Belfort police beating: two minors charged with aggravated violence

Two teenagers aged 15 and 17 have been formally charged with aggravated violence after a police officer was beaten in Belfort on Friday during clashes linked to a student protest, prosecutors announced Sunday. The investigation was initially opened for attempted murder, but charges were reduced due to a lack of evidence of intent to kill, according to prosecutor Paul-Édouard Lallois. The older suspect, whom the officer had tried to arrest, has filed a counter-complaint for attempted murder, alleging the officer tried to drown him near a stream. The officer, a departmental intelligence chief, was knocked to the ground and punched in the face, with at least two others kicking him, as shown in videos circulated online. The 17-year-old admitted to kicking the victim in the head and expressed regret. The older suspect was placed in provisional detention, while the younger was released under judicial supervision.