9 die as Brazil police clash with party crowd

Police officers pursuing fleeing suspects clashed with people at a street party in Sao Paulo on Sunday. The state’s security agency said police were carrying out an operation when they were attacked by two men on a motorcycle and officers gave chase amid gunfire. The suspects fled into the street party attended by thousands of people in the Paraisopolis district.

People then tried to flee down a narrow street and some were trampled, with nine pronounced dead at a hospital. Seven others were treated for injuries. The suspects escaped. Some also claimed to have been beaten by police. Dances are often organised within communities by criminal gangs that control neighbourhoods.