France: Grounding a Highflyer

Three men wearing wigs had robbed a Paris bank and were fleeing with a hostage when police arrived. In the ensuing gun battle two officers were wounded, as were the hostage and two robbers, one of whom was shot in the head and lapsed into a coma.

Several hours later police identified the comatose gunman as Michel Vaujour, 35, perhaps France’s most notorious criminal and a four-time escapee from French justice. Convicted of crimes ranging from theft to attempted murder, Vaujour made a spectacular prison getaway last May by clinging to the skid of a helicopter piloted by his wife Nadine. The onetime highflyer, who had 28 years yet to serve, could face up to 20 more years if convicted on bank-robbery charges.