A jaw dropping armed robbery was successfully executed in the city of Araçatuba, São Paulo, after a group of more than fifty Brazilian gang members used human "meat-shields", strapped to the roof and hood of their get-away vehicles to avoid police confrontation.

In the early morning hours of August 30, 2021, footage captured by multiple bystanders shows the moment a group of criminals flee the scene after committing a massive heist on three different banks. Incident reports have indicated, more than fifty criminals were involved in this heist. Without condoning any of these criminals actions, I will admit, this seems like some GTA 5 gameplay.

Well armed and well planned, these criminal masterminds not only thought outside the box by strapping hostages to their vehicles, but also utilized improvised explosive devices (Image below) to combat any responding police units. Reports have indicated, the gang had set these explosives in downtown streets, near their area of operation to ensure their escape. In addition to the explosive devices, the gang also utilized drones for an aerial view of police activity.

Other witness and police reports surfacing later this morning, stated four individuals were injured by either gunfire or explosives, and three reported deceased. Among those wounded are a 28-year-old man who was shot in the abdomen and is in a stable condition; another, aged 31, was shot in the face and arms and needed to be intubated and another victim, aged 31, was injured in the legs, arms and head. Of the deceased; are two civilians, one of which was struck down in their vehicle, and another in the street. The third reported deceased was one armed robber, who was neutralized during a police engagement in the rural neighborhood of Taveria.

At this time, there is no valuation of the total assets lost during the heist.