Car crashes into police vehicle near French presidential palace

The car crashed into a police vehicle on the famous Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris and caught fire. The driver was armed.

Police block off the Champs-Élysées. Photo: Twitter

The incident is still under investigation, AFP news agency said. The identity of the driver has not been released.

"The driver was lying unconscious on the ground," AFP quoted a police source as saying, adding that he appeared to have been seriously injured. The source declined to say whether the incident was intentional or an accident. There were no casualties.

Reuters quoted a police source as confirming that the police's counter-terrorism unit was investigating the incident. AFP quoted another source as saying they suspected it was a deliberate act.

The incident comes two months after a French police officer was shot dead by Karim Cheurfi on the Champs-Elysees. Guns, knives and documents praising IS were found in his car.

Police blocked off the Champs-Élysées after the incident. Screenshot

In July 2016, a truck crash in Nice shocked France, killing and injuring dozens of people. The incident was so serious that French President Francois Hollande declared a state of emergency.

In this incident, the police immediately blocked off the Champs-Elysees, located just a few streets away from the Élysée Palace - the French presidential palace. A large and famous avenue in Paris, the Champs-Elysees connects the two squares of Concorde and Étoile, leading straight to the Arc de Triomphe.

Champs-Élysées is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Paris with many shops, cafes, cinemas... The avenue is also the venue for important events and festivals of the capital and France, such as the National Day Parade (July 14), the final stage of the Tour de France cycling race, and the venue for celebrations and New Year's Eve...

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb confirmed the driver had died. Mr Collomb called the crash a "deliberate attack".

AFP sources revealed that an AK-47 assault rifle, a pistol and several gas cylinders were found inside the suspect's car.

A bomb disposal team has been deployed to the scene, Reuters said.

According to Tuoi Tre