France riots: 719 arrested on fifth night of unrest following Nahel's death, protesters ram car into Mayor's house

Although officials said the level of violence appeared to have declined, 719 were arrested on Sunday.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said there seemed to be less violence since riots first broke out over the death of 17-year-old Nahel in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday, France 24 reported.

Rioters rammed a car into the home of the mayor of a town in the south of Paris.

The mayor said that his wife and one of his children were injured in the attack. Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun wrote on Twitter that protesters "rammed a car" into his home before "setting a fire" while his family slept.

"Last night a milestone was reached in horror and disgrace," wrote the mayor of the town of L'Hay-les-Roses.

"My wife and one of my children were injured. It was an attempted murder of unspeakable cowardice," he added.

In a fresh video shared on social media on Sunday, rioters were seen pushing off cars from high-rise buildings in France.

Over 45,000 cops, including specialised elite units, armoured vehicles, and helicopters, patrolled the streets of three largest cities in France - Paris, Lyon and Marseille-on Saturday.

Ten shopping malls, more than 200 supermarkets, 250 tobacco shops, and 250 bank outlets were attacked or looted during this period, said reports.

A total of 719 people, most of them teenagers, were arrested during a fifth night of violence, officials said. France police had taken a total of 1,300 people into custody on Saturday night.

In Paris and its nearby regions, where around 7,000 officers were out in force, 194 people had been arrested as of 3:00 am on Sunday.