Video: French Protesters Smash 25 Police Stations

Approximately 6,200 people participated in a "white march" in the suburb of Nanterre, Paris, on Thursday to commemorate a 17-year-old boy who was shot dead by police while attempting to flee in a vehicle, reports Le Figaro.

During the unrest, 25 police stations were destroyed. The memorial event was accompanied by clashes with police, who were forced to use tear gas, particularly in front of the prefecture building of the Hauts-de-Seine department.

Offices and vehicles were set ablaze in Nanterre. Valerie Pécresse, president of the Île-de-France regional council, tweeted that the police prefect had ordered the suspension of bus and tram services in the Paris area starting at 9 PM local time (11 PM Yerevan time) "to ensure the safety of (transport) workers and passengers.”

The 38-year-old police officer who shot the teenager was placed in preliminary detention on Thursday, according to the Nanterre Prosecutor's Office. He is being questioned on suspicion of intentional homicide. According to the Nanterre prosecutor, "the legal conditions for the use of the weapon were not adhered to."

Reportedly, the most intense clashes between law enforcement and rioters occurred on Thursday night in Paris and Nanterre. Media outlets are publishing images of burned public transport and vehicles; the fires have significantly worsened air quality in the region.

Meanwhile, protests against police actions have been observed in various locations across France, escalating into outbreaks of violence. A total of 40,000 police and gendarmes, including 5,000 in Paris, are involved in efforts to quell the unrest.

According to the prosecutor’s office, two officers on motorcycles noticed a car driving at high speed in the bus lane, driven by a young man, on Tuesday morning. They attempted to stop him for running a red light, but he went through the red signal. A chase ensued through several streets of Nanterre, with the driver violating traffic rules that endangered pedestrians' lives. To stop the violator, one of the officers used his weapon.