A wave of panic sparked by evil clowns stalking French towns has spread to the south of France where police on Saturday night arrested 14 teenagers dressed as the pranksters, carrying pistols, knives and baseball bats.
A police source said the teens were arrested in the parking lot of a secondary school in the port town of Agde, as several other complaints poured in over “armed clowns” in the region over the weekend.
In the Mediterranean city of Montpellier a man disguised as a clown was arrested after beating up a pedestrian with an iron bar, while three motorists in different towns complained about “scary clowns” threatening them.
The phenomenon of dressing up as an evil clown and terrifying passers-by cropped up in the north of France in early October.
In the northern French town of Bethune, a man was given a six-month suspended jail term Monday for threatening passers-by while in full circus garb.