Brazilian Comando Vermelho fugitive dies in Pando after police shootout
Matheus Campanerutti Pinheiro, an escaped prisoner from Brazil, died at Cobija hospital after being wounded in a police confrontation in Pando.
Comando Vermelho fugitive dies in Cobija after double shootout with police officers
A Brazilian citizen linked to the Comando Vermelho criminal faction died on 13 September 2026 at Hernán Messuti hospital in Cobija, one day after being shot during a police operation in the department of Pando, according to lapatria.bo.
Matheus Campanerutti Pinheiro was located on Friday 11 September by Bolivian police officers after receiving a report that a man was attacking a 24-year-old woman in the community of Marapaní. When attempting to flee, Pinheiro opened fire on the uniformed officers, triggering a pursuit. The officers managed to subdue him initially, but whilst he was being transported under custody, the suspect escaped again and entered a forested area.
During that second escape, he reportedly fired again at police officers. The uniformed officers responded with their firearms and struck the Brazilian. He was evacuated to Hernán Messuti hospital in Cobija, where one day later he suffered multi-organ failure and cardiac arrest that caused his death, according to information cited by El Deber.
Following Pinheiro's capture, police searched his property and found ten packages with substances that tested positive for marijuana and cocaine, a firearm and two mobile phones. Police notified three prosecutors about the death.
Pinheiro had escaped in November 2019 from a prison in El Acre, Brazil, whilst participating in a carpentry course at the Polo Moveleiro in Rio Branco. His escape prompted the opening of an administrative procedure within the Acre penitentiary system. In August 2018 he had been arrested in his native country under investigation for the murder of student Dayane K. S., which occurred in September 2017 in Capixaba, Acre. In Bolivia he faced three open judicial proceedings.
The case underscores the transnational security issues in the Amazon. Pando and Acre share an extensive jungle frontier that criminal organisations exploit to hide, move and operate between both countries.
Source: Google News BO — Crime