 it had opened an investigation into an attempted murder complaint filed by a high school student against a police officer after an arrest in Belfort. The case was assigned to France’s General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN). Prosecutor Arnaud Grécourt said it had been transferred from Belfort to Vesoul to ensure impartiality because the officer regularly deals with local court officials.
The student’s lawyer, Arié Alimi, said his client accuses the officer of holding his head underwater. According to the lawyer, the attempted arrest took place by a stream on Friday after the teenager was identified as a suspect in stone-throwing and rubbish-bin fires. The student filed a complaint against the officer and his superiors on Sunday.
A separate investigation concerns an assault on the officer. Belfort prosecutor Paul-Édouard Lallois said several people knocked him down and beat him, including the student who had initially been detained and escaped. The teenager has been charged with aggravated violence against a national police officer and remanded in custody. His lawyer has appealed the detention decision.