Brazil Hostage Situation: Standoff In Rio Ends After Police Sniper Shoots, Kills Bus Hijacker

A four-hour hostage situation in Rio de Janeiro ended violently Tuesday morning when police shot and killed a man brandishing a fake gun and who had threatened to set fire to a bus carrying dozens of passengers. None of the hostages were harmed.

The situation began around 5:30 a.m. when the man, who claimed to be a military police officer, hijacked a bus crossing the Rio-Niterói Bridge. The nine-mile long bridge serves as the primary link between the Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro and Niteroi. He jumped on the bus armed with a gun and knife, taking the 37 passengers on the bus as his hostages.

Police quickly responded by shutting down both sides of the bridge, leaving hundreds of vehicles trapped on the bridge. Officers also set up a perimeter near and around the bus, with snipers posted at both ends of the bridge.

What followed was a four-hour standoff, with the man threatening to set the bus on fire. Negotiators were eventually called to speak with the suspect, though no demands were reportedly made. However, he would subsequently release six of the hostages during the standoff.

At the end of the standoff, the man exited the bus and flung an unidentified backpack at police around the bus. He then fell to the ground as he tried to reenter the vehicle, causing police to rush the bus. It was later confirmed he was killed by one of the posted snipers who was cleared to take a shot.

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro took to Twitter to praise police.