LE MARKSTEIN, France (AP) — Tadej Pogacar launched a trademark attack on the last climb of the day to win the 14th stage of the Tour de France on Saturday and extend his commanding lead as he chases a fifth title.
The Slovenian star raised his arms in the air after clinching his fourth stage of this year's race and 25th overall. Barring injury or mishap, a fifth Tour crown is looking increasingly inevitable. Only Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Indurain and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault have five Tour victories.
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Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, and Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard, wearing the best climber's dotted jersey, shake hands before the fourteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race with the start in Mulhouse and the finish in Le Markstein Fellering, France, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the fourteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race with start in Mulhouse and finish in Le Markstein Fellering, France, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, celebrates after winning the fourteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race with start in Mulhouse and finish in Le Markstein Fellering, France, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)
Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the fourteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race with start in Mulhouse and finish in Le Markstein Fellering, France, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the fourteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race with start in Mulhouse and finish in Le Markstein Fellering, France, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Pogcar's UAE Emirates XRG teammate Isaac Del toro has been impressive so far. The 22-year-old Mexican finished Saturday's stage in second place and French hope Paul Seixas was third ahead of two-time Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard, who is again being dominated by Pogacar in the big climbs.
“I gave it a go today,” Pogacar said. “I had good feelings.”
He now leads Vingegaard by 4 minutes, 30 seconds overall in the standings, with Remco Evenepoel 5:04 back in third place and the 19-year-old Seixas improving to fourth at 5:19 behind Pogacar.
Saturday’s 155-kilometer (96-mile) route featured three big Category 1 climbs — the second-hardest category in climbing — in the Alsace region and ended at Le Markstein ski resort.
After the first big ascent up Grand Ballon, a group of five were at the front, including Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz, with Pogacar's large yellow jersey group rolling behind as riders tackled the descent in rainy conditions.
After the second big climb, nine kilometers up Ballon d'Alsace, the gap to the yellow jersey group was about two minutes. But with Pogacar's teammates setting a fast pace in the peloton, it was just over one minute ahead of the day's final big climb up Col du Haag, leading to the finish.
With Pogacar poised to attack at any moment, Vingegaard sat on his wheel as Carapaz surged ahead alone. After Carapaz was caught, Pogacar attacked with 1.6 kilometers left in the climb and Vingegaard could not follow him.
“I was waiting for the last two kilometers to see if there was going to be any movements,” Pogacar said. “One by one there was guys dropping, and I felt good.”
Seixas closed in on Vingegaard with screaming fans lining the route perilously close to the riders.
“I must say thanks to all the fans who came to the side of the road. It was something unforgettable,” the 27-year-old Pogacar said. “It just gives you an additional boost to go to the top.”
Sunday's 15th stage concludes with a daunting HC (the hardest category) up Plateau de Solaison in the French Alps, where the irrepressible Pogacar could well attack again.
“Tomorrow is a bit more difficult,” he said. “Will be a hard day for us but we will be ready to fight.”
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Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, and Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard, wearing the best climber's dotted jersey, shake hands before the fourteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race with the start in Mulhouse and the finish in Le Markstein Fellering, France, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the fourteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race with start in Mulhouse and finish in Le Markstein Fellering, France, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, celebrates after winning the fourteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race with start in Mulhouse and finish in Le Markstein Fellering, France, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)
Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the fourteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race with start in Mulhouse and finish in Le Markstein Fellering, France, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the fourteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race with start in Mulhouse and finish in Le Markstein Fellering, France, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
SEATTLE (AP) — Police now say there were at least three suspects involved in a food festival shooting near Seattle’s Space Needle over the weekend, and that one of them was among those killed in the violence.
In a document filed in juvenile court in Seattle, where a 15-year-old arrested in the case was making an initial appearance Monday, police said they believe there were at least three shooters: the 15-year-old; an acquaintance who died at the scene; and “at least one other unknown suspect.”
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
SEATTLE (AP) — A suspect arrested after a shootout that killed three people and left at least four others injured at a crowded food festival near Seattle’s Space Needle over the weekend is 15 years old, the city’s mayor said Monday.
