Shooting at São Paulo Metro Station Injures Bystanders and Suspect

A shooting at São Bento station on São Paulo’s Metro injured bystanders and a suspected robber on Saturday, May 30, after an off-duty civil police officer reacted to an attempted robbery, according to Brazilian news outlets citing police and emergency officials.

The incident happened around noon at an entrance to the station on Ladeira Porto Geral, a steep street that links the Metro to Rua 25 de Março, one of Brazil’s busiest popular shopping districts. Security footage broadcast by G1 showed crowds running from the station entrance as officers moved toward the scene.

What Police Say Happened

According to police accounts reported by G1 and UOL, three men approached the off-duty civil police officer while he was shopping in the area. One of the suspects was armed, police said. The officer reacted, and a shootout followed near the entrance to São Bento station, which serves Line 1-Blue of the São Paulo Metro.

Tom Blumer, a delegate with GARRA/DOPE, a Civil Police tactical unit in São Paulo, told GloboNews that the officer had been surprised by three individuals and that one was armed. He said investigators would examine witness statements, surveillance footage and forensic evidence to determine where the shots came from.

“Everything will be investigated,” Blumer said, according to G1, adding that police had not yet confirmed the origin of all shots.

One suspect was wounded, detained at the scene and was expected to be booked in flagrante for aggravated robbery, according to G1 and UOL. Police were searching for two other suspects who fled.

Injuries and Transit Disruption

The number of victims was reported with some variation. UOL described at least five people shot. G1’s updated article said five passengers, including an 11-month-old baby, and one suspected criminal were injured. Gazeta do Povo also described six injured in its headline, while its body text said five people were wounded, including a baby and a 14-year-old.

Among the injured was the baby’s father, a 30-year-old man who suffered a fractured left arm and wounds to the abdomen and left thigh, according to G1 and UOL. He was taken to Santa Casa, a major hospital complex in central São Paulo. UOL reported that São Paulo’s municipal health department said the emergency medical service transported two victims, one to Hospital São Paulo and another to Santa Casa. Official conditions were not fully available in the reports.

Metro operations were briefly halted between Sé and São Bento after a report that one suspect might have entered the tracks. G1 said train circulation was stopped from 12:11 p.m. to 12:42 p.m., followed by speed restrictions on Line 1-Blue. The Metro later said the report of someone on the tracks was not confirmed and service had returned to normal.

A Crowded Commercial Zone

Rua 25 de Março is a dense downtown shopping area known for wholesale and low-cost retail, especially crowded on Saturdays. Blumer told G1 that criminals exploit the heavy movement of shoppers in the region.

G1 noted that this was the third case involving gunfire in the Rua 25 de Março area in about a year and a half. In November 2024, a man killed his ex-wife on Ladeira Porto Geral, near the same Metro station. In October 2025, a robber shot a man in the head while stealing a backpack containing phones and a tablet.

The case was registered at the 8th Police District, in Brás, according to UOL and Gazeta do Povo. UOL reported that the Civil Police internal affairs office will also monitor the case through a corrective procedure, standard oversight when a police officer’s conduct is under review.