SÃO PAULO SECURITY INCIDENTS – OCTOBER MONTHLY BULLETIN

01/10/2025 – On Wednesday (01/10), police seized 1,871 bottle caps and seals from major alcohol brands in a house in Campo Limpo, South São Paulo, suspected of being used for drink adulteration; two men are under investigation. The same day, a major operation in Barueri confiscated 128,000 bottles of vodka and shut down three distributors linked to the Jardins bar where a woman was left blind after suspected methanol poisoning. In total, six establishments were interdicted across São Paulo and the Greater SP area, with 802 bottles seized this week.

01/10/2025 – On Wednesday (01/10), criminal lawyer Luiz Fernando Pacheco, 51, was found unconscious on Itambé Street in Higienópolis, South São Paulo, and died shortly after at Santa Casa hospital. Police are investigating a robbery-homicide: security cameras showed a man and a woman assaulting him after attempting to steal his cell phone, wallet, and watch. Pacheco fell, was helped by a passerby, but did not survive. A co-founder of the Prerrogativas Group and a prominent defender of lawyers’ rights, he left behind two children and will be mourned at the OAB-SP headquarters.

04/10/2025 – PM Kills Teenager After Robbery. A military police officer on duty killed a 16-year-old teenager with a shot to the face after a robbery attempt near Canindé stadium, Canindé neighborhood. The incident involved the robbery of a cell phone from a car carrying digital influencer Nina Santos and two off-duty military police officers. The teenager was shot after allegedly reaching for what appeared to be a weapon, which turned out to be a replica pistol.

05/10/2025 – Home Invasions Rock Vila Romana. A family was held hostage in their home on Rua Caio Graco, Vila Romana, by three armed men who tied them up with extension cords and ransacked the house.

06/10/2025 – Wedding Ring Robbery Epidemic. São Paulo averaged one wedding ring robbery every 2 hours, according to data from the Public Security Secretariat. From January to August 2025, nearly 3,000 ring robbery cases were registered, with over 1,000 occurring in the morning, more than 900 in the afternoon, almost 700 at night, and 166 during dawn hours.

06/10/2025 – Fifth Suspect Arrested in Ex-Police Chief Assassination. Felipe Avelino da Silva, known as “Mascherano” and identified as a PCC leader in ABC region, was arrested as the fifth suspect in the assassination of former police chief Ruy Ferraz Fontes. Fontes was executed on September 15 in Praia Grande in an ambush captured on security cameras showing three armed men with rifles. DNA evidence from Mascherano was found in one of the vehicles used in the crime.

08/10/2025 – R$2 million Heist in Barra Funda. Three suspects were arrested for participating in a gang that invaded a commercial building and stole over R$2 million from an engineering company on the 21st floor of a building on Avenida Marquês de São Vicente, Barra Funda. The criminals used fake police badges, held 15 employees hostage for nearly 2 hours, forced financial transfers via PIX, and even cut a female employee’s hair during the robbery. Two suspects were later arrested.

08/10/ 2025 – Armed Robbery in Pinheiros. A man was shot in the leg during a robbery on Rua Joaquim Antunes in Pinheiros, West Zone. The armed robber had robbed three other pedestrians just 10 seconds earlier before approaching two men and shooting one who resisted the robbery. The same street has recorded multiple violent robberies throughout 2025, including the January murder of 23-year-old Vitor Rocha e Silva.

08/10/2025 – Five Deaths from Contaminated Alcohol. The São Paulo state government confirmed 5 deaths from methanol poisoning after consuming contaminated alcoholic beverages. Victims include three men aged 45, 46, and 54 from the capital, one 30-year-old woman from São Bernardo do Campo, and a 23-year-old man from Osasco. In total, 20 confirmed cases of methanol intoxication have been registered, with 181 additional cases under investigation.

09/10/2025 – Home Invasions Rock Vila Romana. A series of three robberies in Vila Romana, West Zone, has terrorized residents. On October 8, an apartment was completely destroyed and ransacked by two teenagers who entered claiming to visit someone. On October 5, a family was held hostage in their home on Rua Caio Graco by three armed men.

