Protests erupted in Paris, the French capital city overnight after police shot dead a 17-year-old who failed to stop when ordered to by traffic police.

Video circulating on social media has shown a police officer pointing a gun at the driver of a car before a gunshot is heard, and the car then crashed to a stop.

The teenager, identified as Nahel, died of bullet wounds in the chest despite help from emergency services, BBC reported.

The officer accused of shooting him has been detained on homicide charges and the shooting triggered a series of protests on Tuesday night in Nanterre, the area just west of Paris where the teenager was killed. 

Also, some 31 people have been arrested in connection with the unrest that ensued after the killing of Nahel.

BBC said Nahel was the second person this year in France to have been killed in a police shooting during a traffic stop. Last year, a record 13 people died in this way.

According to French media, police initially suggested the teen drove his car towards them with the intention of hurting them.

Several incidents of unrest were also recorded in the towns of Asnières, Colombes, Suresnes, Aubervilliers, Clichy-sous-Bois and Mantes-la-Jolie.