Rio police: Armed, would-be robber killed in scuffle with Russian diplomat

RIO DE JANEIRO — Rio de Janeiro's Civil Police confirmed that the Russian vice-consul in the city engaged in a physical fight with an armed, would-be robber in which the weapon fired and killed the assailant.

The attempted robbery happened as the diplomat's car was stuck in traffic along the main thoroughfare of the Barra da Tijuca neighborhood, where the majority of the events will take place during the Summer Olympics. Opening ceremonies are Friday.

Local media reported that the diplomat wrestled the weapon from the would-be assailant and shot him, though the police only confirmed that shots fired from the weapon during the physical fight that followed the robber approaching the vehicle.

The Russian Embassy denied the report in an email to Paste BN Sports.

There have been longstanding concerns about Rio's frequency of lethal violence and safety for the up to 500,000 visitors expected during the Olympics. A New Zealander was kidnapped by police in July and forced to withdraw hundreds of dollars from his bank account. A local media outlet counted an average of 15 foreigners per day who filed police complaints about crimes in the final week of July, as the first waves of athletes and trainers began to arrive in the city.