14/10/2025 – Army Lieutenant Shot During Pharmacy Assault. A violent night saw four attempted pharmacy robberies in South Zone targeting expensive weight-loss medications. Six criminals invaded two pharmacies on Estrada do Campo Limpo, Jardim Campo Limpo, seeking Mounjaro and Ozempic injections. At one pharmacy, an Army lieutenant intervened during the robbery, engaging in physical combat with a 17-year-old assailant. The teen struck the officer with his gun’s butt before being shot. The military underwent surgery and remains in stable condition. The teenage assailant died at the hospital. Four accomplices invaded the neighboring pharmacy but fled upon hearing gunshots without stealing anything.

15/10/2025 – Armed Gang Takes Hostages in Shopping Cell Phone Store. Three armed criminals invaded Interlagos shopping center, in Interlagos neighborhood, and robberd a cell phone store. Security cameras captured one suspect in purple shirt and black cap shaking hands with a salesman while another in blue and hat approached announcing the robbery. All employees were dragged to the back of the store and held hostage while criminals stole cell phones. The suspects escaped before police arrived.

15/10/2025 – Sixth Suspect Arrested in Ex-Police Chief Murder. Danilo Pereira Pena (36), known as “Matemático”, was arrested as the sixth suspect in the assassination of ex-police chief Ruy Ferraz Fontes. He was found by DHPP detectives at a hostel in Morumbi, South Zone. According to investigations, Danilo ordered Luiz Henrique Santos Batista (Fofão) to transport Rafael Marcell Dias Simões (Jaguar) from São Vicente to São Paulo. Ruy Ferraz was executed on September 15 in Praia Grande after leaving work as Municipal Administration Secretary. He received at least 12 rifle shots. The investigation confirmed PCC (Primeiro Comando da Capital) involvement in the crime. Security cameras showed Ruy had been monitored for over a month, with one of the vehicles used spotted on August 18. Six people are now arrested, two remain fugitive, and one suspect died in police confrontation. The fugitives are Flávio Henrique Ferreira de Souza and Luis Antonio Rodrigues de Miranda.

16/10/2025 – Operation Dismantles Gang, Kills One in Paraisópolis. Operation Conexões Ocultas resulted in 11 arrests and one death in Paraisópolis community, South Zone. The Civil Police operation targeted a gang specialized in robberies, robbery followed by murder, and reception of stolen cell phones, wedding rings and motorcycles. Among those arrested was Suedna Barbosa Carneiro, known as “Mainha do Crime” or “Mainha de Paraisópolis”, previously convicted in February for maintaining a weapon bunker for rental to criminals and buying stolen goods. She allegedly commanded the criminals who killed cyclist Vitor Medrado (46) during a robbery in front of Parque do Povo in Itaim. Police connected some detainees to the January robbery followed by murder of delegate Josenildo Belarmino de Moura. Two arrested individuals received a stolen cell phone from the same authors involved in the delegate’s murder.

16/10/2025 – Man Wearing Bulletproof Vest Commits 14 Robberies in One Day. Igor Onorato was shot four times after attempting to rob an off-duty Civil Police officer at a restaurant in Osasco. He had committed 14 previous robberies the same day, primarily stealing gold chains and wedding rings. Security footage showed Igor, disguised as a delivery person, entering the restaurant, asking a question, then suddenly turning and shooting. The policeman’s stepson was hit in the leg. Igor wore a bulletproof vest which protected him from some shots, allowing him to await rescue. Police recovered 14 wedding rings, chains, bracelets, a watch and cash from the suspect. Wedding ring robberies surged 73% in São Paulo from January-August 2025, with 2,847 occurrences compared to 1,646 in 2024 – equivalent to one robbery every two hours.

16/10/2025 – Family with Young Children Robbed. A couple with two small children was pursued by an armed motorcyclist on Rua Campevas around 4:00 PM. They attempted to enter a building before the assault but failed. The father’s cell phone was stolen while terrified children clung to their mother.

16/10/2025 – On Thursday (16), the Federal Police launched Operation Denied Drop to dismantle a criminal group that was sending suitcases filled with cocaine from São Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport to Africa. Agents executed four arrest warrants and five search and seizure orders, seizing cash, a motorcycle, and two luxury cars. The scheme involved an airport employee who diverted the drug-filled luggage into the restricted boarding area, where it was loaded onto a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. From there, the cocaine was distributed to other African countries and Europe. The operation followed a June 12 seizure of 160 kilos of cocaine, which led to the identification of the suspects through security footage and internal access records.

