Fury in Brazil after police suspect is killed when officers turn car boot into a ‘gas chamber’ and trap him inside
- Genivaldo de Jesus Santos, 38, was asphyxiated with gas in Brazilian police car
- The man died following the incident, which has sparked outrage across country
- Viral clip shows two police officers hold Mr Santos down as he screams in trunk
A Brazilian man has died after being handcuffed and asphyxiated with gas inside a police car in a viral video, sparking outrage across the country.
Genivaldo de Jesus Santos, 38, could be heard screaming as he was being held by two officers of Brazil’s Federal Highway Police inside an SUV’s smoke-filled trunk.
His legs, which stick out of the vehicle, kick for a time, until they eventually stop moving in the clip. The officers appeared undisturbed by surrounding onlookers.
Social media erupted over the images of Tuesday’s police stop in Umbauba, in the northeastern state of Sergipe.
Dozens of people gathered to protest in the area on Wednesday, with demonstrators blocking a road and burning tires.
A Brazilian man has died after being handcuffed and asphyxiated with gas inside a police car in a viral video, sparking outrage across the country
‘The population is outraged,’ a man can be heard saying in a video of the protest posted on Twitter. ‘They murdered the guy!’ another told the crowd through a loudspeaker.
Mr Santos was described by his family as suffering from schizophrenia. According to Wallyson de Jesus, a nephew of Santos’, he was approached by the officers while riding his motorcycle through the area.
He became nervous when the officers found his schizophrenia medicine in his pocket, Mr de Jesus told news website G1.
Genivaldo de Jesus Santos, 38, could be heard screaming as he was being held by two officers of Brazil’s Federal Highway Police inside an SUV’s smoke-filled trunk
He said: ‘They threw some kind of gas inside the trunk and went to the police station, but my uncle was unconscious. They took him to the hospital, but it was already too late.’
In a statement, the Federal Highway Police said the man had displayed aggressive behaviour and was ‘actively resisting’ the officers who pulled him over.
The agents immobilized him, the statement said, then used ‘instruments of lesser offensive potential’ to contain him.
The statement says Mr Santos fell ill as he was being transported to a police precinct and was taken to a hospital, where his death was confirmed.
A preliminary autopsy concluded the man died of respiratory failure due to ‘mechanical asphyxia,’ George Fernandes, a spokesperson for Sergipe state’s forensic institute, told The Associated Press.
His legs, which stick out of the vehicle, kick for a time, until they eventually stop moving in the clip. The officers appeared undisturbed by surrounding onlookers
The statement says Mr Santos fell ill as he was being transported to a police precinct and was taken to a hospital, where his death was confirmed
The incident ‘shocked Brazilian society due to the level of its brutality, exposing the institution’s lack of preparedness to guarantee that its agents obey basic procedures,’ the Brazilian Public Security Forum, an independent group, said in a statement.
President Jair Bolsonaro said he would find out from the Federal Highway Police what happened.
He also mentioned a separate incident two weeks ago when a man shot two on-duty highway officers.
The Federal Police opened an investigation. The forensic institute must submit its final, more in-depth report to the Federal Police within 10 days.
The incident comes just days after officers of the highway police participated in an operation in Rio de Janeiro that left more than 20 people dead. Police have said they had no choice but to use lethal force, but accounts from residents published in local media have raised doubts on that claim.
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