Home » Criciúma, Brazil, Attacked by Armed Gang, Police Say
Criciúma, Brazil, Attacked by Armed Gang, Police Say
by Lightlynews.com · On December 1, 2020 · In Americas/World
Armed males laid siege to a southeast Brazilian metropolis early Tuesday, robbing financial institution branches, taking hostages and taking pictures no less than two folks, in response to the mayor and the police.
A army police commander stated a police officer was amongst these shot. Their situation was not instantly clear.
The siege started simply earlier than midnight Monday and continued into Tuesday morning, lasting about an hour. Clésio Salvaro, the mayor of Criciúma, stated in a publish on Twitter simply earlier than 2 a.m. native time that the town, which is on the Atlantic coast, was beneath assault, and ordered residents to remain at dwelling.
"Criciúma is the goal of a significant assault," he wrote. "Together with the army authorities and safety forces, we proceed to watch and comply with the information. Stay at dwelling."
Mr. Salvaro instructed Radio Gaúcha that three or 4 websites had been looted by males he referred to as "bandits."
"I do not know the place they're from, however they're specialised," he stated. "We have by no means skilled this within the historical past of the town."
Mr. Salvaro added that about six folks had been taken hostage, however they have been later freed. "I talked to them. They are properly. The data we now have is that everybody was launched," Mr. Salvaro stated in an interview with GloboInformation, the biggest information outlet in Brazil.
He stated that the town's protocol was to not shoot again on the attackers, as a way to shield the inhabitants. He additionally stated the police deliberate to comply with the bandits as a way to retrieve the cash. He didn't say how a lot had been taken.
Around 6 on Tuesday morning, 4 folks believed to be concerned within the heist had been arrested, and the police had recovered a few of the cash the attackers had stolen, native stories stated.
Residents on social media reported listening to loud gunfire, in response to Globo. Video footage on-line confirmed folks grabbing what gave the impression to be money off the streets. On Twitter, others reported that the attackers had bazookas and bombs and have been setting fireplace to buildings, in what they described as a scene resembling a horror movie.
The Military Police of Santa Catarina — a state company with quite a few battalions — have been referred to as in and have been in search of reinforcements to confront the group, in response to native stories.
Cristian Dimitri Andrade, a Military Police commander in Criciúma, instructed reporters that the attackers have been "a number of males with rifles, lengthy weapons," and described them as "an organized crime gang, which makes a speciality of financial institution theft." He stated two folks, together with a police officer, had been shot.
"We are receiving data from residents who ship us photographs and movies," he instructed Engeplus, a neighborhood information outlet.
The police couldn't instantly be reached for remark.
Criciúma, with a inhabitants of greater than 133,000 as of 2010, is within the state of Santa Catarina and is taken into account the middle of Brazil's ceramic and ground tile trade.
Bank robberies in Brazil, which has among the many worst crime and murder charges on the earth, are hardly unusual. In current years, gangs have tried to dig their approach to tens of millions by means of tunnels, have detonated dynamite to rob financial institution branches and have blown up money machines in makes an attempt to extract cash.
Yan Zhuang contributed reporting.
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