French Police Clash with "Youths"

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ROMANS-SUR-ISERE, France (AP) - A French police officer was shot and wounded during clashes with youths that broke out after a teenager died while fleeing police, authorities said Tuesday.
The officer appeared to have been shot in the leg with a hunting rifle, said the police prefecture in Romans-sur-Isere, a southeastern town located 60 miles from Lyon in the Rhone Valley on the edge of the Alps. The officer's life was not in danger. Dents from bullets and buckshot were also found in police vehicles nearby.
Police used tear gas and rubber pellets to push back some 50 youths during clashes late Monday and early Tuesday. Several cars were burned and about 15 shop windows were smashed.
After nightfall Tuesday, some 300 riot police officers and gendarmes took up positions around the center of town to prevent a second night of clashes. Some teams of officers were brought in from neighboring regions.
The violence broke out after a 16-year-old died by driving a stolen car into a wall while fleeing police. Four other minors in the car were lightly injured.
Accidents involving police and youths have been particularly sensitive in France since riots in 2005 that were sparked by the deaths of two teens electrocuted in a power substation while hiding from police.
Jean-Pierre Nahon, a prosecutor in the regional capital, Valence, said a police watchdog agency will investigate latest incident.
Nahon said that, according to a preliminary investigation, the five teenagers had stolen the car overnight and were driving at high speed through the center of Romans-sur-Isere when police began chasing them. The young driver took a sharp turn and lost control of the car, running into a wall.

A few questions come to mind immediately: Why are armed officers being deployed to defend against teenagers? What insecurity must police in France be feeling right now that they must send 300 officers to deal with a small town worth of unruly kids? The teenagers are obviously slightly out of control; they are stealing cars and crashing them into walls, for one. The police, too, are out of control, from the looks of things.

I must reserve judgment. I'm going to research this, try to put it in context, and hopefully be able add some examples from the US to the discussion. More later.