Rio de Janeiro — Early Monday morning, an incident involving a military police officer took a disturbing turn when a man was thrown off a bridge into a river in Brazil’s most populous metropolitan area, inciting swift public outrage.

Local news broadcasts captured footage showing multiple Sao Paulo police officers stationed on a bridge next to their motorcycles. In a shocking moment, an officer in uniform approached a man wearing a blue T-shirt, lifted him by his legs, and hurled him over the edge. As of Tuesday morning, it remained uncertain if the individual survived the fall.

Despite ongoing issues with rising police aggression in the state, the alarming nature of this video triggered collective anger among the public and commentators alike. “How absurd, how cowardly, how disgusting,” remarked journalist and television figure Guga Noblat on X, joining the chorus of denunciations.

In response to the incident, Sao Paulo’s military police have identified those involved and have temporarily suspended them, according to a statement released by the state’s public security department. They condemned the officers’ actions and confirmed that an investigation would be carried out.

In a separate incident within Sao Paulo, an off-duty military police officer was seen on video from last month firing at a young man who had been accused of stealing soap, resulting in the young man’s death.

Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, associated with former President Jair Bolsonaro—who has a history of endorsing lethal force against criminals—issued a statement on X, emphasizing that “those who shoot people in the back, those who go so far as to throw someone off a bridge, are clearly not fit to wear this uniform. These cases will be investigated and severely punished.”

Since De Freitas took office in January 2023, some have perceived him as a more moderate figure compared to Bolsonaro. However, critics highlight an alarming increase in police violence during his administration, creating pressure from advocacy groups emphasizing the need for accountability.

According to research conducted by the Sou da Paz Institute for a local media outlet, the number of teenagers killed by police surged by 58.3% in De Freitas’s first year, compared to the previous year. From January to August 2024, Sao Paulo police reportedly killed 510 individuals, marking a significant 56% rise from 327 killings reported in the same timeframe of 2023.