A military police officer was convicted of culpable bodily harm after hitting one of the organizers of the Benemérita Block in the head with a baton blow, in Juiz de Fora. The case took place in March 2025, at Praça Prefeito Tarcísio Delgado, formerly Praça Presidente Antônio Carlos. The decision of the Minas Gerais Military Court is still subject to appeal.
The sentence set a sentence of 3 months and 26 days of detention, initially open, with conditional suspension for two years. This means that the sergeant will not need to serve his sentence during this period, as long as he respects the conditions that will be established by the Court.
g1 contacted the Military Police, but received no response until the last update of this report.
According to the decision, the soldier was trying to contain the approach of one of the group's organizers during a police intervention on the stage. The judge understood that the reaction to protect another agent was initially justified, but that there was an excessive use of force.
The magistrate considered that the sergeant acted with incapacity by carrying out the attack inappropriately, reaching a high-risk region. For Justice, the police officer could have used other restraint techniques or adopted precautions to avoid the injury.
The victim suffered mild head trauma, had a cut on his head and received five stitches.
Four other police officers were acquitted
In addition to the convicted sergeant, four other military police officers from the 2nd Military Police Battalion (2nd BPM) were tried on charges related to the incident, including abuse of authority, use of pepper spray and misrepresentation in a police report. All were acquitted.
The Court considered that there was no proof of the elements necessary to characterize the crimes attributed to the military. In the case of pepper spray, the sentence recognized that the use of the equipment occurred in the context of a police intervention and was supported by strict compliance with legal duty.
The original complaint from the Public Ministry of Minas Gerais (MPMG) also attributed the crime of homophobic and transphobic discrimination to three of the police officers. However, this part of the accusation was rejected at the beginning of the process, due to a lack of elements that would justify the continuation of the criminal action.
During the trial, the Public Prosecutor's Office also maintained that there was no evidence of discriminatory motivation in the agents' actions and requested the acquittal of four of the five police officers.
Justice recognizes MC Xuxu's right to criticize the PM
Another point addressed in the sentence was the demonstration by singer MC Xuxu, who classified the Military Police's actions as "truculent" during the event. According to the judge, the statement did not constitute contempt or incitement to violence, but the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression.
The decision highlighted that the images analyzed did not prove that the artist had encouraged attacks against police officers. On the contrary, records showed that she directed partygoers to return home after the confusion.
The judge also cited guidelines from the Technical-Professional Manual of the Military Police of Minas Gerais, which establishes that agents must maintain balance and self-control even in the face of offensive comments or resistance during approaches.
Despite this, the Court concluded that there was insufficient evidence that the arrest and handcuffing of the singer had been carried out with the specific intention of humiliating or embarrassing her, a requirement for the characterization of the crime of abuse of authority analyzed in the process.
Remember the case
The confusion happened on the night of March 1, 2025, during the Benemérita Block, which brought together around 5 thousand people in Praça Tarcísio Delgado, in the Center.
According to police reports, the incident began when a team tried to approach a man suspected of being armed near the stage. During the action, there was interference from revelers, and the military used pepper spray.
After using the equipment, MC Xuxu took over the microphone and criticized the police action, classifying it as brutal and directing the public to leave the area. Afterwards, police officers took to the stage to arrest the artist for alleged disobedience and incitement. During the approach, one of the event organizers, who is also the singer's companion, placed himself between her and the soldiers.
It was at that moment that the sergeant threw a baton that hit the organizer's head. The attack was recorded by cameras and videos analyzed during the investigation.
The man suffered a cut to the head, was handcuffed and led away by police officers. Subsequently, he received care at the Emergency Hospital (HPS), where he received medical care.
MC Xuxu was also handcuffed and taken to the police station.
