SÃO PAULO SECURITY INCIDENTS – JULY MONTHLY BULLETIN

01/07/2024 – A state school in Vila Penteado had to close due to the electrical wiring being stolen on Monday (1). This is the second time in the past two weeks that the school has needed to close due to wire theft and young children are unable to attend the school.

01/07/ 2024 – On Monday (1) The Civil Police launched an operation against a criminal faction that specialized in drug trafficking and money laundering in the city of São Paulo. The teams carried out search and seizure warrants at 5 different locations in the city and seized at least 7 luxury vehicles, three illegal firearms, and an amount of cash that is still being counted. No one was arrested; however, the police are continuing their investigation.

02/07/2024 – Federal Police (PF) rescued 22 victims of sexual exploitation on Tuesday (2) in São Paulo. The PF carried out two search and seizure warrants, one in Freguesia do Ó and the other in Greater São Paulo. According to the PF, trans women were brought from the North and Northeast regions of Brazil with the promise of working in a beauty salon. When the victims arrived, they discovered they were involved in a prostitution scheme.

03/07/2024 – On Wednesday (3) at least 20 people robbed a supermarket in Vila Santa Catarina. The suspects wore masks and hoods as they invaded the market while the store was still open, as customers fled the criminals took everything they could carry before fleeing the scene. Police are investigating.

04/07/2024 – The Civil Police arrested 32 people on Thursday (4) in São Paulo during an operation against a gang that applies digital scams in different states. The operation is called Operation Digital Guardian, which targets a gang that could exceed R$12 million through various internet scams. Cell phones, notebooks, and other items were seized by police and will help identify other scammers.

04/07/2024 – A Military Police officer died after being shot during a robbery in Jabaquara on Thursday (4). According to the police the officer was returning from work on a luxury motorcycle when he was approached by three men. A witness stated the suspects and officer were in a physical fight before the bandits fled shot the officer in the chest and leg and did not take the motorcycle.

06/07/2024 – The City of São Paulo removed three agents of the Metropolitan Civil Guard (GCM) who were filmed assaulting a homeless man, even when he was already handcuffed, during an approach on the morning of last Saturday (6). The case happened between Avenida Professor Passos and Rua Almirante Mauriti, in downtown. The aggressions were recorded by people who were at the scene. These people revolted and asked the guards to stop the violent approach. At that moment, one of the guards pointed his gun toward the people who were filming and protesting – where there were also children – and ordered them all to leave.

07/07/2024 – A bus driver was shot in the head and killed by a passenger after they argued on Sunday night (7) in the East Zone of São Paulo. The argument occurred after the driver refused to stop outside the bus stop, according to other passengers. After being hit and injured by the shot, the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed it into two houses on Rua Visconde Aljezur, in Itaim Paulista.

08/07/2024 – “I was drunk,” said Wenas Sousa Morais, a 23-year-old bricklayer’s assistant, when responding to police why he killed his 7-month-old son. Video circulating on social media shows the man’s confession when he appears arrested, being escorted by police officers in front of a police station in the East Zone on his way to the car. According to the police report, the man committed the crime in the early hours of Sunday (8), in the house where he lived with the baby plus another son, 2 years old, and his wife, 21. The family’s residence is in Ipiranga, in the South Zone of the capital of São Paulo. The case was discovered by doctors at a hospital in Mooca, East Zone, where Wenas and his wife took their son. The family had said that the boy William Levi Ribeiro Morais had a “fall” and was injured. He had bruises on his back, chest, and head compatible with aggression and arrived dead.

10/07/2024 – A Navy soldier was robbed near Congonhas Airport on Wednesday (10). The soldier was returning from a personal trip when he stepped out of the car he was approached by four criminals on two motorcycles. The soldier stated that he tried to protect his firearm so it would not be taken, however, the assailants noticed and took it. According to the victim, robberies of homes and pedestrians have been common in the region.

12/07/2024 – A man was killed during an attempted robbery in Pirituba on Friday (12). The victim was on his way to work with his cousin when they were approached by the assailants. Residents of the area suspected that the shooter was a 16-year-old and provided information to the Civil Police.

12/07/2024 – A man was murdered in Jardim Peri, the North Zone of São Paulo on Friday (12). The crime was caught on a security camera where the suspect was seen shooting the victim in the head. The police have identified the suspect, who is currently regarded as a fugitive.

13/07/2024 – Seven prisoners escaped from the Penitentiary Progression Center (CPP) of Butantan in the West Zone of São Paulo on Saturday (13) and Monday (15). Authorities stated that searches were carried out in the area, but they were unable to locate the escaped inmates. They also stated that they have reinforced security at the unit with patrols by Prison Escort and Surveillance Agents. The CPP is intended for semi-open regime prisoners.

