Brazilian murder suspect, 29, who 'held 17 hostages on hijacked bus after opening fire on passenger he thought was a cop surrenders after tense three-hour standoff'

An accused drug dealer allegedly hijacked a bus and held 17 passengers hostage after he shot two people whom he thought were cops trying to arrest him for a shooting days earlier, the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police said.

Paulo de Lima, 29, purchased a one-way ticket for a bus ride to the state of Minas Gerais at the Rio Bus Station on Tuesday as he was attempting to flee from a gang after allegedly shooting a drug dealer at a bar on Sunday. 

De Lima mistook two passengers for police officers after purchasing his ticket and opened fire.

One of the passengers, whose name was not released, was grazed by a bullet and treated on the scene by paramedics and did not require a hospital visit.

The other passenger, Bruno da Costa, was shot three times and rushed to a medical facility, where he underwent surgery and received six blood transfusions. 

Accused Brazilian drug dealer Paulo de Lima was seen on camera purchasing a bus ticket Tuesday afternoon at the Rio Bus Station in Rio de Janeiro moments before he confused passengers with police officers and allegedly shot two and then held 16 bus passengers hostage. The 29-year-old turned himself in to the police following a three-hour standoff

Brazilian authorities were able to arrest an accused drug dealer without incident moments after he hijacked a bus with 16 passengers at a bus terminal in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. The suspect was attempting to flee from a drug dealer he had allegedly shot during a gun battle at a bar on Sunday 

Paulo de Lima is facing illegal possession of a restricted-use firearm with deleted serial numbers, attempted murder, kidnapping and false imprisonment charges

De Lima then broke into a bus filled with passengers and locked himself inside for three hours before he volunteered to turn himself in.

He is expected to be charged with illegal possession of a restricted-use firearm with deleted serial numbers, attempted murder, kidnapping and false imprisonment, police said.

Rio de Janeiro Civil Police chief Mário Andrade said de Lima, an alleged member of the notorious Comando Vermelho criminal organization, told investigators that he sold drugs in the Rio de Janeiro slum of Muzema and on Sunday went to the nearby slum of Rocinha to visit bars he owed money to.

He had a heated argument with a drug dealer, who opened fire on him. De Lima allegedly responded and wounded the dealer.

Police say de Lima fled Rocinha and hid in multiple hotels, afraid that other dealers would seek retribution.

On Tuesday afternoon, de Lima headed to the bus station and purchased a ticket to the Monas Gerais city of Juiz de Fora, where his family lives.

Bruno da Costa was mistaken for a police officer and shot three times

Paulo de Lima is allegedly a member of the notorious Comando Vermelho, one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Brazil

Paulo de Lima was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2021 for a Rio de Janeiro bus robbery

Brazilian newspaper Metrópoles reported that de Lima is a wanted suspect in a 2017 murder he allegedly committed in Minas Gerais.

Authorities arrested him in 2019 after he robbed a bus in Rio de Janeiro and was sentenced to eight years in prison in December 2021.

He was granted the privilege of semi-open regime in 2022, which meant that he could serve the remainder his sentence from his residence as long as he wore an ankle monitor.

However, de Lima refused to comply with the order and the Rio de Janeiro prison system alerted the court on six different occasions.

The judge overseeing the request said Tuesday that he recently ‘had the opportunity to decide on the case.'