Brazil: Jair Bolsonaro Ally Attacks Police While Resisting Arrest, Surrenders After Hours-long Siege

On Sunday, a politician in Brazil, opened fire on federal police officers trying to arrest him in his home. The politician, Roberto Jefferson, is President Jair Bolsonaro's ally.

This started a siege that lasted hours and caused panic and a rush to act at the highest levels of government, the Associated Press News reported.

Jefferson, a former lawmaker, shot at police and threw grenades in the small town of Comendador Levy Gasparian in Rio de Janeiro, hurting two police officers.

Even though he was already in jail by early evening, he told his supporters in a video message sent over WhatsApp that he would not give up.

Even though Brazilians are used to politicians and activists on the far right ignoring Supreme Court justices, they were shocked by what happened.

It happened just days before Brazilians had to go to the polls to vote for their president.

Before the vote on October 30, the Supreme Court tried to stop the spread of false information and anti-democratic rhetoric. This has angered Bolsonaro's supporters, who saw this as censorship.

Roberto Jefferson Has Been Arrested in the Past

Jefferson was imprisoned because he had threatened the judges as part of these plans.

In January, Jefferson was permitted to serve his house arrest time if he followed certain rules. But he has broken these rules repeatedly.

Most recently, he compared a female judge to a prostitute on social media, said Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who sent him back to prison in a public ruling on Sunday.

"I didn't shoot anyone to hit them. No one. I shot their car and near them. There were four of them, they ran, I said,' Get out, because I'm going get you,'" Jefferson said in the video.

"I'm setting my example; I'm leaving my seed planted: resist oppression, resist tyranny. God bless Brazil."

KEYT noted a different statement from Brazil's federal police, saying Jefferson was also held for trying to kill someone.

President Jair Bolsonaro Tried To Deny Roberto Jefferson

During a live social media show, Bolsonaro quickly criticized his ally. He said that Jefferson's comments about Supreme Court judges were wrong, including the abuse and threats that got him arrested the first time and the attack on Sunday. He also tried to stop thinking about the former congressman.

The president of Brazil claimed, "There's not a single picture of him and me."

However, right after his claim, his adversaries shared several photos of the two on social media.

Bolsonaro claimed to have sent Justice Minister Anderson Torres to the scene without elaborating on his involvement.

Global News reported, some of Bolsonaro's supporters praised Jefferson on social media for going against the Supreme Court, while others did not agree.

While he was stuck inside, dozens of people went to his house to show their support. While chanting, one group held up a sign that said, "FREEDOM FOR ROBERTO JEFFERSON."

Jefferson "does not have adequate behavior," former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for re-election to his old position, told reporters in Sao Paulo. "It is not normal behavior," he added.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Roberto Jefferson resiste a ordem de prisão e atira em policiais - From Domingo Espetacula