Shocking scenes from Brazil have made headlines: former basketball player Igor Cabral has been arrested after a brutal attack on his partner, Juliana Soares.
What happened in the elevator?
The former basketball player, who was arrested for brutally beating his girlfriend, is now asking the court to allow him to be placed in solitary confinement out of fear for his safety.
The 29-year-old Igor Eduardo Pereira Cabral is in temporary custody on charges of attempted murder of a woman after brutally beating his girlfriend in the elevator of the #SunGolden residential building.
The victim, Juliana García, was taken to hospital with fractures of the face and jaw.
According to Brazilian media, the incident took place at the end of July in an upscale apartment building in the Ponta Negra district of Natal. During an argument, Igor Cabral, a 29-year-old former basketball player, demanded that his partner hand over her phone. After checking her messages, he flew into a rage and attacked Juliana Soares, landing as many as 61 punches to her face in a matter of several dozen seconds – all of it captured by surveillance cameras.
Juliana Soares suffered multiple facial fractures and requires reconstructive surgery. The woman told police that Cabral threatened to kill her. Due to the severity of her injuries, she has difficulty speaking and communicates with investigators in writing. According to her account, the motive was her partner’s jealousy.
Charges and response from law enforcement
Igor Eduardo Pereira Cabral, a former basketball player arrested for attempted murder of a woman after brutally beating his girlfriend with 61 punches in an elevator in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, on July 26, 2025, reported that he was beaten by prison officers at the Dinorá Simas penitentiary in Ceará-Mirim, to which he was transferred on August 1. According to his testimony, he was stripped naked and handcuffed in his cell, where he suffered physical violence in the form of blows, kicks, elbow strikes and the use of pepper spray. Cabral also reported threats, including suggestions that he should commit suicide, and officers allegedly told him that he “had gone to hell”.
Cabral was caught in the act, and his temporary detention was quickly converted into pretrial detention. The court found that the man posed a threat to the victim and to society.
It is worth adding that Cabral’s lawyer argued that he acted under the influence of a “claustrophobia attack”, but an analysis of the recordings contradicts this – the aggression occurred when the elevator doors opened, after an earlier exchange of words.
The community in Ponta Negra has organized support for Juliana Soares – fundraisers for medical treatment and legal support have been set up. Protests and campaigns aimed at drawing attention to violence against women are being held both on the ground and online. Local NGOs are calling for better victim protection procedures and increased funding for crisis shelters.
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