- Stephanie Bohlen was shot in the foot near the coastal highway BR-101 in Rio
- The diplomat and her partner’s car were hit by two shots fired by the assailants
- The U.S. Consulate in Rio confirmed her injuries were not life-threatening
- According to police the man with Bohlen was not hit or harmed
An American diplomat was shot in the foot during an attempted robbery while traveling outside of Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian police said Friday.
Stephanie Bohlen, a vice consul, and a man identified as her partner were attacked after stopping at the side of the road while driving Thursday night on a coastal highway in Angra dos Reis, federal highway police said. The man was not hit.
Bohlen was brought to a nearby hospital and then transferred to a hospital in Rio for surgery, according to civil police.
Stephanie Bohlen, a vice consul pictured here, was shot in the foot during an attempted robbery while traveling outside of Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian police said Friday
The U.S. Consulate in Rio confirmed in a statement that a consulate official had sustained injuries that were not life-threatening ‘in an incident involving gunfire’. It provided no further details.
The diplomat and her partner had pulled over on the side of coastal highway BR-101, when they were approached by unidentified individuals,O Globo reported.
The attackers then fired two shots at their vehicle, with one of them hitting the diplomat’s foot.
Pictured here is the car Stephanie Bohlen and a man identified as her partner were driving
The violence in Rio has escalated over the past few months, forcing President Michel Temer to deploy thousands of army soldiers to help patrol the slums of its capital.
Earlier this year, a British tourist was shot and wounded in Angra dos Reis, when she strayed into a rough neighborhood.
The popular vacation destination is about 90 miles (150 kilometers) from Rio.
Stephanie Bohlen (above) and a man identified as her partner were attacked while driving Thursday night on a coastal road in Angra dos Reis, federal highway police said
Pictured here is Angra dos Reis a municipality in southwest Rio de Janeiro