Car rushes through Vatican gate, police fire at tires before arresting driver

A automobile pushed by somebody with obvious psychiatric issues rushed by a Vatican gate Thursday night and sped previous Swiss Guards right into a palace courtyard earlier than the motive force was apprehended by police, the Holy See mentioned.

The automobile drove by the Sant’Anna entrance to the Vatican at 8 PM, the Holy See press workplace mentioned in an announcement. After initially being turned away by the Pontifical Swiss Guard, the automobile left the gate after which returned at a excessive velocity, “forcing his method by the 2 management gates,” the assertion mentioned. 

In an try to cease the automobile, one of many Gendarmarie inspectors guarding the gate fired on the automobile’s entrance tires. The automobile did not cease, although the bullet made contact with its entrance left fender. 

The driving force was arrested after voluntarily exiting the automobile within the San Damaso courtyard. Two guards instantly arrested the 40-year-old man. He was subsequently examined by docs on the Directorate of Well being and Hygiene of the Vatican Metropolis State, who discovered him to be in “a severe state of psychophysical alteration,” the assertion mentioned. 

It wasn’t clear if Pope Francis was wherever close to the incident, which occurred after 8 p.m. on the Santa Anna gate, one of many primary entrances to the Vatican Metropolis State within the coronary heart of Rome.

Francis lives on the opposite facet of Vatican Metropolis on the Santa Marta resort, the place at that hour he would usually be having dinner and retiring to his room.

The incident was a uncommon incursion into the city-state, a lot of which is off-limits to most of the people, particularly at evening.

Whereas guests can entry St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museums throughout enterprise hours, and other people with docs’ prescriptions can go to the Vatican pharmacy, permission is required to get into different buildings within the enclave.

The Apostolic Palace, which homes the papal residences, key reception rooms and places of work, is guarded across the clock by Swiss Guards and gendarmes who man varied checkpoints.

It isn’t the primary time that somebody with obvious psychiatric issues brought about a disturbance on the Vatican. Throughout a 2009 Christmas Eve Mass, a girl jumped the barricade of St. Peter’s Basilica and tried to assault Pope Benedict XVI. He was not harmed, although a cardinal strolling within the procession broke his hip within the ruckus.