17 people taken hostage at a bus station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Tuesday were released after their captor turned himself in to authorities.
The hostage situation began when the attacker attempted to rob the bus, where he then fired a firearm, injuring two victims, one of whom, a 35-year-old by the name of Bruno Lima da Costa, was transported to the hospital for surgery, where he remains in critical condition.
Those taken hostage reportedly included children as well as the elderly.
The second injured person reportedly only suffered minor injuries from shrapnel and received treatment at the bus station’s local medical center.
Police evacuated the bus station at 15:55 local time in order to minimize the potential for civilian casualties as well as to conduct negotiations with the attacker.
Brazil’s special police force, BOPE, was deployed on the scene alongside a negotiator. The attacker fired two shots towards the BOPE agents, while the reason for taking hostages remains unknown.
