Like the bank robbery in Heat times at least 10 and involving ‘human shields’ [that term is not a stretch here].
The residents of Araçatuba, Brazil were advised to not leave their homes on August 30. No one knew where – if anywhere – in the city was safe. Apparently, a heavily armed group of bank robbers were raising all kinds of hell just beyond the front door.
The band of brazen criminals blocked busy city streets with burning cars and buses. They also strategically placed drones throughout the city to facilitate their escape through monitoring police activity in real-time.
About 20 armed robbers knocked over three banks in the center of Araçatuba – a bustling metropolis of just under 200,000 in the western part of the country – this past Monday.
The robbers strapped innocent bystanders to the roofs and hoods of their getaway vehicles in order to use hostages as human shields. The death toll when this scene more fit for a war movie than a growing metropolis, was three, with one being a suspect.
The injury toll was five, three of which were shot multiple times. All of them were rushed to local emergency rooms.
According to investigators, there were 14-20 improvised explosive devices planted at strategic points throughout the suspects’ getaway route in Araçatuba. Brazilian military officials said that the IEDs were each fitted with sensors that triggered when someone got close enough to the bomb.
According to a local news outlet, a cyclist lost his legs when he rode too close to one of the IEDs. Another resident had to have both feet amputated after getting too close to another bomb. The victim was rushed to the closest operating room where he was quickly sedated and intubated.
As of this writing, police have not caught a single suspect as they all fled into the countryside near the city. Watch this space for more on this as we hear it.
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