A violent assault unfolded at a gas station in the Freguesia do Ô neighborhood of São Paulo's North Zone in the early hours of Sunday, May 3rd. Julia Andrade Abreu, 28, was brutally attacked by her ex-partner, Thiago Lucas de Vasconcelos, 31, in an incident that lasted approximately ten minutes. Security cameras recorded part of the attack, which began inside a car and continued at the fuel station.
The two had been separated for about a year after a relationship lasting one year and two months. According to the victim, the relationship was abusive, characterized by verbal aggression, psychological violence, and controlling behavior. On the night of the attack, Julia had borrowed Thiago's car to visit a hospital due to an earache. Afterward, she gave her niece a ride and returned to pick him up, as previously arranged.
Julia reported that Thiago was agitated and intoxicated when she picked him up. The plan was to stop at the gas station to buy cigarettes before heading home. However, during the drive, Thiago began verbally assaulting her. While she was making a turn near the station, he turned off the car from the passenger seat and initiated the physical assault. "He was already on top of me, and the attacks began. I tried to open the car door to get out, and he slammed it shut," she recounted.
The assault inside the car lasted between 10 and 12 minutes and included punches, slaps, bites, and choking. The driver's seat broke and reclined during the struggle. Julia managed to open the rear door and attempted to flee, but Thiago pulled her back by her hair. She believes he intended to start the car and drag her, but he was unable to get the vehicle running. She then escaped onto the road and tried to flag down two passing motorists for help, but neither stopped.
Thiago then took the driver's seat and allegedly tried to run her down. Julia fled into the gas station's restricted employee area, but he followed her. The attack intensified there. "The attacks there were even worse than in the car. That's where he threw an industrial sink on my head. He threw the water cooler, and I fell to the ground. It was just a sequence of punches. He kicked me a lot, a lot, a lot in there. He came with a piece of wood and started hitting me," she said. The victim also stated that Thiago, who owns a tire shop, attempted to strangle her with a wire, possibly from a phone charger.
Julia managed to break free and ran to the gas station attendants for help. She claims the employees only intervened when the attacker also threatened them with a brick. She then hid between a refrigerator and a wall until police arrived. In a state of panic, she grabbed a small serrated knife to defend herself. By the time the Military Police arrived, the aggressor had already fled in the car.
The case was registered as domestic violence, bodily injury, and threats at the 4th Women's Defense Police Station (DDM). The victim reported being mistreated by police officers and waiting about nine hours for assistance despite her injuries. She recounted an officer asking, "What are you doing with a guy like that?" and a delegate later suggesting, "Since you're so scared, change cities." A protective measure was granted by the court on Wednesday, May 6th, prohibiting Thiago from approaching within 300 meters of Julia and her family or making any contact.
Julia described a pattern of abuse during their relationship, including possessiveness, frequent jealousy crises fueled by alcohol, constant insults, and physical aggression like hair-pulling and having her head pressed against a wall. She stated her daily activities, from work to taking a shower, were monitored and controlled. The relationship ended after a dispute over her son's birthday celebration. "That's when I said enough. He didn't accept that I was going to celebrate my son's birthday with his father, even with other children and people there," she explained. Based on reporting from g1.