Vacqueyras: Dramatic High-Speed Chase Ends in Arrest
In the night between April 26 and 27, 2026, a routine traffic stop in Vacqueyras turned into a high-speed chase through country roads with shots fired by the gendarmes. Behind the wheel was a 57-year-old man, armed, intoxicated, and desperate, leading the officers on a very risky pursuit.
A night of a routine traffic check that escalated into a high-speed chase, shots fired by the gendarmes, an armed, intoxicated, and drug-influenced driver, and, miraculously, no injuries. In Vaucluse, between 2:00 and 3:30 a.m. on the night of Sunday, April 26 to Monday, April 27, a simple check in the municipality of Vacqueyras turned into a chase on country roads after a clear refusal to obey. Despite punctured tires, the fleeing driver continued, prompting two gendarmes to use their service weapons before he was finally apprehended.
This type of scenario is unfortunately not unusual. According to the Ministry’s Statistical Service for Domestic Security, nearly 23,200 refusals to obey road checks were recorded in France in 2023, with about 4,400 endangering others and 500 directly targeting internal security forces, highlighting the tension that patrols regularly face. In the Var night, everything unfolded between Vacqueyras and the border of Gigondas, under the watchful eye of the Carpentras prosecutor, with a 57-year-old driver who combined alcohol, drugs, weapons, and dark intentions, increasing the pressure on the ground.
Vacqueyras: A Refusal to Obey Escalates into an Armed Chase
It all started with a typical traffic stop, in this late-night slot where gendarmes mainly monitor drunk driving and risky behaviors. During the night of April 26 to 27, 2026, between 2:00 and 3:30, a patrol noticed a vehicle stopping in the municipality of Vacqueyras. The driver, however, chose to flee instead of submitting to the control. This was the beginning of this refusal to obey, meaning not stopping despite clear orders from law enforcement, a situation that the gendarmes are increasingly encountering.
The car then headed onto the country roads between Vacqueyras and Gigondas, a wine-growing area where the roads are often narrow and winding. In an attempt to stop the vehicle, the officers deployed a spike strip, which punctured the fugitive’s tires. Despite this, the man continued and performed risky maneuvers to evade the gendarmes, according to the Carpentras prosecutor. At the border of the two municipalities, the situation became dangerous enough for two gendarmes to use their service weapons. The shots did not cause any injuries but managed to end the escape, leading to the individual’s apprehension on the spot.
A 57-Year-Old Reckless Driver: Armed, Intoxicated, Suicidal, and Known to the Justice System
After the driver was subdued, the officers discovered who they were dealing with. The 57-year-old man was already known to the police for past offenses involving violence with weapons and drug use dating back to 2005. According to witnesses and initial investigation findings, he was carrying a handgun at the time of his arrest and had a rifle in his vehicle, both weapons falling under categories B and C. Post-arrest checks also revealed that he was under the influence of alcohol and drugs that night, a combination that heavily influenced the sequence of events.
During his arrest, the man made suicidal statements, indicating a distressed state that further complicated law enforcement’s intervention. Placed in custody, he admitted to the charges against him. On April 27, he appeared before the Carpentras Public Prosecutor, who decided to place him under judicial supervision pending his immediate appearance on April 30, 2026, before the Carpentras Criminal Court. He faces multiple charges: refusal to obey, assault on a gendarme, possession of weapons of categories B and C, and drunk driving. A heavy legal case that fits into a broader phenomenon of increasingly frequent refusals to obey on the roads, where any patrol could quickly face an armed, intoxicated driver determined not to stop.
