Rio de Janeiro’s Megaoperation: Unprecedented Footage from Body Cameras and Drones Released

The Government of Rio de Janeiro released on Sunday night (2) unprecedented footage of the megaoperation against the criminal faction Comando Vermelho (CV), carried out last Tuesday (28). The police action was considered the deadliest in history, with 121 confirmed deaths. The footage was captured by body cameras and drones from the Civil Police of the State of Rio de Janeiro (PCERJ). The videos depict a war zone in the Penha and Alemão complexes, with several fires and barricades set up by criminals to halt the advance of security forces. One of the drones recorded the moment when a team of civil police officers advanced in a wooded area and was ambushed by shots fired by traffickers. Two officers were hit and taken care of by Officer Rodrigo Velloso Cabral, 34, from the 39th DP (Pavuna). In an unrecorded scene, he tried to arrest the shooter, but was shot and killed, according to the Rio Government. The officers’ body cameras also show details of the rescue of two wounded agents during the shootouts: Corporal Oliveira from the Bope (Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais) and Sergeant Walner Santana from the K-9 Actions Battalion. The ‘Containment Operation’ was conducted on Tuesday (28) by Rio de Janeiro’s security forces against Comando Vermelho in the Alemão and Penha complexes. 121 people, including four police officers, were confirmed dead, and 113 suspects were arrested. It is the deadliest action in the city’s history.