Man Threatens Passers-By With Knife in Épinal, France
Listen to the story
A man armed with a knife threatened passers-by in a street in Épinal, a town in the Vosges area of eastern France, according to local reports.
The man reportedly used a kitchen knife to threaten people who were simply walking nearby. Several local reports described the same event, one of them specifying that the knife was a kitchen knife, the kind normally used for cooking.
The incident took place in broad daylight, in a public street, meaning that bystanders could have witnessed the scene.
This type of story is known in French journalism as a fait divers, a short news item about a local crime, accident, or unusual event. These reports often appear quickly, before all details are confirmed.
At this stage, it is not known why the man threatened the passers-by, whether anyone was hurt, or whether he was arrested by police.
The event was reported by Vosges Matin, a regional newspaper that covers news from the Vosges département, an administrative area in eastern France.
No further details about the man's identity, motive, or the exact time of the incident have been made public in the available reports.
Local authorities have not issued an official statement about the case so far.
Residents of Épinal have not commented publicly on the incident either.
Further updates may follow as more information becomes available from local police or the newspaper.
Vocabulary10 words
- threaten
- to show you might hurt someone
- kitchen knife
- a knife used to cut food at home
- bystanders
- people standing near an event, watching
- fait divers
- a short news story about a small local event
- arrested
- taken by police because of a possible crime
- département
- an official area used to divide France
- incident
- an event, often unpleasant or unusual
- regional
- connected to one specific area
- witness
- to see an event happen
- authorities
- official people in charge, like police or government
Quiz
Answer key
1. A kitchen knife 2. In a public street in Épinal 3. Vosges Matin
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
A man armed with a knife _____ passers-by in a street in Épinal, a town in the Vosges area of eastern France.
The man reportedly used a _____ knife to threaten people who were simply walking nearby.
The incident took place in broad daylight, in a public street, meaning that _____ could have witnessed the scene.
This type of story is known in French journalism as a _____, a short news item about a local crime, accident, or unusual event.
At this stage, it is not known why the man threatened the passers-by, whether anyone was hurt, or whether he was _____ by police.
The event was reported by Vosges Matin, a _____ newspaper that covers news from the Vosges département.
No further details about the man's identity, motive, or the exact time of the incident have been made _____ in the available reports.
Local _____ have not issued an official statement about the case so far.