A news reporter was mugged by a homeless man at knifepoint during a terrifying robbery shown on live television.
Bruna Macedo, a journalist with CNN Brazil, was reporting on rising water levels caused by heavy rains at the Bandeiras Bridge in Sao Paulo when the incident took place.
Pictures show the hooded man ominously walking towards the camera crew with the bridge in shot behind.
As he approached, Macedo attempted to greet the man before he produced a knife and demanded her valuable items.
Macedo, looking visibly shocked, takes two steps backward and hands over her phone as he comes within inches while brandishing the weapon.
She had been was speaking with anchor Rafael Colombo for about two minutes beforehand during the segment as the attacker loitered on the bridge behind.
The camera then panned away from the scene and on a shot of the wet street, reports News.com.au.
The mugger fled from the scene with two phones. It is unclear if the man has been arrested.
“She had a terrible scare but she is fine,” Colombo told Brazilian newspaper Fohla de Sao Pauolo, according to the outlet.
Violent muggings are a common occurrence in Brazil which has one of the highest rates of crime in the developed world.
In 2018, a man who tried to rob a female jiu-jitsu fighter and her mobile phone ended up crying on the floor after she pinned him to the ground and performed a painful submission move on him.
Sabrina Leite, 22, was standing in front of her house in Amazonas, Brazil, when 18-year-old Magdeel da Silva rode up on a motorbike and demanded her mobile phone.
In the video, Sabrina can be seen lying on the ground on top of a da Silva whose armed is trapped in a lock between her legs.
She then twists the lock tighter, sending the suspected thief into screams of pain as onlookers look on.
