# Bus 174 hijacking

On 12 June 2000, a bus was hijacked at gun-point by Sandro Barbosa do Nascimento in Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and hostages were held for 5 hours.

## Hijacking

On Pentecost Monday, 12 June 2000, Nascimento boarded a public bus, line number 174 in Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro. He carried a .38 caliber revolver with the intention to rob the passengers. Moments after he announced the robbery, a passenger gestured to a passing Rio de Janeiro military police vehicle, prompting the officers to intercept the bus.
Nascimento proceeded to take the passengers hostage. The bus was soon surrounded by police, television crews and civilian onlookers. At first, Nascimento said he didn't intend to kill anyone but demanded weapons and a new bus driver since the original driver had escaped through a window to ease Nascimento's escape. As his demands were rejected, he threatened to kill a hostage at 6 p.m.
Nascimento singled out several hostages for dramatic threats, repeatedly using them as human shields. At about 7 p.m., he fired his revolver at the ground near Janaína Lopes Neves, who was on the floor, pretending to have shot her. He had previously told the other hostages to react as though she had been fatally shot.
Shortly afterwards, Nascimento exited the bus, using schoolteacher Geisa Firmo Gonçalves as a human shield. As he looked away, an officer with a submachine gun approached him from behind. Just prior to the officer reaching him, Nascimento turned directly toward the officer and reacted by jerking away from the officer and falling to the ground, taking Gonçalves with him. The officer reacted by continuing his advance and firing two or three shots at Nascimento while doing so. The first shot struck Gonçalves in the face; none of the other shots hit anyone. Nascimento fired three shots at Gonçalves, killing her. Officers converged on Nascimento and Gonçalves as they lay on the ground. Surrounding crowds rushed the area, with some intending to lynch him. Nascimento was immobilized and taken into police custody.
After being taken into custody, Nascimento died of asphyxiation. The officers who took him were charged with murder but were found not guilty after a jury trial. Rumors said Nascimento was intentionally killed by police in retaliation for the public nature of the hostage event.
Gonçalves was shot four times. Police reports said she was shot once in the face by the advancing police officer and then three times in the back by Nascimento in the ensuing struggle. The officer's shot was ruled unintentional by a court.

## Perpetrator

Sandro Barbosa do Nascimento (7 July 1978 – 12 June 2000) was the perpetrator of the Bus 174 hostage crisis in Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He boarded the bus with the intent to rob the passengers but the incident turned into a hostage situation broadcast live by most Brazilian national television channels.
According to Nascimento's relatives, he witnessed the murder of his mother. Shortly after the incident, he ran away from his home and lived on the streets.
At one point, Nascimento resided near Candelaria, a historical church in Rio de Janeiro, where he witnessed the Candelaria church massacre, in which Brazilian police killed eight minors and injured several others, on 23 July 1993. Nascimento was unharmed but cited the event as a reason for taking hostages on the bus.

## Bus route

The number "174" was used to identify a specific bus route between Central do Brasil and Gávea. Due to the stigma caused by this incident, the route was rebadged as "158" in November 2001, then to "143", and in February 2016 for "Troncal 5".

## Films

At least two films have been made depicting the events of the hostage crisis.
Bus 174 (2002) retells the incident, discussing the life of Nascimento, and speculates on the social factors that led him to actions. The film contains a large amount of original video footage of the event, and recounts from several people surrounding the event, including the hostages, family of Nascimento, police officials, and news reporters.
Última Parada 174 (2008) relates a fictionalized account of the life of Nascimento, street kid in Rio de Janeiro that survived the Candelaria massacre, and in 2000, hijacked a bus. On September 16, 2008 the film was chosen by the Ministry of Culture as the representative of Brazil in the Oscar competition for best foreign film at the ceremony in 2009.