14/07/2024 – A 17-year-old boy was shot in the head during an attempted robbery in Capão Redondo on Sunday (14). The crime occurred around 15:30 and was recorded by a security camera. The footage showed the victim being approached by an individual on a motorcycle, the victim appeared to resist the assault and tried to move away. The victim was taken to the hospital but did not survive his injuries.

16/07/2024 – A woman was shot in the face during an attempted robbery in Sacomã on Tuesday (16). According to police, the victim was approached by armed criminals on foot, and she accelerated when they announced the robbery of her vehicle. When the victim tried to flee the criminal opened fire, and she was hit in the chin, however, she managed to escape and get help.

16/07/2024 – A man was found murdered in his house in Jardim Europa on Tuesday (16). The victim was found covered by a rug with his hands and feet tied by electrical wires. The police are investigating if it was a robbery followed by murder since the police could not find the victim’s car and cash.

19/07/2024 – A businessman was taken hostage during a robbery in his apartment in Jardins on Friday (19). Two suspects managed to enter the victim’s apartment after they approached the employee who works at the residence with a gun. The victim stated the bandits were after jewelry, watches, and money and fled when the victim told them he was expecting a visitor.

21/07/2024 – A grenade was found in a municipal shelter in Bom Retiro, downtown São Paulo, on Monday (22). The object was discovered inside a suitcase by social workers working at the site. The Metropolitan Civil Guard (GCM) and the Military Police Special Tactical Actions Group (Gate) were called to respond to the incident, accompanied by the Fire Department.

22/07/2024 – A retired agent of the Civil Metropolitan Guard (GCM) is under investigation after he shot two young men who were standing outside of his building in Cidade Dutra on Monday (22). The Suspect stated that he heard three young men saying the word “robbery” multiple times when he was driving home. According to the victims, 2 of the men lived in the building and were returning home from a football match, one of the men was shot in the leg and the other victim is in critical condition after being shot four times.

23/07/2024 – The Federal Police and the Special Task Force to Combat Organized Crime of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of São Paulo (Gaeco-SP) carried out Operation Barão de Itararé on Tuesday (23) against a State Revenue tax auditor involved in acts of corruption. According to the PF, the employee of the São Paulo State Finance Department is accused of favoring criminal organizations that sell adulterated fuel. During the operation, federal agents carried out search and seizure warrants, demanded the auditor be removed from his public duties, and froze up to R$ 75,000 from his bank accounts.

24/07/2024 – A man was arrested on Wednesday (24) in the South Zone of São Paulo with a “scam car”, a vehicle equipped with a computer and antenna that sent SMS messages with fake bank advertisements to the cell phones of drivers and passengers stuck in traffic jams in upscale neighborhoods of the capital of São Paulo. The suspect confessed that he received R$1000,00 per week from criminals just to drive the car. The suspect was indicted for criminal association, hacking into a computer device, clandestine use of a telecommunications system, and corruption of a minor under 18 years of age.

25/07/2024 – Three buses were destroyed on Thursday (25) in Jaraguá after a resident was killed in a police action. According to the Military Police, the victim was a drug trafficker who died in a confrontation with agents. However, the victim’s relatives and neighbors stated the man was killed inside his home. The death of the resident is believed to have led to the attacks on the buses.

26/07/2024 – A passenger was shot during the theft of his cell phone at the entrance to the São Joaquim station, on subway line 1-blue, on Avenida Liberdade, in the central region of São Paulo on Friday (26). The crime was recorded by a security camera, which showed the suspect holding the victim on the ground and another suspect with a gun pointed at the victim. According to the police, the victim was approached by two people who demanded the device and his backpack. The victim gave the suspect his phone but resisted giving his backpack which resulted in him getting shot.

27/07/2024 – A 24-year-old man was shot and killed by a retired military police officer after being caught trying to rob a motorcycle courier in Campo Limpo, South Zone of São Paulo, on Saturday afternoon (27). The delivery man saw the suspect trying to steal his bike and tried to take it back, however, the suspect showed that he was armed. A retired police officer was at the scene and shot the man when witnessing the crime.

29/07/2024 – A driver ran over a motorcyclist after an argument on Monday (29) on Avenida Interlagos, Jardim Umuarama. According to witnesses, after the argument the driver chased the victim and ran him over, the victim did not survive. The driver stated that the victim changed lanes abruptly and crossed in front of the vehicle, after breaking the car’s rear-view mirror. The driver was charged with intentional homicide with eventual intent for a futile or vile reason.

30/07/2024 – Two people were stabbed inside their home in Eldorado on Tuesday (30). One of the victims was 77 years old and did not survive his injuries, the other was taken to the hospital in a serious condition. When investigators arrived at the scene, they discovered that nothing was stolen and were unable to identify how the crime occurred.

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