16-17/10/2025 – Motorcycle Robbery Wave Terrorizes Perdizes. Multiple motorcycle-mounted armed robberies plagued Perdizes neighborhood. On October 16 at 10:25 AM on Rua Coronel Melo de Oliveira, a motorcyclist robbed a family’s cell phone while an elderly wheelchair-bound woman was present. Minutes later at 10:38 AM, the same suspect robbed another victim at what appeared to be a business. On October 11, another motorcyclist forced a young man to lie on the sidewalk after stealing his phone on Rua Apiacás.

17/10/2025 – Retired Officer Shoots Teen in Traffic Robbery Attempt. A retired Civil Police officer shot a 16-year-old during a “quebra-vidro” (window-smashing) robbery attempt on Avenida Tiradentes, Luz neighborhood. Three teenagers (ages 16, 15, and 13) broke the car window where the officer sat with his wife. He rapidly responded by shooting, hitting one teen in the back. The wounded adolescent was taken to Hospital das Clínicas in stable condition. The other two were detained.

17/10/2025 – In Pirituba, a man was shot and killed after attempting to grab the gun of a police officer during an intervention on Rua Doutor Mário Gatti. Witnesses recorded the incident, and although emergency responders arrived quickly, the man did not survive; the case is being investigated by the homicide department as a death due to police action.

18/10/2025 – A man was shot in the neck during a robbery by a group of about eight suspects on the busy Rua 25 de Março, downtown São Paulo. This crime on one of São Paulo’s busiest commercial streets spotlighted the ongoing threat of violent street crime affecting both residents and visitors.

20/10/2025 – A man invaded a clinic in São Paulo, shot three people, and then set their bodies on fire in a shocking act of violence. This incident deeply disturbed the local community and led to the rapid mobilization of police to apprehend the suspect and provide support to the victims.

21/10/2025 – Authorities launched a targeted operation against the money laundering activities of the criminal faction Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), focusing on illicit financial networks routed through toy stores and other businesses within São Paulo. This operation reflects ongoing efforts to dismantle sophisticated organized crime structures operating inside the city.

22/10/2025 – On Wednesday afternoon (22), four armed men broke into a house on Rua Maestro Elias Lobo, in Jardim Paulista, and held a nanny and a child hostage for about 20 minutes. According to police reports, the suspects used a cloned remote control to open the garage gate and enter the residence. The 42-year-old nanny said her hands and feet were tied with nylon cable ties while the child witnessed the scene. The criminals stole jewelry and other valuables before fleeing. The case was registered as armed robbery at the 14th Police Precinct (Pinheiros), and investigations are ongoing to identify those responsible.

22/10/2025 – On Wednesday night (22), a man was robbed at gunpoint on Rua Joaquim Antunes, in Pinheiros, São Paulo’s West Zone — a street already marked by a surge of similar crimes. Security camera footage shows the victim teaching the armed robber how to unlock his cellphone from a distance before being forced to approach and enter the password. The suspect then fled on a motorcycle. This was at least the eighth armed robbery on the same street in three months, all involving motorcycles. Residents have since posted warnings declaring the area high-risk due to repeated assaults.

23/10/2025 – On Thursday (23), an off-duty military police officer shot a suspect during an attempted robbery against two women, one of them a 72-year-old, in West São Paulo. Surveillance footage shows two armed men on a motorcycle approaching the victims as they exited a car. When one of the robbers tried to steal their belongings, the officer intervened, drew his weapon, and shot one of the suspects, who fell to the ground while the other fled and soon surrendered. The injured assailant was taken to a hospital, and the elderly victim remains hospitalized in serious condition.

23/10/2025 – On Thursday (23), São Paulo state lawmaker Lucas Diez Bove (PL) was formally charged by the Public Prosecutor’s Office for stalking, psychological and physical violence, and threats against his ex-wife, influencer Cíntia Chagas. The complaint accuses him of pointing a gun at her, throwing a knife at her leg, and repeatedly violating restraining orders. Prosecutors requested his preventive detention, citing continued intimidation and contempt for court measures. Bove, already indicted by police for similar crimes in September, denies all accusations. The case remains under judicial review in São Paulo.

