By Patricia Maresch, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – There was a small confrontation between residents and the military Peace Force in the pacified community Complexo do Alemão (Zona Norte) on Sunday evening. Three people were arrested, one woman got shot by a rubber bullet and one Military Police officer got hit by a stone in his head.
The peacekeeping force fired rubber bullets and used pepper spray to disperse the crowd. The police has been present and maintaining order at the Complexo do Alemão since the massive street battle took place in November last year.
In this recent confrontation, according to information from the Army, a unit was harassed by a resident during a foot patrol in the vicinity of the new Teleférico (gondola) station Itararé. When the police wanted to arrest him for contempt, they said residents started throwing bottles and stones.
Another version, as told by residents, says that the violence began because of an altercation about the need to lower the volume of a television in a bar. One resident posted a video of the confrontation online, showing the escalation.
Read more here (in Portuguese).
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Correction: October 31, 2011
This article was first published noting the UPP as part of the peacekeeping force, but although Alemão is pacified and has UPP Social, as a community reader clarified – there is no UPP unit in Complexo de Alemão yet.