The scene only lasted a few seconds, but that was enough to shatter an entire family. A man, apparently elderly, was killed on Sunday morning while chasing his thief in the street, according to police sources. This tragedy took place on Volga Street, near Charonne in Paris, not far from the Porte de Montreuil.
At 11:30 am, the firefighters were called by passersby for a man who had collapsed on the ground. When they arrived, the victim was already in cardiac arrest. Witnesses tried to perform CPR but it was too late. A doctor eventually declared the elderly person’s death.
A team from the 20th district police station also went to the scene to try to determine the circumstances of the tragedy. The police conducted a neighborhood investigation and learned that the victim had just been robbed of his bank card. The theft took place in front of the ATM of a bank branch.
Can the thief be held responsible for this death?
The Paris prosecutor’s office, which was not able to respond on Sunday evening, has opened an investigation and entrusted it to the second district of the judicial police. It is not known what charges have been filed. If the thief is ever arrested, can he be prosecuted for this death? Can it be considered involuntary manslaughter?
“This is a very rare case,” commented a judicial source. “For there to be involuntary manslaughter, a law or regulation must have been violated. There is no clumsiness or physical violence against the victim. So it seems that the theft and the death are two separate things.”
An autopsy will certainly be performed to try to learn more.
