Videos show the actions of police officers who were arrested for their actions during a massive operation in Rio

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The blog obtained videos that support the investigation and reveal how part of the forces worked inside the slum complex. In one of the recordings, a white Fiat Toro stolen by drug dealers is seen parked on a street in the community. From inside the car, a police officer comments: “Machado, let me take a look at Toro here.” Then get out and check the truck. He walks around the vehicle, examining the headlights, mirrors, and bodywork details, and even orders a “10-key” to work on the truck’s body.

The photos show that police learned that Toro’s car had been stolen and was being traded freely within the hill. Instead of confiscating the car and submitting it to the civilian police, agents examine it in detail. A dealer opens the hood, inspects the engine, and says the pickup truck needs service. Sergeant Eduardo Coutinho is shown highlighting the headlight, mirror caps and engine cover. At his side, Lieutenant Marcelo Luiz de Amaral follows all the events. When Coutinho says: “There’s a little piece I need here,” Amaral replies: “This is the time,” registering approval for the theft. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the aim was to make use of high-value automotive components.

Another set of videos shows the process of diverting the gun during the massive operation. In the recordings, Second Sergeant Diogo da Silva Souza appears picking up the weapon from the ground after exchanging gunfire with criminals inside the community. The weapon should have been presented to a civilian police station according to protocol, which never happened. According to the Prime Minister, the operation that day seized rifles of seven different models, but the video does not allow us to pinpoint the exact type stolen by Diogo’s group.

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After collecting the weapons, the police leave the Penha compound and meet at a bakery with two other police officers, including Lieutenant Marcelo Luiz de Amaral. None of them recorded the seizure of any gun. In conversations captured by a body camera, the agents discuss how to hide the weapon. Someone suggests taking the gun to a “deserted place.” Another says: “I’ll ride again.” The Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that there had been “deliberate behavior aimed at concealing war materials.” The gun disappeared and did not reappear.

At another point in the same massive operation, which is still inside the Banha complex, a second Chowk squad arrested a group of criminals inside a house and handed over 19 rifles to the police station. However, two police officers – Sergeants Charles William Gomez dos Santos and Marcos Vinicius Ferreira Silva Vieira – were responsible for handing over an additional rifle and a 9 mm pistol. The gun was never presented again. In the audio recording from the cameras, they appear to combine concealment: “See if he doesn’t appear,” then “No, he’s not there, go.”

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The massive operation on October 28 ended with the deaths of 122 people, including five police officers, and became the bloodiest police operation in the country’s history. Body camera footage has become essential to reconstruct what happened in different parts of the community and identify discrepancies between the official report and what actually happened during the hours of confrontation.

The Military Police stated, in a statement, that the arrests were made after a technical analysis of body cameras, and that the First Military Judiciary Police Station found “evidence of military crimes being committed while on duty.” The company announced that it “does not condone misconduct” and that all arrest and search warrants were executed.

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Diogo da Silva Sousa’s defence, represented by lawyer Marcos Espinola, stated that the arrest was “unnecessary” and that the police officers “were exercising their profession, in self-defense and for the good of society.” According to him, only an examination of the photos can clarify the events. The attorney said he did not have full access to the records and that “several questions had to be asked” before any conclusion could be reached. He asked, “Why the arrest at this moment? Why?”

In addition to the five arrests, fifteen search and seizure warrants were executed at the homes of soldiers under investigation. The Department of Internal Affairs also searched the lockers of police officers at the Shock Battalion, in central Rio, looking for other items that could have been misappropriated.

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