A crazed driver drove through a Vatican gate before armed guards opened fire and arrested the man once he reached a palace courtyard, the Holy See said.
The driver speeded into the area Thursday night and Vatican police fired a shot into the front tires of the car, according to the Vatican press office. The car reached the Patio San Dámaso of the Apostolic Palace before the driver fled the car and was promptly stopped.
The driver, in his forties, was in a “serious state of psychophysical disorder” and was detained in the Vatican headquarters. It is unclear where Pope Francis was when it happened around 8 pm. at the Porta di Sant’Anna, the main entrance to the Vatican City State.
The main door blocking access to the Santa Martha hotel where Francis resides was quickly closed as gendarmes began sounding alarms, the Vatican said. The Apostolic Palace houses the papal apartments, the main reception rooms, the archives, and the Vatican offices. Vatican City State is generally off-limits to the public, except during the day for visitors visiting St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums, or those seeking prescriptions at the Vatican Pharmacy. The area in the heart of Rome is heavily guarded by security at various checkpoints.
The last time a person with psychiatric problems went on a rampage at the Vatican, a woman jumped off a barricade during a Christmas Eve mass in 2009 and tried to attack Pope Benedict XVI. He was not injured, but a cardinal part of the procession broke his hip.
