A raid conducted by the Special Police Operations Battalion (Bope), the elite tactical unit of Rio de Janeiro's Military Police (PMERJ), triggered intense gunfire and road blockades in the Cidade de Deus favela, in the city's West Zone, on Thursday morning (27). According to military police reports cited by Folha de S.Paulo, organized crime members commandeered at least two transit buses and set up public trash containers as barricades to obstruct armored police vehicles.

Initial reports of shooting surfaced before dawn as Bope tactical units moved into the community. In response to the police operation, Avenida Miguel Salazar Mendes de Morais, the main thoroughfare cutting through Cidade de Deus, was blocked by hijacked buses placed across traffic lanes. The obstruction follows a similar incident in Rio's North Zone on Wednesday, when 19 buses were hijacked and used as barricades during clashes near the Morro do Fubá area.

During the Thursday operation, officers detained two men under investigation for suspected ties to local narcotics trafficking, which authorities identify as controlled by the Comando Vermelho criminal faction. Police seized a handgun, a two-way radio, narcotics, and fuel canisters allegedly gathered to torch roadside barricades. Meanwhile, neighborhood residents posted on social media that one person had been shot during the crossfire, though the PMERJ stated that it had not officially confirmed any injured suspects.

Officers delivered the detainees and seized evidence to the territorial Civil Police station to formalize arrest charges for illicit drug trafficking and illegal weapons possession. Both men remain in police custody and are scheduled to appear before a judge at a custody hearing within 24 hours, where the court will review the arrest proceedings and determine whether to order pretrial detention.