Man Rams Car Into Police Vehicle Near Champs-Elysees in Paris

Mr Favereau wrote that the gendarmes smashed open the windows of the vehicle while it was in flames and dragged out its occupant. The interior minister confirmed that he died.

Police have asked the public to avoid the area while their security operation is ongoing. A man rammed his auto into a police vehicle in Paris' Champs-Elysees shopping district Monday, prompting a fiery explosion, and was likely killed in the incident, authorities said. But French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb called it an "attempted attack" on security forces, and France's anti-terrorism prosecutor has opened an investigation.

Mr Collomb said he will present a bill on Wednesday at a cabinet meeting to extend the state of emergency from July 15, its current expiration date, until November 1.

A man could be seen lying on his stomach on the ground immediately after the incident, wearing a white shirt and dark shorts.

The bomb squad arrived at the scene and an explosives-detecting robot has been pictured inspecting the attacker's dead body.

"It appears to have been a deliberate act on the part of the individual", said Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet.

Police say the situation is now under control, with no one injured, BBC reported. She wasn't sure if she saw it ram into one of the vehicles because it happened so quickly, but she can't forget the smoke and flames.

Mr Favereau said he saw a auto blocking the convoy's path and then an implosion in the vehicle.

Rescuers tend to the man’s body

Other gendarmes used fire extinguishers to put out the flames. "I thought in my mind of an attack".

A senior police officer and his girlfriend were both killed by a radicalised man at their home in the Paris suburbs a year ago. Sources previously said that there were multiple gas bottles in the vehicle.

It also marks the second time this year that Paris' most famous avenue, renowned for its shopping, dining and monuments, has been the scene of bloodshed.

Mr Collomb said a new security law was "needed" because of the attacks, and that the legislation would "maintain a high security level" beyond the state of emergency.

It is unclear the attacker has been killed or why he drove into the police Monday.

France has been on high-security alert following a series of militant Islamist attacks in recent years, including the shooting of a policeman in an Islamic State-claimed attack on a police bus on the Champs Elysees in April. "There will be deaths", before two of the soldier's comrades shot the attacker dead.

Victoria Boucher and daughter Chrystel came in from the suburb of Cergy-Pontoise for a Paris visit and weren't afraid to go to the famed avenue.