Four robbers shot dead in Brazil after taking several hostages

The moment gun-wielding robbers allegedly used 25 hostages as human shields after police foiled an attempted raid on a lottery shop in Brazil.



In a tense standoff, terrified hostages were ordered to form a barrier around them by the assailants before they escaped the premises huddled inside the protective ring, firing warning shots as they went.



The volatile incident lasted over three hours on Saturday afternoon, with the victims forced to hold hands and link arms as they shuffled along the streets of Manaus, the Amazon capital city, for just under a mile.
The impasse ended with four perpetrators being shot dead and one being arrested after police set an ambush that led them to a dead end, blocking them in.



Witnesses claimed the men were also carrying blowtorches and gasoline and had allegedly threatened to set the building ablaze 'if their plans didn't work out'. Detectives seized three bullet proof vests, four guns, two .12 calibre rifles, a .38 calibre revolver and a pistol along with more than thirty rounds of ammunition.
The dead men, all reported to have criminal records.