São Paulo street Carnival had to deal with a series of adversities this year. Even after the city hall claimed to have improved the structure for the party, there were cases of overcrowding, fights, and thefts. At least two parades were closed early for security reasons. Bloco da Lexa gathered a crowd in the west zone of São Paulo, but the revelry was interrupted twice, after the singer saw fights between the public. Singer Jottapê, one of the guests, had his wallet stolen during pushing and shoving to join the trio. Singer Gloria Groove’s also had security issues. In the Pinheiros region (west zone), the parade was interrupted a few times until it was definitively closed before the scheduled time due to overcrowding. Both the City Hall and the Military Police pointed out the measure as necessary to avoid accidents. According to the organizers, the expectation was to receive 50 thousand people, but the event brought together more than 500 thousand. On Sunday (19/02), the Pabllo Vittar parade, which took place in the Ibirapuera region (south zone), also suffered from overcrowding, and ended up being closed about an hour ahead of schedule. The crowd provoked several moments of pushing and shoving. As the parade moved, security and firefighters pushed people against the cordon. The situation got worse when the parade passed by street vendors and the competition for space worsened. During this period, Civil Police operations managed to recover more than 400 robbed or stolen cell phones.
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11/02/2023 – A man was shot in the belly while reacting to a robbery in Morumbi, West Zone. Security camera footage shows criminals entering through the gate of the house without difficulty. Upon hearing a noise, the criminals hurried to leave. At this time, the owner comes out with a gun in his hand and shoots. The bandits retaliated and he is hit.
12/02/2023 – A bar employee was shot three times in the head after defending a waitress who was being harassed by a customer, on Rua Cavazzola, in Itaim Bibi, West Zone. According to the harassment victim, she was serving several customers when a man grabbed her. After the harassment episode, the woman went to her supervisor and reported what happened. After requests to leave, the man responsible for the harassment accepted the decision, but one of his friends refused. A short time later the suspect returned armed and shot the man he believed was responsible for the eviction.
12/02/2023 – The Civil and Military Police recovered at least 110 cell phones stolen on Saturday (11) and Sunday (12), during the pre-Carnival festivities in the city of São Paulo, and arrested about 14 criminals involved in these crimes. According to the Public Security Secretariat of São Paulo (SSP), police actions were expanded this month to combat crimes of various types and ensure security during the party.
13/02/2023 – A man was assaulted and held hostage inside a car after arranging a meeting through a dating app on Rua Visconde de Leceia, Jaraguá, West Zone. A police team, which was on patrol around the region, received a call via the Military Police Operations Center made by a witness who reported that a man would be inside a car asking for help. Officers went to the given address and, when they got there, they noticed that two men had run out of the vehicle and the victim, who was injured, remained. One of the criminals, aged 24, was arrested. The other managed to escape.
15/02/2023 – An elderly woman was attacked by a criminal during a robbery at a newsstand, in Vila Mariana, South Zone. She was cleaning the place when the bandit overtook her and threw her under the counter. The criminal still served customers while holding the lady hostage and stealing products.
18/02/2023 – A man was arrested for rape after an app driver intervened in an attempt to kidnap a child on Avenida João Dias, Santo Amaro, South Zone. An app driver was driving for a 50-year-old man and an 11-year-old girl, when he noticed a strange conversation between them and the child’s unusual behavior. At one point during the trip, the man did a google search by voice with the words “buy clandestine ticket”. Still on the way, the driver spotted a military police car and stopped, asking for help. The girl told officers that she was being abused by her stepfather and that the man’s objective was to kidnap her and take her to the Northeast without the mother’s consent.
22/02/2023 – A 38-year-old American man was the victim of a love scam in the Jardim Princesa neighborhood, North Zone. The man suffered a kidnapping attempt after making a date with a woman on a dating app. Upon arriving at the meeting point, the woman started texting and said she would be ready in a few minutes. The man became suspicious and returned to the car. At this moment, he was approached by four armed criminals. A military police officer passing by the scene reacted and went after the men who got scared and released the victim. Three of them managed to escape, but one was arrested.
22/02/2023 – A couple was forced to kneel during a robbery in the Aclimação neighborhood, South Zone. A security camera recorded the moment when the criminal parked his motorcycle in front of a house on Rua Espírito Santo and approached a couple walking along the sidewalk. The criminal shows the gun and orders the two to kneel. The thief asks for the ring, but the man has difficulty taking it off, so the suspect decides to take his cell phone and force him to pass the password. The criminal insists on taking the woman’s wedding ring, then returns to the motorcycle and flees the scene.
23/02/2023 – A gas station attendant was shot even after putting his hands up and not reacting to a robbery in Vila Nova Mazzei, North Zone. Security camera footage shows the criminal arriving and surrendering the gas station attendant who raises his hands, even so the criminal shoots. He even surrenders a second gas station attendant and runs away with the money. The victim was rescued.
