On Thursday, November 5, 2026, at approximately 12h20, the owner of the Baurú restaurant chain was targeted in an armed robbery attempt on Avenida Epitácio Pessoa in Lagoa, located in Rio de Janeiro’s South Zone. The executive was driving a Porsche toward Copacabana to view a property for a new branch when a man on a motorcycle demanded his mobile phone and the Rolex watch he was wearing, which the victim valued at R$ 190,000. An off-duty military police officer following in another vehicle witnessed the interception and shot the suspect.
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Interception in Traffic
The suspect approached the Porsche on a motorcycle reported stolen. According to the executive, the assailant appeared to be a delivery courier; he knocked on the car window and drew a weapon while demanding the victim’s belongings. The victim reported that the assailant held the firearm directly to his head and issued death threats. The interception took place during peak lunchtime hours amid heavy traffic on one of Lagoa’s primary thoroughfares. Another passenger was also in the vehicle and was exposed to the incident.
Intervention and In Flagrante Arrest
The military police officer, an acquaintance of the executive, was traveling directly behind in a separate vehicle. Upon witnessing the interception, he discharged his firearm, striking the suspect. First responders transported the suspect to the Miguel Couto Municipal Hospital in Gávea, where he was placed under police custody following his arrest in flagrante delicto. A .32-caliber revolver was recovered at the scene. The executive was unharmed, and the incident was registered at the 15th Precinct (Gávea). The gunfire heightened the risk exposure for motorists and pedestrians along the avenue at the time.
Suspected Ties to Luxury Watch Robberies
According to police sources cited in press reports, the suspect allegedly has ties to the so-called “Rolex Gang,” a criminal syndicate specializing in luxury watch robberies operating out of São Paulo. The individual had previously been convicted in that state for a robbery using an identical modus operandi. In that case, he also utilized a motorcycle to approach the victim and brandished a weapon before stealing a luxury watch. In the Lagoa incident, the victim’s account confirms that the watch, alongside the mobile phone, was the primary objective of the attack.
Analysis
This incident illustrates how routine transit during standard business hours can expose executives and passengers to armed interceptions. Operating a motorcycle allowed the suspect to filter through congested traffic to reach the driver, while the immediate demand for the watch demonstrates that high-value accessories served as a primary target for the perpetrator. Whether the executive was pre-identified or subjected to prior surveillance remains unconfirmed. However, the case highlights the exposure associated with displaying high-value assets during travel, even along heavily traveled arterial roads.
For corporate organizations conducting frequent site surveys, branch visits, and supplier meetings, executive protection strategies should begin by re-evaluating transit routes, departure times, and destination arrival points. Maintaining low-profile discretion regarding visible luxury accessories, utilizing controlled-access embarkation and debarkation areas, and establishing clear operational communications and incident response protocols all serve to mitigate risk exposure. Any threat assessment must also account for secondary passengers and drivers, who share identical vulnerability during an armed interception.
