At the end of an MMA fight organized in a small gymnasium in Coignières, in the Yvelines, a 14-year-old teenager was killed on the night of Saturday November 26 to Sunday November 27 during a brawl. Sunday afternoon, a young man of 16 presented himself to the police station of Argenteuil (Val-d’Oise), declaring to be the author of the mortal blow. Originally from Coignières, he was placed in police custody.

The Moulin-à-Vent gymnasium organized mixed martial arts (MMA) fights on Saturday evening. The victim, who came from Maurepas, a neighboring town of around 17,000 inhabitants, was present with his father at this sports gala, bringing together children and parents, according to a source familiar with the matter.

According to the first elements of the investigation, at the end of the evening, around midnight, two gangs of young people clashed outside the establishment: that of the Friches district, of Maurepas, against that, “rival”, Merchants, Coignières. The victim then receives blows to the head which will be fatal to him, said the parquet floor of Versailles.

““Historic” rivalry between the young people of the two cities”

The blows could have been struck with a hammer, according to a police source. The victim died around 1 a.m., despite rescue attempts to resuscitate him. A second young man from Maurepas, aged 16, suffered a slight head injury. Also according to the first elements of the investigation, witnesses had locked the suspect in the gymnasium, but he managed to escape through a window.

The investigation, opened for intentional homicide, was entrusted to the judicial police of Versailles. Nothing, however, raised fears of a particular excess of violence around this sporting event on Saturday evening. The two cities, with a rather peaceful reputation despite some sensitive neighborhoods, are located on the edge of the forest, about fifteen kilometers from Versailles.

“There is a ‘historic’ rivalry between the young people of the two cities, but it has never translated into something so violent”explained to Agence France-Presse (AFP) a source within the town hall of Coignières, a small town of less than 5,000 inhabitants. “We are a quiet town, we have an extremely low crime rate”also pointed out this source.

Avoid a “return match”

When something happens, it often emanates from the Trade Quarter. But “it’s often more incivility than anything else, the Marchands is not even a QPV district [quartiers prioritaires de la politique de la ville] », further explained this source. Maurepas, for his part, “is a city mostly of seniors, with the bourgeoisie”, explained to AFP a resident of the Friches district. But in many neighborhoods, like his, “we don’t feel safe”she said.

For the moment, nothing can explain what led to this excess of violence on Saturday evening. “We had done a whole lot of prevention work, especially with the mayor of Maurepas, lately, and it paid off since the city was calm. It’s been more than a year, we had no particular concern “said the mayor of Coignières, Didier Fischer.

From now on, the time has come for prevention in both districts, to avoid a ” return match “these revenges which often follow a brawl. “The mayor of Coignières has already agreed with the police on a plan to secure the territory to fight effectively against any attempt at reprisals”, said the town hall. The CRS 8, an intervention unit specializing in urban violence, was sent to the area to prevent further violence, according to the Ministry of the Interior.