The teen was being held in juvenile detention for investigation of firearms violations and first-degree assault and was due to appear in court Monday afternoon, Mayor Katie Wilson said at a news conference.
Authorities said Monday they are still looking for a second suspect, but could not rule out whether that individual was among those killed.
“We are trying to identify who that person is,” said Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes.
Investigators believe the two suspects were shooting at each other. Police said late Sunday night it was not clear whether any of the victims had been involved in the confrontation between the two shooters.
Two people died at the scene and a third died at a hospital. They were described as two men, ages 19 and 44, and a woman, 56.
The four wounded included a 2-year-old boy, who was in satisfactory condition Monday. The others — two men, ages 23 and 27, and a woman, 39 — were discharged, a hospital spokesperson said.
Vendors were allowed to return to the sprawling campus Monday morning to clean up and collect their equipment and merchandise. Skewered squid on grills, roasted ducks in ovens and plates full of food were among the items left behind as people fled the gunfire.
Near the spot of the shooting, a stain of what appeared to be blood was still visible in the morning. A candlelight vigil was planned Monday night at the center’s International Fountain.
The gunfire erupted around 6 p.m. Sunday in the waning hours of the Bite of Seattle. The annual three-day festival draws hundreds of food and retail vendors and performers to Seattle Center, a sprawling park and event space in the shadow of the Space Needle. Many attendees rushed into campus buildings or ran from the park at the sound of the shots.
Dozens of officers were providing security at the event and some saw one of the suspects firing, authorities said. A large number of police and emergency crews responded and began evacuating the area. Police then searched an IMAX theater on the grounds where they initially believed a second shooter had fled.
Adam Lombardo, who had a Burmese food stand at the festival with his spouse, described the panic of fleeing people as a “stampede.” As he gathered his equipment Monday, he described how police escorted them into the crime scene to turn off their ovens and stoves.
“It’s really sad because you think that three innocent people aren’t getting up with their families,” he said. “They just came to enjoy a food festival with people, with friends, with new friends, and they lost their lives in just what sounds like meaningless bloodshed.”
Festival attendee Faith Adia Hunter said she and her friends had just gotten food from a crepe vendor when gunfire broke out nearby. In the scramble to find safety, she and others ran into the nearby Seattle Children’s Museum.
“We were about to start eating, then heard someone yell something, then we saw people start to run,” Hunter said. “So we took off running, too.”
Roberto Ramirez, a vendor at the event, said he heard what sounded like firecrackers before people began yelling “shooter” and frantically running.
“Suddenly everything was empty,” he said. “People were freaked out.”
After the initial panic, new guests continued to arrive, unaware of what had happened. Police told them to leave, he said.
Estan Wakonabo said he and his girlfriend were waiting in line for a photo booth when he was shoved from behind and turned to see a rush of people fleeing.
“People were hiding, were pushing, people were falling on the ground, baby strollers were falling,” Wakonabo said, adding that was when he heard gunshots.
“Once I heard a ‘pop, pop, pop,’ that’s when I knew it was a shooter,” he said.
After he escorted his girlfriend to safety, he returned to the scene to take photos and saw multiple victims on the ground, Wakonabo said.
The festival started in 1982 and draws 350,000 attendees, according to its website.
Associated Press journalists Manuel Valdes and Lindsey Wasson in Seattle, Annika Wolters in Bangkok and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
The U.S. flag flies at half staff at the Space Needle as cleanup continues the day after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A worker cleans blood off the pavement the day after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
The U.S. flag flies at half staff as cleanup continues at the Space Needle the day after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A man walks near the scene, a day after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A Seattle Police officer sets up police line tape at the site of a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
An unidentified man is led into the scene by police after they responded to a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, center, speaks at a news conference after a shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Police respond to a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
An unidentified man is led into the scene by police after they responded to a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A Seattle Police officer walks through tents with colorful toys at the scene of a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A crime scene photographer arrives as law enforcement examines the scene following a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
