Hijacking of bus 174 in Rio, in 2000, lasted almost 4 hours

Cases of bus hijacking like the one this Tuesday (12) in Rio de Janeiro are nothing new.

Rio has already experienced other similar episodes in the past. In June 2000, a bus on line 174 was hijacked on Rua Jardim Botânico at around 2:20 pm.

Ten passengers were under the control of kidnapper Sandro do Nascimento for around four hours, during which BOPE police officers negotiated with the criminal for the release of the hostages. The case gained national attention, and the kidnapping was broadcast live on TV.

The kidnapper got out of the vehicle using teacher Geise Firmo Gonçalves as a shield and she ended up dead. One of the Bope police officers approached the criminal, but hit the hostage when firing a shot.

Nascimento fired another three shots at Geise. The kidnapper was placed in a van and died of asphyxiation inside the vehicle. The agents were accused of qualified homicide, but were acquitted by the Rio Jury Court.

In a more recent case, on August 20, 2019, another bus was hijacked in Rio de Janeiro, on the Rio-Niterói Bridge. The hijacker, identified as Willian Augusto da Silva, held 39 passengers hostage for more than three hours.

The criminal ended up being shot by a Bope sniper when he got out of the vehicle and died at the scene. It was later discovered that he was carrying a toy gun. The hostages were not injured. The case was marked by the scene of the then governor, Wilson Witzel, with his arms raised celebrating the death of the kidnapper and the conclusion of the case without any other injuries.

Information from Estadão Content