A 21-year-old man was arrested in the act in the early hours of December 20 for raping and beating a woman in quadra 411 Norte, Brasília. The victim is hospitalized in critical condition at the Base Hospital. The crime was only discovered hours later when a janitor found a pool of blood.
The crime took place in the early hours of Saturday, December 20, in the pilotis of a block in quadra 411 Norte, Asa Norte, Brasília. According to the Federal District Civil Police (PCDF), Rafael Silva Lima, 21 years old, attacked a woman walking in the area. Security camera footage shows the suspect walking beside the victim before lunging at her; she tried to resist but was immobilized and assaulted for about 15 minutes.
The victim was found with multiple injuries in the commercial area of the quadra and rushed to the Federal District Base Hospital (HBDF), where she remains in critical condition with risk of death. The investigation suggests the victim and attacker knew each other and were under the influence of alcohol or other substances. Both are reportedly homeless.
Rafael was located and arrested by the Military Police still in the area, showing blood stains, scratches, and signs of a struggle. During the personal search, a standard procedure before transfer to a cell, it was found that he still had a condom on his genital organ, as reported by delegate Marco Farah from the 2nd Police Station (Asa Norte).
Residents said no one witnessed the attack or called the police immediately. Around 5 a.m., a cleaning worker found a pool of blood in a common area of the block and alerted the building manager, who checked the cameras and informed residents via messaging group. Cláudia Alves, 51, a resident, said: “It was the cleaning worker who saw the pool of blood around 5 a.m., called the manager, who then checked the security cameras and notified us in the condominium group”.
The case is being investigated as rape and attempted femicide by the PCDF. Residents in the area reported increased feelings of insecurity, citing previous thefts and disturbances, but noting that such a rape is unprecedented in the quadra.
