Elderly Man Dies Chasing Paris Muggers
- Paris investigators say Mohamed Aatala, 80, died on December 10, 2023 after chasing two men who had just stolen his bank card. - Brahim B., now 29, was ordered toward trial before a Paris cour d’assises after investigators tied him and his brother to the theft. - An appeal by Brahim B.’s lawyer will determine whether the case proceeds before the Paris cour d’assises.
Mohamed Aatala, an 80-year-old Paris resident, died on December 10, 2023 after running after two men who had tried to steal from him at a cash machine in the city’s 20th arrondissement, according to Le Parisien. The case resurfaced this week after Le Parisien reported that an investigating judge had ordered one suspect, identified as Brahim B., to face a jury at the cour d’assises. French investigators linked the death to a theft by force after Aatala collapsed in the street during the pursuit. A second suspect, described as Brahim B.’s brother, was also placed under investigation in the case, the report said. ### Where did the attack happen, and what do investigators say occurred? Rue d’Avron in eastern Paris was the starting point of the attack, Le Parisien reported in December 2023. Aatala had just withdrawn cash from an ATM there at about 11 a.m. when two men approached him and tried to take his bank card, according to the report. Investigators described the pair as specialists in distraction thefts who targeted older people, Le Parisien said, citing a source close to the case. (leparisien.fr) The 20th arrondissement chase ended on rue de Volga, where Aatala fell near number 26 and did not get back up, Le Parisien reported. Emergency responders tried to restart his heart, but a doctor declared him dead a short time later, according to the paper. Residents who saw the pursuit chased the suspects and briefly caught one of them before he escaped, the report said. (leparisien.fr) ### How did police identify the suspects? A Mini Cooper seen near the escape became a key lead for investigators from the second district of the judicial police, according to Le Parisien’s 2023 report. The newspaper said the fleeing accomplice returned in the car after the first suspect had been restrained by local residents, and the confusion allowed both men to leave. Police then used surveillance footage and phone data to identify the person who had rented the vehicle, Le Parisien reported. (leparisien.fr) Avignon investigators were already seeking that renter in connection with a November 2023 distraction theft carried out with his brother, Le Parisien reported. One suspect was later arrested and jailed, and in December 2023 he was placed under formal investigation for “vol avec violence ayant entraîné la mort sans intention de la donner” — theft with violence resulting in death without intent to kill — according to the newspaper. (leparisien.fr) ### Why is the case back in the news now? Le Parisien reported on May 19, 2026 that an investigating judge had decided Brahim B. should stand trial before the cour d’assises. The newspaper said Brahim B., now 29, and his brother had been placed under investigation over Aatala’s death after the December 2023 theft. The newer report said Brahim B.’s lawyer appealed the judge’s order. (leparisien.fr) The appeal matters because it will determine whether the case moves to a full jury trial on the current charge. France’s cour d’assises handles the most serious criminal cases, according to the Justice Ministry and the Paris appeals court’s public information pages. ### What is known about the suspects’ account? (leparisien.fr) Le Parisien’s latest report, as surfaced in search results and republication, said the case file includes what it described as “aveux glaçants,” or chilling admissions, from the bank-card thief. The available public excerpts do not reproduce those statements in full, and the investigation record itself is not public. What is clear from the reported charge is that prosecutors and the investigating judge treated the death as a consequence of violent theft rather than an intentional homicide. (cours-appel.justice.fr) ### What happens next in the case? May 19, 2026 is the latest public milestone in the file, because that is when Le Parisien reported the judge’s order sending Brahim B. toward the cour d’assises. The next procedural step is the appeal filed by his lawyer, which will decide whether that trial order stands. If it does, the case would move on to the Paris cour d’assises, where the charge and the roles of Brahim B. and his brother would be examined in open court. (leparisien.fr)
