Protests broke out in the Brazilian city of Umbauba on Thursday following the death of a man in police custody. Video footage purportedly shows police pushing the man into the trunk of a vehicle and filling it with gas, before he appears to stop moving. The cops say he “fell ill” and died on the way to the police station.
Demonstrators erected placards reading “Justice” and blocked road traffic with flaming barricades, in an outpouring of anger following the death of Genivaldo de Jesus Santos, 38, on Wednesday.
A series of graphic video clips shared on social media show two federal highway police officers attempting to restrain Santos, followed by the officers pushing the man into the trunk of their SUV. A final clip shows the officers holding the trunk closed as it fills with a thick white smoke or gas. The man’s legs, seen protruding from the trunk, stop moving after around a minute.