Elected deputy Felipe Sertanejo reports shooting attack in São Paulo

Felipe Medeiros Arantes, known as Felipe Sertanejo, a 38-year-old elected state deputy for São Paulo from the Liberal Party (PL), reported being targeted by gunfire on the evening of October 20, 2026. The incident occurred around 7:30 p.m. on Avenida Giovanni Gronchi in the southern zone of São Paulo. According to Sertanejo, two individuals attempted to approach his vehicle and one fired a shot directed at his head; his bulletproof car prevented him from being struck. Video posted on social media by Sertanejo showed bullet marks on the vehicle's glass.

Sertanejo, a former mixed martial arts fighter who competed in the UFC featherweight category from 2008 to 2018, proceeded to the 98th Police District in Jardim Míriam to file a report and assist authorities in identifying the two assailants. In his video statement, he stated: "Two guys stopped next to my car and shot at it, aimed at my head. Thank God my car is bulletproof. I'm at the 98th precinct to file a report and try to find these criminals." He added commentary about violence in the country, saying "Unfortunately this is the country we live in and there's no way around it."

Sertanejo was elected to the São Paulo State Legislative Assembly on October 4, 2026, with 138,277 votes, representing approximately 0.59% of valid votes cast in the state. He was endorsed by federal deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG). The elected deputies from the 2026 elections will take office on February 1, 2027, for four-year terms. The São Paulo State Secretary of Public Security (SSP) was informed of the incident; multiple news outlets reported awaiting official response from the agency at time of publication.