24/10/2025 – As of Friday (24), São Paulo state confirmed nine deaths and 44 intoxication cases linked to methanol-adulterated alcoholic beverages. The latest victims were Rafael Anjos Martins, 27, who died after 52 days in a coma, and a 27-year-old woman from Osasco. Authorities are still investigating 14 additional suspected cases, including one in Piracicaba. Methanol, an industrial solvent, can cause blindness, coma, and death when ingested. The state’s Health Surveillance Center urged bars and distributors to verify product origins and advised immediate medical care for anyone showing intoxication symptoms.

26/10/2025 – On Sunday (26), Letícia Firmo, stepdaughter of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, was robbed in São Paulo, according to her mother, Michelle Bolsonaro. The assailant stole her cellphone, but Letícia was unharmed and later returned safely to Brasília. Michelle warned her followers on Instagram not to respond to any messages sent from her daughter’s number. Authorities have not yet confirmed where or how the theft occurred, and it is unclear whether a police report has been filed.

26/10/2025 – In the early hours of Sunday (26), Military Police officers disrupted a funk party in the Jabaquara district, South Zone, leading attendees to flee and abandon 26 motorcycles on Rua das Perobas. One of the vehicles was identified as stolen. The operation, led by the 27th Metropolitan Police Battalion, targeted noise disturbances, illegal gatherings, and reckless driving. In total, 28 vehicles were seized — 25 motorcycles, two cars, and one recovered stolen bike — alongside 30 traffic citations.

27/10/2025 – On Monday (27), residents blocked both directions of Avenida Presidente Wilson in the Mooca district, East São Paulo, during a housing protest. The demonstration, held near Rua Presidente Soares Brandão and the São Carlos viaduct, began around 16:45. and lasted until 19:00. Fires were set during the protest, prompting the intervention of firefighters. Police monitored the scene while four bus lines were rerouted, according to city transport authorities. Protesters carried banners demanding the right to housing.

28/10/2025 – On Tuesday (28), São Paulo’s Cybercrime Division launched an operation against a group of bank employees suspected of embezzling over R$11 million from corporate accounts. Twenty search warrants targeted 14 suspects across several states. The investigation began after the bank itself reported major losses affecting companies HS Prevent Ltda and Thomriss Embalagens Plásticas Ltda. Employees allegedly used their credentials to bypass security and enable fraudulent corporate IDs, allowing third parties to access funds. Stolen money was funneled through shell companies and later converted into cryptocurrency via Brazil Bitcoin, Binance, and Bybit. Around US$220,000 in crypto assets have been frozen so far.

28/10/2025 – On Tuesday (28), a 57-year-old taxi driver was shot in the head during a robbery at a pharmacy in the Morumbi district, South Zone. According to the Civil Police, four armed men stormed the establishment, stole cosmetics, medications, and cash, and fled. The victim, who did not resist, was rescued and taken to Campo Limpo Hospital; his condition remains unknown. The case was registered as armed robbery at the 89th Police Precinct (Jardim Taboão), and investigations are ongoing to identify the suspects.

29/10/2025 – On Wednesday (29), a suspect was shot dead during an attempted robbery against two off-duty military police officers at a bus stop along kilometer 228 of the Presidente Dutra Highway, in northern São Paulo. According to initial reports, four assailants approached the officers during the early hours of the morning. One of the policemen fired in response, hitting one suspect, while the others fled toward Vila Maria. The suspect’s body was later found near a pedestrian overpass close to the scene.

29/10/2025 – On Wednesday (29), a 42-year-old man experiencing a mental health crisis broke into TV Globo’s headquarters in Vila Cordeiro, South São Paulo. After threatening a rideshare driver, he entered the station’s storage area but was quickly restrained by security until police arrived. The man was unarmed, and no injuries or property damage were reported.

29/10/2025 – On Wednesday night (29), an 18-year-old woman was stabbed to death inside a hotel room in the Brás district of central São Paulo. Security cameras recorded her entering the hotel with a man, who later fled the scene covered in blood after attacking a staff member. The victim was found severely wounded and taken to the Tatuapé Emergency Unit, where she died. Police registered the case as femicide at the 8th Police Precinct, and the investigation continues at the 12th DP in Pari.

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