French Court Orders Trial for Police in 2007 Crash
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}PARIS -- Lawyers for the families of two teens whose deaths in a 2007 traffic accident touched off several days of rioting in Paris' rough suburbs say the police officer who hit them has been ordered to stand trail on manslaughter charges.
In a statement Thursday, the attorneys, Jean-Pierre Mignard and Emmanuel Tordjman, hailed the Versailles appeals court's decision as "wise."
Mohsin Sehhouli, 16, and Lakamy Samoura, 15, died in November 2007 in a motorbike crash with a police car in Villiers-le-Bel, a suburb north of Paris. Neither were wearing helmets, and their bike wasn't authorized for public roads.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Police insisted the crash was accidental, but many residents blamed the officers and several nights of rioting ensued.