Armed Tour de France police have opened fire on a motorist after he 'deliberately' tried to run them over, according to reports.
The man, believed to be wounded, drove toward officers at speed on the Place de la Concorde, the largest square in Europe, as they prepared for the arrival of the Tour de France riders.
‘Shots were heard just after 8am,’ said an eye-witness. ‘A car seemed to be involved in some kind of accident, and then tried to get through a security barrier.
‘Police tried to stop it, but when the driver refused he drove in their direction and then the shots were fired.
‘The man is said to be wounded and on the loose still. Police are looking for him.’
A police spokesman added: "This is a minor incident. It wasn’t aimed at the Tour de France, it’s not terrorism, it’s just a simple refusal to comply, as there are many every day."
Hundreds of thousands of people were expected to gather in the Place de la Concorde and along Champs Elysees avenue for the final leg of the Tour de France later in the day.
British Yellow Jersey champion Chris Froome is among those due in the city.
The shooting incident took place yards from the American Embassy in Paris. Extra armed police were soon flooding into the area, as the search for the car driver continued.
Paris has been on maximum security alert since the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris, when Islamist gunmen shot 17 people dead in cold blood.
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