A woman held hostage during a robbery at a lottery shop in the Santos Reis neighborhood, in Parnamirim, reported moments of tension experienced during the criminal action that took place on the morning of this Thursday (15). The suspect was armed with a machete and held the woman and a man under threat inside the establishment.
According to the hostage, the criminal arrived agitated, damaging equipment and cutting machine wires. “He was very nervous, hitting the machines and tearing the cords. At one point, a woman said she was pregnant and asked him not to do anything to her. Then he ended up letting her go,” she recounted. See the moment in the video below:
According to the report, there were initially more people at the scene, including a woman with a child of about one year old, who managed to leave before the situation worsened. After the pregnant woman was released, the suspect subdued a man who was passing by, placing the machete to his neck and forcing him back into the lottery shop, where he closed the gate.
The woman stated that the criminal remained calm after the press arrived at the scene. “When he called the reporters, it was better, because he calmed down more. He was only hurting the other young man,” she reported. At one point, she handed over the money he demanded, which allowed him to be released. “I pushed the money towards him so he could receive it, then he received it and left,” she said.
In a statement, the Military Police of Rio Grande do Norte reported that they were called to respond to a robbery with two hostages at a lottery shop in the Santos Reis neighborhood. Teams from the Tactical Force of the 3rd Military Police Battalion (3rd BPM) were immediately dispatched to the scene and managed to apprehend the suspect, who was armed with a bladed weapon.
The victims were unharmed and no injuries were reported. The Special Police Operations Battalion (BOPE) was also called in for support, but by the time they arrived, the situation was already under control.
The suspect was taken to the Civil Police Station, where the appropriate legal procedures were followed. The Military Police reinforced its commitment to a prompt response to incidents and to the safety of the population.
