Terrorist truck was stopped after a person 'with extraordinary courage' leapt onto the hood

The truck in the Nice attack was only stopped when a brave member of the crowd jumped onto its hood, a French radio station reported.

(Image credit: ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP/Getty Images)

published 15 July 2016

The driver of the truck that killed 84 in Nice managed to extend his rampage for over a mile before being killed in a shootout with police. The massacre could have gone on even longer, though, if it weren't for a person with "extraordinary courage" who leaped onto the front of the truck to try to stop it.

Witness Éric Ciotti told Europe 1 radio that it was the moment when the person got onto the hood of the truck that police were "able to stop the terrorist." The truck driver tried to shoot the person with a pistol and then, surrounded by police officers, turned his gun on them. The driver did not manage to hit any of the police, but was killed himself.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox