Two military police officers from Baep were caught on video assaulting a 24-year-old suspect during an approach in Cândido Mota, inland São Paulo, on December 17 last year. The footage shows the agents demanding the man's phone password without a judicial warrant. The force stated it will investigate the case.
On December 17, 2023, military police officers from the Special Police Operations Battalion (Baep) conducted an approach in Cândido Mota, inland São Paulo state, following a tip about drug trafficking at a bar on Rua dos Apóstolos. The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Gustavo Sabino de Oliveira Silva, fled upon spotting the officers, jumping over residential walls and discarding cocaine packets during the chase.
At the capture site on Rua Pires, the PMs found Gustavo with a bag containing more cocaine packets and R$80 in small bills. According to the police report (B.O.), the man resisted arrest, justifying moderate force to handcuff him. He confessed to selling drugs there and was taken to the emergency room for treatment of abrasions, which the PM attributed to the flight, without mentioning any assaults.
A video recorded by a witness, released this week, shows the officers assaulting Gustavo and demanding his phone password without a judicial warrant. Upon noticing the filming, one agent shouted: “Film away, asshole. Film him resisting.” Human rights activist lawyer Ruy Arruda commented that the behavior aimed to preempt the video's impact.
After medical care, Gustavo was taken to the Assis police station. The courts converted his in-flagrante arrest to preventive detention, per a statement from the Public Security Secretariat (SSP). The PMs were not wearing body cameras, but the SSP noted the expansion of portable operational cameras, prioritizing high-risk areas.
The agency stated that the PM has launched an investigation to examine the facts and punish any misconduct, emphasizing that it does not tolerate excesses.
