World / Armed bank robbers tie hostages to cars & use them as human shields in Brazil

Brazilia: During a massive robbery in Brazil, bank robbers strapped civilian hostages to the outside of their cars as human shields, killing at least three people.

Around 20 robbers armed with machine guns, bombs, and drones are believed to have raided three banks in the Araçatuba city centre, 290 miles from Sao Paulo, beginning at midnight.

The group of heavily armed robbers attacked the local police station and used burned-out cars to block roads into the city, preventing reinforcements from arriving, before kidnapping locals to use as human shields. 

Na fuga, os reféns foram amarrados nos veículos. Tentativa de impedir qualquer contra-ataque da polícia ao grupo. Deus guarde essas pessoas e todos de Araçatuba. Todas as agências bancárias do centro foram invadidas - informações preliminares. pic.twitter.com/lu0hBlcTCu

— Yuri Macri (@yurimacri) August 30, 2021

Yuri Macri, a TV journalist, posted a video that he claimed showed two of the getaway cars. In the first, a person is tied to the roof and another to the hood, while a person can be seen crouching on the hood in the second. 

Another Twitter user posted CCTV footage of multiple cars driving through the city, some with people tied to the hoods, while another person can be seen holding up his hands while standing on the sun roof of the van.

According to reports, bombs equipped with infrared proximity sensors were then dispersed along the escape route to deter people from following them.