The black cyclist asks, “Why are you pointing the gun at me?” Immediately, the PM repeats: “Put your hand on your head”.
A black cyclist filmed when he was approached by two military police officers in a square in Cidade Ocidental, Brazil, in the surroundings of the Federal District, while maneuvering on his bicycle. The images show armed police officers demanding that the young man put his hands on his head as he questions why he is being approached.
The young man on a bicycle told TV that he works as an electrician, but was filming the video for a channel he has on YouTube. He said that, after recording the images and the brutal approach of the police, he had to sign a Detailed Term of Occurrence (TCO) for disobedience.
The images reverberated on Brazilian social networks. Many internet users question whether the way the police acted was due to the fact that the young man was black.
The Military Police informed, through a note, that it is “verifying all the information related to this fact” to take a position on what happened. The report questioned whether the officers followed standard procedure and the circumstances that led to the approach, but received no feedback.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office of the State of Goiás (MP-GO) informed, through a note, that it “has instituted a procedure for investigating the facts through one of the prosecutors of Cidade Ocidental that has the power to act in the external control of police activity.”
In the video, the young man stops his bike when he sees the PMs getting out of the car a few meters away from him. The young man takes the camera, which was positioned on the ground, and asks the police about the reason for the approach. Meanwhile, one of the officers demands: “Put your hand on your head!”
The cyclist asks, “Why are you pointing the gun at me?” Immediately, the PM repeats: “Put your hand on your head”. “Look how they’re treating me. How so?” asks the young man. The other PM says: “I’m giving a legal order: put your hand on your head”.
After the discussion, the cyclist places the camera on the ground and takes off his shirt. Then he puts his back to the police and puts his hands behind his head, obeying the order. One of the PMs starts handcuffing him and then turns off the camera.
Video: YouTube
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