Security Setup Doesn't Prevent Shootouts on Delegation Expressways
The security precautions, plans and procedures put in place in Rio to guarantee peace of mind for tourists and athletes that are visiting the city during the Olympics haven't prevented constant shootouts from continuing in the favelas (slums) surrounding the expressways utilized by the so called "Olympic family".
On two different days, Wednesday (the 3rd) and Thursday (the 4th) there were shootouts in both the Maré and Cidade de Deus communities, in the northern and western zones respectively.
On Wednesday (the 3rd) at 9:30, the Chinese men's basketball team riding in a bus found themselves in the middle of a shootout as they passed through the junction of the Linhas Vermelha and Amarela (Red and Yellow Lines) in the northern zone.
At the time, a confrontation was taking place between military police and criminals in the Vila dos Pinheiros, one of the slums in the Maré Complex in the northern zone of the city located next to the expressways.
According to both military and civil police, four armed men fired on a Military Police squad car that was located on an access road to the community.
That started an exchange of gunfire that stopped traffic on the route. Street vendors threw themselves on the ground against the low wall dividing the lanes to protect themselves from the gunfire.
Once again on Thursday morning (the 4th) a shootout stopped traffic on the Linha Amarela at the Cidade de Deus community in the western zone around 8 am.
The Military Police sent in armored vehicles commonly known as Caveirões in addition to BOPE (Special Operations Battalion) and Shock Battalion agents to put an end to the confrontation inside the community.
The Cidade de Deus community has a UPP (Pacification Police Unit) base that was reinforced to help the police bring an end to the confrontation. No one was injured in the area.
Translated by LLOYD HARDER