Two detainees at the Pinheiros Detention Center (CDP), in São Paulo, Brazil, staged an unusual protest, temporarily avoiding internal escort and climbing onto the prison's water tank.

The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon, as the prisoners were being transferred to the school located inside the institution. Their action caused a riot and put the prison authorities in motion. One of the detainees was wearing a white T-shirt with the inscription “Human Rights, Urgent”, while the other took the opportunity to convey a personal message, writing: “Raquel, I love you”.

Footage broadcast by Globo television showed the two men on top of the storage room, one of them still in handcuffs. After about an hour of negotiations with prison officials, the two men descended on their own.

As they exited the facility, they hugged prison officers and indicated that they had nothing in their pockets. According to authorities, none of them were injured during the incident. In a statement, the São Paulo State Prison Police said the detainees took advantage of a moment of internal movement to climb into the water tank. After the incident, both will be transferred to another facility, where they will face disciplinary measures.