Brazilian attorney Marcos Cesar Feres Braga, who is a vice-consul at the Russian consulate, reportedly grabbed the motorbike-riding perpetrator and yanked him into his BMW after the attacker threatened him with a gun and smashed the vehicle window.
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But reports conflict over the man’s identity, with the Russian news agency Tass denying any of their diplomats had been involved, and some reports saying the man was Brazilian lawyer Marcos Cesar Feres Braga.
The police in Rio de Janeiro say a Russian diplomat trying to repel an attempted robbery near the Olympic Park was involved in a shooting that left the assailant dead.
Unconfirmed reports on social media even said the diplomat had used jiu-jitsu to disarm the robber.
“The vice consul got into a physical struggle with the assailant and during the fight the aggressor’s weapon fired shots”. The homicide unit opened an investigation.
The incident occurred on the Avenida das Americas, the main thoroughfare between the Olympic Park and the city centre, at around midday on Thursday just after the torch relay had passed by the street on its way to the Olympic stadium. One of the men allegedly smashed the window and demanded he hand over his watch.
An accomplice fled after seeing his partner suddenly hauled inside the diplomat’s auto.
Yesterday in Rio, a man shot and killed a mugger who tried to rob him while he was stuck in traffic.
Nevertheless, an official for Rio’s Homicide Police Station told Metro that Braga “is a lawyer and also the vice-consul of Russian Federation”.
The Russian man was stuck in a traffic jam with his family in the Barra neighborhood when their vehicle was suddenly surrounded by two motorbikes.
Rio de Janeiro’s civil police refused to comment on the case to CNN, while calls to the military police were not answered.
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“He is not part of or has any relation with the Olympic committee of Russian Federation which is in Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics”.
