Chinese athletes found themselves in the middle of a shootout between armed gangsters and police officers after arriving in Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics.
A group of basketball players and journalists were being bused to the Olympic Village from Tom Jobin International Airport when the gunfight occurred.
The firefight erupted across two highways in the north of the city as the coach was travelling through, catching the Chinese delegation in the middle.
Coaches and players aboard the bus were brave enough to post images online from the scene, where street vendors and civilians were shown ducking for cover.
Reports in Brazil claimed that four armed assailants had opened fire after spotting police officers passing through the district.
The armed men fled the area following Wednesday’s brief shootout in Rio’s The Red Line and The Yellow Line highways, with no arrests made since.
While police confirmed that no injuries were suffered in the firefight, one bullet is believed to have struck a police car.
A Chinese correspondent for SporTV stated that reporters from the country had been the victims of nine robberies in the lead up to the Olympic Games.
The Red Line is the only freeway which runs directly to the Olympic Village and Olympic Park and is largely surrounded by the Mare favelas.