A gang of armed robbers used machine guns, bombs and drones to raid three banks in Araçatuba city, 290 miles from Sao Paulo, last night.
Ten hostages were strapped to getaway cars as human shields as the criminals made their escape, scattering bombs through the streets to prevent police from following. Burned-out cars were also used to cover escape routes.
https://twitter.com/instablog9ja/status/1432280887895412736
A video posted by reporter Renato Souza showed the robbers taking civilian hostages. They were marched through the streets as shields at first, and then strapped to the roof or bonnets of cars or made to stand through the sunroof.
ATENÇÃO: Pelo menos 50 criminosos fortemente armados com fuzis e bombas assaltam agências bancárias, usam moradores de escudo humano e atacam a polícia em Araçatuba, no interior de SP. A PM diz que explosivos foram espalhados e pede que as pessoas fiquem em casa. pic.twitter.com/v09GuDHeRU
— Renato Souza (@reporterenato) August 30, 2021
At least three died in the raid including two civilians and one robber, Brazilian media reported. The city has been placed on lockdown as police warned people to stay inside until the bombs left scattered through the streets were safely dealt with.
The bank raids began when the gang used four hijacked and burned-out vehicles to block roads including the headquarters of the local military police.
They then used one of the burned-out trucks to block access to a city centre area where several banks were located.
Branches of the Banco do Brasil, Banco Safra and Caixa Econômica, were raided and an unknown amount of cash taken.