José Luis Haile, a 67-year-old Argentine known as “El Puma de Janeiro”, was detained in a Copacabana supermarket in Rio de Janeiro for allegedly insulting a 23-year-old Brazilian woman with racist language. The incident stemmed from a checkout delay and was witnessed by another Argentine who alerted police. Haile faces charges of injuria racial, now equated to racism under Brazilian law.
José Luis Haile, 67 years old and a Rio de Janeiro resident for two years, was arrested following a dispute in a Copacabana supermarket checkout line. The victim, a 23-year-old woman working for a delivery app, faced a delay at the register, sparking the argument. According to the complaint, Haile called her “negra puta”.
Witness Juan Esteban García, another Argentine at the scene, described it: “He made the girl cry, the atmosphere was heavy”. García alerted a nearby Municipal Guard patrol, leading to Haile's immediate detention.
Haile presents himself on social media as “El Puma de Janeiro”, a beach vendor in Rio selling corn and drinks. He shares photos of daily life, support for Boca Juniors, and ties to La Plata.
He was taken to a jail in the Benfica neighborhood and charged with injuria racial, elevated by Law 14.532 to equate with racism, carrying two to five years in prison. The case echoes a recent one involving Argentine Agostina Páez, detained for similar expressions.
