Delivery man Felipe Eduardo dos Santos Silva, 23, revealed to the Civil Police that he hesitated to help cyclist Cláudio Rafael Landeiro during the violent beating in Copacabana, on August 11, for fear of the security guard’s behavior, which he described as “possessed”. Felipe is one of four men charged with the death of Cláudio, 37, who was brutally attacked after being mistakenly identified as a bicycle thief. The vehicle, however, belonged to the victim’s sister, a crucial detail that exposes the tragedy of the confusion. The attacks, which lasted almost nine minutes, according to the Civil Police, included the participation of Felipe, who admitted to having held Cláudio to prevent his escape, helping to knock him down and kicking him four times in the back. He also confessed to searching the victim’s pockets and throwing his wallet away after leaving the scene.

In addition to Felipe, security guard Davi Santos Machado, another security guard Jorge Luiz Ricardo Dias and delivery man Ailton José da Silva were indicted for triple homicide, under the justifications of cruel means, futile motive and impossibility of defending the victim. The investigation continues to identify other possible parties involved in the attacks.

Felipe decided to report himself to the authorities on August 21, 2026, after learning that an arrest warrant had been issued against him. The delivery man handed himself in to agents from the 12th Police Station, located in Tijuca, accompanied by his lawyer.

The delivery man’s account of the night of the attacks

According to the version presented by Felipe, he was working as a food app delivery person in Copacabana on the night of August 11th. Just before midnight, while waiting for a new delivery on Rua Viveiros de Castro, together with two other delivery men, a fourth man, also a bicycle delivery man, appeared reporting that a store security guard was trying to capture a “bicycle thief” on Rua Barata Ribeiro.

Felipe stated that he and another delivery man went to the location without getting off their bikes, with the intention, according to his testimony, of recovering the vehicle that had allegedly been stolen.

On Rua Barata Ribeiro, near Rua Belford Roxo, they found a security guard carrying a wooden bat. According to Felipe, the man declared:

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“The guy was stealing a bicycle. He went in the direction of Princess Isabel”, was what the security guard reported to the police.

Felipe said that, at that time, there was no clarity about who owned the allegedly stolen bicycle. Even so, he and the other delivery man continued in the indicated direction. On Rua Felipe de Oliveira, they came across Cláudio walking along the sidewalk. Felipe claimed to have asked where the bicycle was and why he had stolen it. The delivery man reported that Cláudio did not respond and sat down on the steps at the entrance of a building after walking a few meters.

Felipe continued to ask questions, but Cláudio remained silent. The delivery man stated that he told the victim to leave, but she did not move. According to Felipe, even without speaking, Cláudio seemed nervous. The delivery man said he believed the victim had been previously attacked by the security guard and managed to escape.

It was at this point that Felipe admitted to having made a video of Cláudio. According to his testimony, this was the only recording he produced during the entire incident. In the video, according to Felipe, he says:

“There, troops, activity, huh! Oh! Mallard there, oh! Oh!”

The other delivery man, still according to Felipe’s report, is heard saying:

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“Thief there, oh! Take it, crush it! There, he there.”

At the end of the recording, the security guard appears and confirms that Cláudio was the wanted person. Felipe attributes the phrase to the man: “That’s him!”

Details of the attacks against the cyclist

According to the delivery man’s version, after confirming Cláudio’s identity, the security guard struck the first blow. The victim tried to run. Felipe then admits that he held Cláudio to prevent his escape and helped him get knocked to the ground. According to him, after they managed to put the victim on the ground, he launched four consecutive kicks, all to the back.

The delivery man insisted that none of the blows he applied hit Cláudio’s head.

Felipe said that, after the kicks, he started looking for objects in the victim’s pockets. He claimed to have only found a wallet, which contained “some old papers”. The delivery man stated that he had taken the wallet and discarded it after leaving the scene of the attack.

Learn more: Cláudio Landeiro is beaten to death in Copacabana after being mistaken for a thief

The delivery man’s fear of the security guard’s behavior

Felipe claims that he left the place because he feared that the security guard would end up killing Cláudio. According to him, the man struck the victim’s head several times with a wooden bat and appeared to be “possessed”. The delivery man stated that he thought about helping Cláudio, but was afraid to physically intervene due to the security guard’s altered state. When he left the scene, he even saw the security guard using his phone to call the police.

Felipe stated that, after leaving, he returned to work normally and continued making deliveries until approximately 3 am, completing at least three more in that period.

Felipe’s version is that he had no intention of killing Cláudio nor of holding him back so that other people could apply fatal blows. According to him, he only restrained the victim to prevent his escape, as he believed the information provided by the security guard that he was a thief.

Felipe stated that he had previously had a bicycle stolen, which led him to readily believe the security guard’s account of the theft.

How emotion influenced Felipe’s perception

During his testimony, delivery man Felipe said that “in the heat of emotion”, he was sure that Cláudio was a thief. He stated that, after participating in the aggression, he realized that the situation had “gone out of control”. Felipe observed that the blows delivered by the security guard were very strong and mainly hit Cláudio’s head, contrasting with his own claim of having only kicked him in the back.

The autopsy report from the Medical-Legal Institute (IML) concluded that Cláudio Landeiro died as a result of internal bleeding, head trauma and injuries to the spleen and left kidney, all caused by blunt force. The examination identified, among other injuries, skull fractures, brain hemorrhages and spleen lacerations, highlighting the brutality of the attack.