Paris police shoot at car that attempted to crash through Tour de France barriers

Shots were fired in Paris on Sunday on the final circuit of stage 21 of the 2015 Tour de France, as French police attempted to apprehend two people in a car that were trying to crash through the barriers on the route.

A police official confirmed shortly after the incident, that took place at 11am local time on the road around the public square, that shots had been fired after the vehicle rammed the barriers at high-speed and that the two males inside had escaped with the car. Police are continuing their hunt for those involved and there are no reported injuries.

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The incident is thought to have no impact on the final stage of the Tour, which arrives around eight hours after the incident took place, with a police official telling Reuters: “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.”

Police remain on high alert in France's capital after terrorist attacks in the city earlier this year, but Tour race director Thierry Gouvenou said that he did not foresee any impact on the race.

The peloton is expected to arrive on the Champs-Élysées at around 17.30 local time, as Britain's Chris Froome (Team Sky) prepares to wrap-up his second career victory in the world's biggest bike race.