Brazilian Federal Supreme Court Judge Gilmar Mendes authorized on Saturday the summons to testify of pro-Bolsonar federal deputy Carla Zambelli, who chased a man with gun in hand in the middle of the street on the eve of the second round of the presidential elections after a political discussion in Sao Paulo.
Mendes has asked to summon Zambelli «immediately» and thus partially endorses a request of the Attorney General’s Office for a preliminary investigation to decide on a possible investigation at the request of the Workers’ Party and several lawyers. The Prosecutor’s Office has requested the police report opened in Sao Paulo.
Judge Mendes has cited as possible crimes those of illegal possession of a weapon and firing a firearm, for which he is requesting an investigation for «political discussions related to the elections and to the political-partisan positioning of the federal deputy» Zambelli.
The deputy heard a group of people chanting Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s name as she left a restaurant in Sao Paulo. As Zambelli herself recounted, when she went out on the street «she was cursed».
The videos spread on social networks show how the congresswoman faces and tries to assault a man after he says «Tomorrow, Lula». The man walks away and she chases him, but the congresswoman falls on the sidewalk — although she later showed the blow to her knee as proof that she had been assaulted.
Apparently, another man in the group who was also armed allegedly began to run, carrying his weapon, after which a shot was heard. However, Zambelli continued his pursuit of the first man to a nearby bar, where he told him to get down on the ground and a group of people interceded.
The deputy has published a video on social networks in which she explains «her version» where she has assured to have been attacked by a black man and to have transferred to the Police these facts. Regarding the persecution, she has defended that she was only trying to hold the attacker until the arrival of the agents in the area.
Zambelli is authorized to carry a gun as a federal deputy. However, the Brazilian Superior Electoral Court prohibits civilians and police officers who are not on duty the day before the election to carry weapons within 100 meters of a polling station.
