City Hall robbers crack open ATMs for Easter
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) – In crime-plagued Rio de Janeiro, the City Hall is not immune from robberies, not even on Easter.
Police said on Monday that a group of between 10 and 15 armed masked people raided the lobby of one of the City Hall complex buildings the previous day, taking some 35 people hostage as they opened several automatic teller machines and then fled with an unspecified sum in cash.
The assailants took 15 guards and over 20 maintenance workers hostage during the raid that lasted about 40 minutes. Rio’s municipal guards carry no firearms. The assailants also stole one of the guards’ motorcycles.
That was the second attack on the complex in two months. In February, an armed guard from a cash transporting company was killed and three people were wounded in an intense shootout outside City Hall when a gang tried to hold up a cash truck.
THis is one of many articles I’ve seen detailing the crime in Rio de Janeiro. Yet another reason I’m not taking holiday there. In fact I’ve even had Canadian friends staying away.
Tags: Crime, Interesting, News, Vacation
