Footage of a PSP agent restraining a “mentally disabled” man at a Pingo Doce supermarket in Odivelas has sparked a wave of outrage, with many on social media accusing the policeman of using excessive force.
The video was posted on Facebook and starts when the agent begins to restrain the man who, according to the person who uploaded the footage, was trying to file a complaint.
The policeman approached the man, who wanted to know who was in charge. The officer is reported to have said that he was in charge as he was a policeman, but the man apparently continued to cause a scene.
The video starts when the agent is pinning the man to the ground while an older woman, said to be the man’s mother, tries to stop him.
During the ordeal many people can be heard pleading with the policeman to stop as the man is “disabled” and “does not understand”, while the man screamed for other customers to “film this, film this!”
A PSP police source has told Correio da Manhã that the man was causing trouble inside the supermarket and removing items from the supermarket’s checkout conveyer belts.
An official source from Pingo Doce also confirmed that the “normal functioning of the supermarket was being disturbed and the officer is believed to have tried to restore order”. However, the source added that the chain was conducting an internal investigation of the case.
A second video showed two other agents helping restrain the man.
CM adds that the man was arrested for “disobedience, resisting authority and coercion” but was later released.
