Peter Sagan was fined €5,000 by a Monaco court for violating the COVID-19 curfew last April and also for injuring a police officer the moment he was stopped and refusing to take him to the hospital.

According to Monaco and French media reports, Sagan was allegedly intoxicated when he and his brother were stopped by police at 12:30 AM on April 25.

The Nice Matin newspaper suggested that Sagan "struggled like crazy" when police attempted to take him into custody. The police officer injured his hand during the arrest, and local media reported that he needed two days off to recover.

Sagan's lawyer justified his actions, saying he feared he would be "forced to be vaccinated."

According to reports, hours after he was taken into police custody, Sagan admitted he had no memory of what had happened and apologized.

The magistrate fined him €5,000 and another €100 for violating the curfew. He also faces a civil liability of €1,500.

Sagan is currently in South America after attending a presentation at the Vuelta a San Juan.

Hours after news of the fine broke, he issued a brief message expressing regret over the incident and insisting that it would not happen again.

"I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize for the news on the evening of April 25.

"It was an ugly experience that made me think deeply and taught me a valuable lesson. I sincerely apologize and hope that this will never happen again."