A police officer was caught on video throwing a man off a bridge in Brazil during a traffic stop in an incident that has shocked the entire country.
Footage of the encounter, which was leaked on social media, showed Military Police officer Luan Pereira, 29, holding Marcelo do Amaral, 25, by the shirt in São Paulo on Monday after stopping him for driving. a motorcycle without a license plate.
Pereira was then seen leading Amaral to the side of the bridge, where he lifted one of his legs and then threw him off the span as his companions watched.
Witnesses told Brazilian news outlet Metropoles that Amaral landed in a creek and was able to get out on his own and walk uphill, where he was met by a friend and taken to a local hospital.
The man’s father said Amaral was a delivery driver and witnesses said the motorcyclist questioned the officer about the traffic stop delaying his order.
An initial report from the Military Police indicated that the police chased several motorcyclists until they reached the São Paulo neighborhood of Vila Clara, where a party was taking place.
While searching Amaral, police said partygoers began attacking them with bottles and rocks.
As they began to disperse the crowd with pepper spray, a man in the area was shot.
Images of the encounter, leaked on social networks, showed Military Police agent Luan Pereira, 29, holding Marcelo do Amaral, 25, by the shirt in São Paulo, after arresting him for driving a motorcycle without tuition.
Pereira was seen carrying Amaral to the side of the bridge, where he lifted one of his legs and then threw him off the span as his companions watched.
The police report did not include any information about Pereira throwing do Amaral off the bridge.
A witness told Metropoles that Amaral questioned Pereira about whether he was going to delay his delivery request and expressed concern that he would lose possession of his motorcycle.
Pereira and 12 other Military Police officers, who are assigned to a battalion in the town of Diadema, have been removed from their duties as part of the investigation.
Do Amaral’s father, Antonio do Amaral, told the Jornal Nacional newspaper that his son had no criminal record.
‘He’s fine, but we haven’t been able to talk to him. It is unacceptable,’ he said.
‘The police are there to defend the population, not to do what they did. A worker, a boy… He has no involvement, no background, nothing. I want an explanation from this police officer and why he did this.’
The governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas, condemned Pereira’s tactics and said he was not worthy of membership in the force.
‘The Military Police of São Paulo is an institution that offers, above all, its professionalism when it comes to protecting people. “The police are on the streets to confront crime and make people feel safe,” de Freitas wrote in an X post on Tuesday.
“Those who go so far as to throw someone off a bridge are clearly not fit to wear this uniform,” he added.
São Paulo Military Police officer Luan Pereira and 11 other police officers were removed from service after the incident.
The man’s father said Amaral was a delivery driver and witnesses said the motorcyclist questioned the officer about the traffic stop that delayed his order.
In a statement, São Paulo Attorney General Paolo Costa described the incident as “shocking and absolutely unacceptable.” and said a special task force would lead the investigation.
“There is no other way to classify the images of the moment a military police officer threw a man from the top of a bridge this Monday,” Costa said.
“From the images released by the press it is clear that the suspect was already under control by security agents, who had the functional duty of taking him, intact, to a police station so that what happened could be recorded.”
According to data from the São Paulo state government, Pereira is part of the Military Police motorcycle patrol and earns a monthly salary of 5,300 reais, or about $878.
New outlet UOL reported that Pereira was involved in the fatal shooting in March 2023 of Maycon Valério, 31, who was chased in the town of Diadema for driving a motorcycle at high speed and without a helmet.
Valério was able to abandon the motorcycle and led Pereira on a foot chase before allegedly pointing a gun at him.
Pereira responded by shooting him 12 times. Valério was rushed to a local hospital, where he died.
Pereira was placed under investigation by the São Pablo state Public Ministry at the time.
He was acquitted in January after it was discovered that he had acted in self-defense.