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Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Armed robbers shot at least two people early Tuesday in a siege of a Brazilian coastal city, authorities said. The siege started with about 30 hooded people robbing the Banco de Brasil branch in Criciuma, a city in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, at 11:50 p.m. Monday and lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes, Brazil's Globo News reported. It included armed robbers using gunfire, hostages as shields, setting off explosions, and setting up blockades from police.
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The robbers shot at least two people amid the siege, according to the mayor and police.
A military policeman and a guard were shot, and both survived, Globo News reported.
Over the nearly two hours, the robbers hit four banks, and blew up cash machines in each one, in an assault resulting in a gunfight with police, according to news reports.
"Criciuma is the target of a major assault," Criciuma Mayor Clesio Salvaro said in a message on Twitter around 2 a.m. local time.
Salvaro added that police were monitoring the situation as he urged residents to stay home.
As criminals fled some of the money was scattered on streets, Globo News reported.
The police arrested four suspects and recovered roughly 810,000 reais ($152,660 USD) left on the ground due to an explosion during the assault by 7:30 a.m., according to Globo News. It's uncertain how many explosives were used with robbers leaving about 30 kilograms of explosives behind.
Police seized 10 cars that the robbers used in a cornfield in Nova Veneza, a neighboring city, according to Criciuma Police Chief Vitor Bianco.
