In Brazil, fears that violent police strike could spread

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A violent police strike in northeastern Brazil that led to a senator being injured by gunfire has shed light on dissatisfaction among cops elsewhere in the country who have threatened to protest as rowdy Carnival celebrations start.

The strike by military police demanding higher salaries in the state of Ceara is a headache for President Jair Bolsonaro, a staunch supporter of police forces who has pledged to curb violent crime.

“Of course, police strikes could spread,” said lawmaker Guilherme da Cunha of the state of Minas Gerais, where police obtained a 42 percent salary increase this year after threatening to strike. “From the moment people who have a monopoly on firearms discover the strength it has, there is a risk.”

In Ceara, violent crime has risen sharply during the police strike, with at least 51 people killed over two days, according to the state's public security secretary. That prompted Bolsonaro to send hundreds of national guard forces and 2,500 soldiers to maintain order.

During the strike, Sen. Cid Gomes was shot in the chest as he tried to drive a backhoe through a police protest. He is in stable condition. Earlier that day, masked officers forced businesses to close, occupied barracks and damaged police vehicles.

Mayors in several of the state's small cities — 30,000 inhabitants or less — canceled Carnival celebrations. In Paracuru, where authorities were expecting 40,000 revelers a day, the mayor said he was no longer able to ensure security in his city's streets.

Even though police strikes are illegal in Brazil, other states are at risk of seeing similar protests, lawmakers and public security experts told The Associated Press.

In Alagoas state, civil police, in charge of investigating crimes, have been on strike...