This is the moment a Brazilian priest fatally injures a suspected thief in a hit and run when he rams him with his car.

Father Gustavo Trindade dos Santos – now facing an attempted murder charge – gave chase when he saw the crook climbing out of his rectory.

CCTV footage of the chase shows the thief running down a street in Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, Sao Paulo state, with Father Gustavo following in his car.

Then the priest makes a sudden right turn straight into the thief, ramming him into a driveway.

Seconds later, the priest’s car reverses back onto the street with a crumpled bonnet and drives off.

Since the ramming in May, the thief has been in and out of hospital with medical complications and died on 27th July.

Now an autopsy will decide whether injuries caused by the priest led directly to his death.

If they did, Father Gustavo could be charged with murder, report local media.

Under questioning, the priest told police he had just returned from a wedding when he heard the alarm go off in his rectory.

As he followed the suspect, Father Gustavo claimed he asked the man to stop, but the CCTV footage shows all windows in his car were closed.

He also claimed the victim jumped on his car bonnet after he mounted the pavement to confront him, according to local media.

Police discovered that the priest’s driving licence had expired in February 2020.

The investigation is ongoing.