Police in Paris opened fire Sunday on a car that tried to crash through a barricade near the finish line of the Tour de France. The incident happened at about 8 a.m. local time, about eight hours before the final arrival of the Tour De France cyclists. 

"Several shots [were] fired at the Place de la Concorde this morning against a speeding car trying to avoid a traffic control inspection. The car did not stop. Instead it sped towards the officers and the officers opened fire," a Paris police spokesperson said, according to 9News Australia.

A police source close to the investigation said witnesses saw two men and two women leaving the car, according to The Telegraph.

"A car seemed to be involved in some kind of accident, and then tried to get through a security barrier," eyewitnesses said, according to Daily Mail. "Police tried to stop it but when the driver refused he drove in their direction and then the shots were fired."

Paris police found the car with bullet holes not far from place where police opened fire, reported Associated Press.  A major investigation is underway to trace the driver of car and three other occupants.

French police, however, downplayed the incident saying that it will not be treated as a terror attack at this stage. "This is a minor incident. It wasn't aimed at the Tour de France, it's not terrorism, it's just a simple refusal to comply, as there are many every day," a police official told Reuters, according to The Guardian.

Britain's Chris Froome won the latest edition of Tour de France, which ends on Sunday.