Police in Paris were looking for four occupants of a vehicle which tried to crash through a barricade before the final stage of the Tour de France on July 26. The incident saw police open fire on the car just a few hours before fans and cyclists arrived in the area. Police said they didn’t believe it was a terrorist-related event, but one wonders why then did they open fire on the vehicle. The car was found later in the day close to the Place de la Concorde with bullet holes in it.

Authorities released a statement which said, “This is a minor incident. It wasn’t aimed at the Tour de France, it’s not terrorism. It’s just a simple refusal to comply, as there are many every day.”

The first reports said there were two males and two females in the car and one of the women suffered an upper-body injury. However, it was unclear if she was hit by flying lead. Officials of the Tour de France said the race wasn’t impacted by the incident and it carried on as planned. The city of Paris has been on high alert ever since a pair of terrorist attacks were carried out in January in a grocery shop and against the Charlie Hebdo newspaper offices.

A total of 20 people died in those attacks, including three of the terrorists. But in this instance, police stated they didn’t believe anybody was targeted. In fact, investigators said they believe the vehicle had left a nightclub in one of Paris’ upper-class areas and were driving while impaired. The occupants didn’t want to get caught up in a roadside police check and crashed through the race’s barriers while trying to avoid detection. The car also hit a taxi first. Police later warned Parisians to be careful until the vehicle’s four occupants were found.

Police said they opened fire on the vehicle about 7:50 a.m. just after the barricades had been set up, but it sped away with officers in pursuit. They also reported that no civilians and police officers were injured. Later reports stated that there were just two occupants in the vehicle and it happened at 11 a.m. Apparently, the facts haven’t been sorted out as of yet and the only thing we do know for certain is that Chris Froome of Britain won the Tour de France for the second time.