Gendarmes fire at vehicle as man crashes car through gates at Vatican

The Vatican said the driver was about 40 years old and was in a “serious state of psychophysical alteration

It is not know if Pope Francis was in the Vatican at the time of the incident (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

A car driven by someone with apparent psychiatric problems rushed through a Vatican gate on Thursday and sped past Swiss Guards into a palace courtyard before being apprehended by police, the Holy See said.

Vatican gendarmes fired a shot at the speeding car’s front tyres after it rushed the gate, but the vehicle managed to continue on its way, the Vatican press office said in a statement late on Thursday.