The assailants drove a circuitous route, through several neighborhoods, dragging João Hélio for a total of 7 km (4.3 miles) before abandoning the car with the child's body still attached to it. The assailants traveled in a mostly southeastern direction, traversing four different neighborhoods: Oswaldo Cruz, Madureira, Campinho, and Cascadura. When they passed in front of two different corner bars on the corners of Cândido Bastos and Silva Gomes, and Barbosa and Florentina streets, patrons were horrified at what they were witnessing and shouted frantically at the car's occupants to stop the car. One man on a motorcycle chased the car to alert them that there was a child being dragged but was threatened with a gun held by the robber sitting in the passenger seat (later identified as 18-year-old Diego Nascimento da Silva). This incident when the gun was flashed occurred along Avenida Intendente Magalhães in the neighborhood of Campinho, which was illuminated with floodlights in preparation for Carnaval. The motorcyclist later testified that once he got up close to the car he could see that João Hélio was already deceased.