Rio de Janeiro surgeon shot during armed robbery

Vascular surgeon Harold Benjamin Aranibar, 43, was shot in the arm during an armed robbery in the Vila Isabel neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. The incident occurred last Wednesday when a motorcyclist struck the side mirror of Aranibar’s armored vehicle. When the doctor lowered the window to adjust the mirror, two assailants on motorcycles approached him and demanded his belongings.

During the confrontation, a shot was fired, fracturing the doctor's humerus. Aranibar drove himself to Hospital São Lucas in Copacabana, where he underwent surgery to install pins in his arm. This marks the second armed robbery the physician has experienced in four months; he had purchased the armored vehicle specifically to increase his safety following a previous attack.

Medical examinations have ruled out severe neurological damage that would compromise his professional career, though he faces a four-month recovery period. The doctor expressed significant distress regarding the level of violence in Rio de Janeiro, stating he is considering leaving the state with his family.