02/10/2023 – Two criminals were arrested while trying to steal a high-end car in São Paulo. According to Military Police, the vehicle had been ordered from thieves and would be sold in the region.
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03/10/2023 – Chef Leo Young, winner of the culinary reality show Masterchef, was caught in the middle of a shooting on Avenida dos Bandeirantes, South Zone. The shooting occurred when undercover agents intercepted a vehicle and arrested a man. The São Paulo Public Security Secretariat reported that a 30-year-old man was arrested for receiving stolen goods and robbing homes.
04/10/2023 – An armed man robbed the occupants of a taxi in the middle of traffic, in Vila Clementino, South Zone. The images went viral on the internet. In the video, it is possible to see that the thief takes advantage of the vehicle stopping due to the traffic light on Avenida Rubem Berta and points the gun. The taxi driver is the first to have the objects stolen. He then hits the rear window of the car with the gun, where the taxi passenger is. The man tries to react but ends up handing over his belongings.
04/10/2022 – A Chinese businessman was the victim of a kidnapping in Mooca, East Zone. The bandits pretended to be civil police officers, wearing uniforms and even counterfeit vehicles. One of the gang members was arrested. The victim ended up being released two hours later. According to the police, the gang realized that one of the bandits had been arrested and thought it was dangerous to keep the hostage. The trader was approached by the criminals as he was leaving his house. With the criminal, the police seized a fake Civil Police badge, two fake shirts, a ninja cap, a 9mm pistol and a cell phone.
04/10/2022 – Two men were arrested after robbing an elderly woman’s residence and her luxury car, in the Brooklin region, South Zone. Military Police teams were on patrol in the Morumbi region when they spotted a Range Rover Discovery reported stolen. The criminals fled with jewelry, watches and the victim’s car. The woman was also attacked.
08/10/2023 – A passenger was attacked and robbed by a couple of robbers at the Armenia station on Metro line 1-Blue. The case took place on Rua Pedro Vicente, in the Luz neighborhood, in São Paulo historic center. A video recorded by another passenger shows the action. The victim is lying on the ground and is immobilized by a man while a woman tries to take her belongings from their pockets. During the entire action, no security guard is around.
09/10/2023 – A fake taxi driver, suspected of scamming, was arrested when approached by Military Police (PM) teams in Itaim Bibi, South Zone. Police teams were on patrol when they spotted a driver in front of a taxi rank. The military consulted the license plate of the vehicle with taxi identification and found that the car was not registered to transport passengers. When questioned, the suspect reported that he did not work as a taxi driver and confessed that he scammed race customers, seeking them out at parties in the region.
09/10/2023 – An elderly man led a mass robbery on a snack bar in the central region of São Paulo. The elderly man led the gang that still had three more criminals. Together they took at least 20 cell phones and personal belongings of employees and customers, as well as money from the cafeteria’s cash register.
09/10/2023 – In a week, two offices of PT parliamentarians were invaded and vandalized in Greater São Paulo. The most recent case happened on Monday (09/10), when, upon arriving to work, employees of state deputy Emidio de Souza (PT) found the place, located in Osasco, broken into and ransacked. A week earlier, on 2 October, the target of the attack was the office of federal deputy Alencar Santana (PT) in Guarulhos. The invasion was detected when the PT parliamentarian arrived, who was faced with broken windows and graffiti against the party.
10/10/2023 – The Civil Police carried out an operation in Cracolândia, in downtown São Paulo. 30 people were arrested for drug trafficking or because they were already wanted by the courts. According to the Public Security Secretariat, the action inspected hotels used to hide drugs and sought to identify drug dealers who operate in the flow of users – the place where sales and use take place.
11/10/2022 – A condominium in the Pirituba neighborhood, north zone, was robbed by five criminals. The bicycle gang arrived by breaking the garage door lock to steal bicycles. However, when they entered the garage, they saw a luxury car and decided to take the vehicle too.
15/10/2023 – One criminal died, and two others managed to escape during an attempted robbery of a Municipal Civil Guard (GCM) in Santo Amaro, South Zone. The agent was returning to his home on a motorcycle, when he was approached by three men, on two motorcycles, who announced the robbery. During the approach, the criminals went to search the GCM. At that moment, fearing that he would be identified, the man took out his gun and shot at the bandits.
