Mass violence erupts in Sao Paulo

Losing all control

700 inmates of a gang called the First Command of the Capital, or PCC were transferred to a maximum security prison. As a result the gang retaliated by attacking police stations and blowing up buses. About 40 other jails had violent uprisings and only 11 are fully contained with 120 people still being held hostage. The gang also threw Molotov Cocktails at bank branches and going to police stations and opening fire on officers with automatic weapons. About 39 officers and guards were fatally wounded and 38 gunmen declared dead so far. This has been an ongoing war between the State Authorities and the PCC since the gang was originated in 1993. It was reported that in 2003, 50 or more police stations were attacked, but that time there were only 3 fatalities and 12 wounded.