After escaping an armed robbery attempt in Brazil with “29 shots fired,” Tottenham defender Emerson Royal has stated that he is safe and well and will speak soon.
The 23-year-old was involved in an incident in the early hours of Friday morning while returning to his home country for a break following the end of the Premier League season.
Emerson had just left a nightclub in Americana, Sao Paulo, when he was robbed at around 3 a.m., according to O Liberal and Jovem Pan Esportes. According to reports, he was taking photos with an off-duty cop, who then walked him to his car, when a man brandished a gun and demanded his belongings.
The officer is said to have drawn his weapon and fired at the thief, but Emerson was able to flee unharmed amid the hail of bullets. At least 29 shots were fired, according to the Military Police, one of which hit the assailant in the back, sending them to a nearby hospital.
What happened is said to have left Emerson “very shaken.” During the incident, he was reportedly robbed of his watch and chain while walking down Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo with his family. The player was able to accompany his father and manager to the local police station to file a report on the incident, giving a brief statement before leaving.
“It was a complicated moment, but now I’m going to rest and then I’ll position myself,” he said, as reported by Globo Esporte.
On Friday afternoon, the player took to Instagram to confirm that he would speak about the incident at a later time. He stated, “Coming soon to speak on what happened…thanks for everyone’s concern. Thank God I’m ok.”
Emerson posted another story to his Instagram account a short time later, this time featuring the photo with the off-duty cop and a few brief words of gratitude.
“God sends angels to earth, this is confirmed every day in my life. This human being, I call him an angel, risked his own life to save mine. I will be forever grateful to you, you were fundamental for me to be here today. Thank you, thank you thank you. (This photo was moments before the event, where he said he was my fan and asked for a photo with me),” he wrote.
Emerson’s father also opened up on what happened, telling Globo Esporte: “I was celebrating and on the way out, this whole affair happened, which was very bad. A horror scene indeed. I don’t wish that on anyone.”