15/10/2023 – Two men and two women were arrested after police found around 69 stolen cell phones in their home in the República neighborhood, São Paulo Historic Center. The devices were stolen during a music festival in the city of Itu, on Saturday (14). According to the Military Police, a victim managed to track the location of his cell phone and went to the police to report that his cell phone was stolen during the event. In addition, a sum of money, two notebooks, used to access the victims’ accounts, and a vehicle were also seized.
16/10/2023 – Criminals on foot robbed two people who were on a motorcycle on Avenida Interlagos, in the Jardim Umuarama neighborhood, South Zone. A camera attached to a car that was following behind recorded the crime. The victims were stopped at the traffic light when they were approached and violently surrendered by the criminals.
16/10/2022 – A man reacted to an attempted robbery in the Morumbi neighborhood, South Zone. The victim was at the door of his house when he was approached by two men on a motorcycle, one of whom was armed. He didn’t hand over his cell phone and fought with one of the bandits. The criminal then shot the victim and fled.
20/10/2023 – A man was shot in the back while waiting for a date in Jardim Taipas, North SP. The 36yo victim has been caught in the so called “Love Scam”, he was waiting for his date, met on a dating app, at night aside his car when 2 men run at him. As he fled, one of the assailants shot a bullet in his back. The victim is being healed at the Taipas General Hospital.
21/10/2023 – 35yo policeman was stabbed to death and other was wounded during the night at Avenida São Luis, SP Central area. Both has been cared by the Santa Casa hospital, but the policeman did not make it. The suspect has been arrested at Rua Sete de Abril, and placed in custody in the 2ndDP, in Bom Retiro.
22/10/2023 – Sixteen people were wounded in Cracolândia after being run over by a car, in downtown São Paulo. At 21h, on Sunday, a man and his child in their car were attacked by 20 crack addicts, as they stopped at a traffic light at the intersection of Avenida Rio Branco and Rua dos Gusmões. Afraid, the father accelerated, ran over the group, and fled.
22/10/2023 – 34yo man has been beaten to death in the Interlagos Atacadão Market, South SP, while hiding from his assailants. The man was tagging a construction site´s siding when a group of people harassed him for supposedly robbing car batteries. The victim fled to the Atacadão Supermarket and hid in the toilets. Three of the assailants found him and started beating him. He was found by a security guard who called the ER, but when the rescue arrived, he was already dead.
23/10/2023 – One teenager killed and 3 more wounded in a shooting in a state school in Jardim Sapopemba, East SP. Shooter is a 15yo student at the school, he entered the school at 07h20 and began shooting. He hit one in the head and 3 others (2 in the chest and the last one in the collarbone). A 4th student was wounded at the hand when fleeing the scene. Shooter is under arrest. His motivations are still to be discovered.
TRENDS & ADVICE
- Stay away from any protest most likely to occur in the city center, including Avenida Paulista, the MASP, Praça do Ciclista, Praça da Sé, Largo da Batata and Praça da Republica.
- Monitor the local media in order to circumvent protest locations, including social media.
- If caught in a demonstration: remain still and take the time to see which way the crowd is going; attempt to leave the area by going against the movement of the crowd; avoid using your mobile phone, taking pictures or filming the demonstration; go to the nearest building as soon as possible and wait until the situation clears; try to avoid contact with security forces if possible.
- Considering the high crime rate in São Paulo, business travelers and expatriates should comply with safety rules in order to reduce the risk linked to violent crime. In case of an assault, it is strictly recommended not to resist the attackers and avoid making any sharp movement that may irritate the assailants, who do not hesitate to open fire.
- Avoid, if possible, circulating through the neighborhoods in the East Zone due to the high rates of various crimes.
- Pay attention when trying to meet new people on the internet as criminals use the dating app and social networks to apply scams.
- Due to several police operations, drug users previously concentrated in a region called “Cracolândia” have spread across downtown, leading to an increase in petty crimes. Hence, avoid walking around with your cell phone in your hand, in addition to wearing jewels and expensive watches.
- The number of express kidnappings has increased lately due to a new method (PIX) that allows people to easily transfer money using bank apps. Cooperate in order to mitigate the risk of violence.
- Attention to the windows when inside a vehicle. Keep them closed, as criminals use heavy traffic to rob passengers that expose valuables.
- Keep in mind useful numbers: Emergency police number (190), and São Paulo tourist Police (+55 11 3120 4447).