A suspected drug trafficker was handcuffed to a police motorbike and forced to run alongside in Brazil, in a scene likened to ‘slavery times’.
The disturbing moment, which took place in Sao Paolo, was caught on camera, and showed the 18-year-old suspected drug trafficker was arrested by Brazil’s military police (MP).
The MP then tied him to a motorcycle and he can be seen trying to keep up with the vehicle.
Brazilians compared the footage to slavery times, since the MP was pulling him along.
The arrest was made in connection with the MP’s operation ‘Steel Horse’ which aims to tackle drug trafficking.
The boy aged 18 had 12 bricks of cannabis packed in a bag. He jumped the barrier and drove off in his truck.
Following a heated car chase, the drug dealer attempted to empty his backpack but lost control, leading to him colliding with his car.
The man fled from the accident site, but was eventually captured by police who took him back to the spot.
There he was, and he was tied to the rear of the motorcycle. He then tried to catch up to the vehicle.
A police motorbike dragged the 18-year old boy along and he was then cuffed to his vehicle.
High profile figures were quick to condemn the way the arrest was made, with Police Ombudsman Elizeu Soares Lopes saying he would request an investigation into the incident, as he said the ‘astounding’ images reminded him of ‘slavery times’.
‘I don’t have any other image in my head but this one. It’s a mockery,’ he said.
Sao Paolo’s military police condemned the manner in which the arrest was made.
‘The Military Police repudiates the way the arrest was conducted. [The arrest] violates all the institution’s protocols, and reaffirms its commitment to protecting people, fighting crime and enforcing the laws, being relentless against occasional misconduct,’ a spokesperson said.
Sao Paolo Police Ombudsman likened the horrifying footage to slavery.
David Miranda, a Brazilian federal congressman for Rio De Janiero, also hit out at the way the ‘unacceptable’ arrest went: ‘A black man handcuffed to a policeman’s motorcycle. This would be a terrible thing for rich and white suspects. In order to avoid altering the lives of its citizens, it ignores them and marginalizes them. Unacceptable.’
The Brazil national student union said: “Brazil, after the abolition of slavery, see scenes of cold-blooded torture practised by MP, who, instead of acting in a brutal and inhumane manner, should protect. These are the words: Absurdity and Outrage!