Criciúma, Brazil 30 Gunmen Seize the City During Bank Robbery

In the southern city of Criciúma, Brazil, according to The New York Times on Dec. 2, 2020, there have been two reported gang robberies within 2,000 miles apart.

At about midnight in Brazil’s southern city of Criciúma, a group wearing headcovers and body armor held the city hostage for about two hours with powerful rifles and lots of explosives. The group disrupted many people clam time with explosives and gunfire. They robbed a bank and used hostages as human shields when they set off their explosives, causing paper currency to fly into the air.

Criciúma, Brazil mayor Clésio Salvaro reported that the city residents were left in a state of panic following the robbery. Some videos show at least 30 hooded men dressed in black. The police witnessed about 30 men and about 20 cars involved in the robbery.

Brazil’s southern city has approximately 200,000 citizens. The gunman exchanged gunfire with the police at a police station and in the city center. The gang also set off explosives and burned cars as a barricade to prevent law enforcement from responding fast enough.

Santa Catarina’s military police used social media to report two people were wounded: a police officer and a security guard. The officer is hospitalized in serious condition suffering a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The police head Anselmo Cruz said they fired bullets with calibers capable of shooting down a helicopter.

In Criciúma, Brazil, there were reports of the attackers’ vehicles in cornfields in the neighboring municipality. Some of the getaway vehicles had bloodstains, which indicates that some of the gunmen were shot by police officers during their gunfire exchange.

Written by Jessica Letcher
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware

Sources:

The New York Times: Bank Robbers in Brazil Terrorize a Sleepy City, Overpowering Police; by Ernesto Londoño, Livia Albeck-Ripka, and Elian Peltier
Daily News: Brazilian city of Criciuma seized by heavily armed bank robbers; by Karu F. Daniels

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Dennis Jarvis’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Chris Jones’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License