Officials Extinguish Olympic Torch in Relay Protests

By: Barbara Herring | WSAV-TV
Published: April 07, 2008

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An unexpected development in the odyssey of the Olympic flame.

A relay torch lit from the flame ran into heavy protests as it was being run through the streets of Paris today. Police in jogging gear put the torch out and took it on board a bus, apparently to get it away from demonstrators.

It happened as the Olympic torch was being carried down a road along the Seine River. The relay was halted by demonstrators carrying Tibetan flags.

The flame ran into anti-China demonstrations yesterday in London. One demonstrator nearly managed to snatch the torch away from the runner. Another tried to douse it with a fire extinguisher.

There's been heavy security for the relay in Paris. About 3,000 officers are on hand, on motorcycles, on foot and even on roller skates.

The Olympic flame itself is kept in a separate container from which the torches are lit at each stop. It's to be in San Francisco Wednesday, its only scheduled stop in North America.