App driver is sentenced to 14 years in prison for running over couple after traffic fight in Ribeirão Preto, SP
Quick Look
- App driver Reginaldo Cortês was sentenced to 14 years in prison under an initial closed regime for double attempted murder after running over a couple on a motorcycle in Ribeirão Preto, in November 2022, during a traffic fight started by a closed one.
- The victims survived and the defendant, who was free, was arrested immediately after the trial.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The case began on November 22, 2022, when Reginaldo Cortês, an app driver, was involved in a traffic fight with a couple on a motorcycle on Avenida Maurílio Biagi, in Ribeirão Preto, after a traffic stop. The disagreement escalated into a chase and culminated in the car being run over, initially treated as a bodily injury, but reclassified as attempted murder after investigation.
App driver is sentenced to 14 years in prison for running over couple after traffic fight in Ribeirão Preto, SP
The defendant was free to respond to the case and was arrested from the trial, according to the Public Prosecutor's Office. The collision took place in 2022, and the victims survived. There is an appeal.
By Bruna Romão, EPTV
App driver Reginaldo Cortês was sentenced this Tuesday (29) to 14 years in prison in Ribeirão Preto (SP). He ran over a couple on a motorcycle in 2022.
Tried for double attempted murder, the defendant was arrested from the trial. The defense claimed innocence, stated that it was an accident and will appeal the court decision.
The collision occurred on November 22, 2022, on Avenida Maurílio Biagi. Security cameras recorded the car hitting the back of the motorcycle and dragging it.
Initially registered as a negligent bodily injury, the case began to be investigated as attempted murder. The police concluded that the driver took the risk of killing.
The disagreement began after a traffic stop. The motorcyclist reported that the driver threatened to kill him saying "I'm going to kill you" and chased him.
A 56-year-old app driver was sentenced this Tuesday (29) to 14 years in prison, initially closed, for running over a couple who were on a motorcycle during a traffic fight in Ribeirão Preto (SP). The case happened in November 2022, and the victims survived.
Reginaldo Cortês was tried by the popular jury, at the Ribeirão Preto Forum, for double attempted murder. He was free to respond to the case and was arrested after the trial, according to prosecutor Marcos Túlio Nicolino, from the São Paulo Public Ministry (MP-SP). There is an appeal.
According to the prosecutor, two witnesses were important for the conviction: a person who was in the application car itself and another who was in a driving school car and witnessed the scene.
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"These two witnesses confirmed that the defendant deliberately rammed the car into the motorcycle and that also, during the argument, at one point, he said he would kill the victims," he said.
Couple was hit by a driver after getting involved in a fight in traffic in Ribeirão Preto, SP — Photo: José Augusto Júnior/EPTV
To EPTV, a TV Globo affiliate, the defense said it will appeal the decision. According to the defense, Reginaldo is innocent, he had no intention of killing and the case was just a traffic accident.
Remember the case
The collision occurred on the morning of November 22, 2022, on Avenida Maurílio Biagi, in the Ribeirânia neighborhood. The couple, made up of a 40-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman at the time, were on a motorcycle.
Security camera footage shows the car hitting the back of the motorcycle. The couple falls to the asphalt, and the vehicle continues a few meters with the motorcycle beneath it. The images also show a person opening the back door of the car at that moment. The driver then leaves the scene.
The woman, who was riding pillion, recorded part of the argument and the noise at the moment the car hit the motorcycle with her cell phone. At the time, the couple suffered bruises and needed medical attention.
The case was initially registered as negligent bodily injury while driving a motor vehicle, damage and danger to life. During the investigations, the Civil Police and the Public Ministry understood that the driver took the risk of killing. As a result, he was charged with double attempted murder.
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Fight started after it was over, victim said
In an interview with EPTV at the time, the motorcyclist said that the argument started over an arrow and a closed one. According to him, the driver was turning left to enter Avenida Maurílio Biagi. Suddenly, he threw the car to the right and closed it, and almost threw it under another vehicle that was coming behind.
The two stopped side by side at the traffic lights, and the argument began. According to the motorcyclist, the driver made death threats and put his hand under the seat.
"Then he said 'I'm going to kill you'. He started threatening me and reached under the seat and pulled out something, I don't know if it was a knife or a gun."
According to the victim, he was afraid of being attacked and took off with the motorcycle even though the traffic light was closed. The car followed the couple until they were run over.
Couple on a motorcycle is chased by a driver in Ribeirão Preto, SP, before being run over — Photo: Reproduction/Security cameras
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What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Reginaldo Cortês' defense will appeal the court decision to the São Paulo Court of Justice.
Very likely · Within weeks
The defendant will remain in prison pending the judgment of the appeal in the second instance.
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- What was the object that the driver pulled from under the seat, as mentioned by the victim?
- Were there any protective measures or restrictions placed on the defendant during the period in which he was released?
- What was the defendant's prior traffic history?
- Did the victims receive any type of compensation or psychological support after the incident?
