The Military Police (PM) department concluded the internal investigation and charged soldier Luan Felipe Alves Pereira with attempted homicide. Pereira threw a man off a bridge on December 2nd and was arrested on December 5th based on a decision from the Military Justice. During the incident, PM officers were equipped with body cameras, aiding the investigative team in understanding the case. Six more officers were charged: one for bodily harm, one for accidental embezzlement, and four for neglect of duty. The case is now moving to the Military Justice system and later the Public Prosecutor’s Office is expected to bring charges.
PM’s Action
In the internal report about the incident, the police officers omitted the fact that a man had been thrown off a bridge. They claimed to have pursued suspects on motorcycles to a funk party, but the activity dispersed upon police arrival. One man was reportedly shot and, as per the officers, the report on the injured man was not filed at the 26th Police District (Sacoma) because it was deemed unnecessary. However, the Public Security Secretariat (SSP) stated that no such report was presented to the Civil Police. Only after the 3rd Battalion of the Military Police was made aware of a cellphone video showing a Rocam soldier throwing the man off the bridge, the case was officially reported and an investigation was initiated internally.
Following the public outcry, an additional investigation by the Civil Police through the Specialized Unit for Repression of Crimes and Events (Cerco) of the 2nd Section was opened.
Pre-deposition “Talk”
As reported by Metrópoles, the involved officers briefed attorneys on the incident before their formal statements outside the PM’s Internal Affairs Office in downtown São Paulo. Part of this meeting was recorded by the press. The video showed four officers and three lawyers on the sidewalk, with one officer providing detailed information about the chase culminating in the man being thrown off the bridge by a PM officer.
Man Thrown off Bridge
The man thrown off the bridge, identified as Marcelo Barbosa Amaral, 25 years old, survived the ordeal and reportedly walked away from the scene despite his injuries. Marcelo’s friends and family informed Metrópoles that he left the city out of fear of retaliation. Since the incident, armed men without uniforms identifying themselves as police officers have been seen in the neighborhood where he used to live in Americanópolis, South Zone of São Paulo.
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