At least 10 hostages were tied to the hoods of getaway cars during an armed bank robbery in Brazil.
Footage showed them being used as human shields through the streets of Aracatuba as every bank in the city was reportedly raided.
Shots and explosions were heard throughout the city in the central state of Sao Paulo.
Early reports suggest a heavily armed gang armed with explosives and rifles attacked Military Police barracks and raided the banks.
Vehicles were also set on fire at the entrances to the city to make access difficult for the emergency services.
Shocking images and video posted on social media show hostages on the roofs of cars as they’re driven around the city.
At least one police officer is believed to have been injured during the incident along with one of the alleged armed robbers.
The shootings came to an end at 1.50am, local time, with the vehicles speeding off to a rural neighbourhood outside the city.
It’s believed some hostages were still tied the hoods and later released outside the city.
Videos purportedly filmed by some of the hostages after the horrifying ordeal show them with cuts all over their arms and hands.
This is a developing story, more to follow.
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