Rio Grande do Norte's most wanted criminal is killed after a confrontation with more than 3,000 shots.

The TV Globo program Fantástico showed, this Sunday, the 10th, behind the scenes of the hunt for the most wanted criminal in Rio Grande do Norte. Marcelo Bastos, 32, known as Pica-Pau, was killed after a police operation that lasted 22 hours and involved more than 100 security agents in the municipality of Extremoz (RN), metropolitan region of Natal.

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Woody Woodpecker was on the Ministry of Justice's list of most wanted criminals and was identified by police as the leader of the "Novo Cangaço" criminal faction, a splinter group of the "Sindicato do Crime." He was being investigated for a series of crimes, including bank robberies, luxury vehicle thefts, and murders. According to the investigation, he had participated in at least 14 homicides in the last month alone.

The operation began with the investigation of a stolen vehicle. Upon arriving at the scene, police were met with gunfire. "We broke down the gate and informed them it was the police, and that's when they began shooting at the officers," reported Chief Celso dos Santos Duarte.

Meanwhile, teams from the Special Operations and Resources Coordination (Core) were heading to the same address to serve an arrest warrant. The Porta do Sol neighborhood was completely surrounded by civil police officers and agents from the Special Operations Battalion (BOPE), sparking one of the largest confrontations ever recorded in the state.

Residents reported moments of panic. "There were more police than residents on the street. Snipers were on top of the house, a bomb squad," said traffic instructor Jackson Casemiro. Housewife Cíntia de Souza, who lives across the street from the residence where Woody Woodpecker was hiding, said, "We lay on the floor, between the dresser and the bed."

During the siege, police attempted to negotiate Marcelo Bastos's surrender, including with the help of his sister. However, the effort was unsuccessful. "There was no intention whatsoever of surrender," said Chief of Police Pablo Dantas Beltrão.

The outcome was violent. After 22 hours of confrontation, Marcelo Bastos, his girlfriend, and an accomplice were killed. The house where they were staying was completely destroyed, bearing the marks of over 3,000 bullets . Six police officers were injured.

Despite the end of the operation, police acknowledge that the fight against organized crime is far from over. "We didn't eliminate the faction; crime is more complex than that, but we did dismantle it at that time," said Chief of Police Joacir Lucena da Rocha.