Militiaman 'Waguinho Batman' Arrested in Itaguaí on Espírito Santo Homicide Warrant

Overview

• Police from the 50ª DP in Itaguaí captured Gilbert Wagner Antunes Lopes on Tuesday after surrounding him in the Engenho neighborhood following about two months of targeted monitoring.
• The arrest was carried out on a preventive warrant issued by the Justiça do Espírito Santo that accuses him of ordering the 2021 killing of a Presidente Kennedy councilor and lists him among suspects in other serious crimes.
• Investigators say Lopes evaded an earlier July 10 encounter in Mangaratiba by blending into event crowds and used false documents and multiple addresses across municipalities to avoid detection.
• Authorities link him to a militia active in the Chaperó area and note his nickname 'Batman' references ties to paramilitary actors in the Rio region, signaling cross-state criminal networks.
• The capture keeps investigations open into alleged homicides, threats to public officials and organized-militia activity, and prosecutors in Espírito Santo are expected to take custody and press formal charges.