Following Luigi Mangione’s arrest in the brazen killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, authorities in the US heralded his capture as “good old-fashioned police work” that brought an end to a manhunt that had stunned America and the world.
It had been a period of high drama and blanket media coverage. In the days that passed since Thompson was fatally shot on a Manhattan sidewalk by an unknown assailant on 4 December, police tracked down surveillance footage allegedly revealing the still-unidentified Mangione’s face and widely distributed a now notorious still of him appearing to smile at a hostel, all in an attempt to find the fugitive.
That hunt ended on 9 December when a worker at an Altoona, Pennsylvania, McDonald’s allegedly recognized Mangione from law enforcement alerts and called in a tip to local police. Two patrol officers went to the McDonald’s and approached him.
After Mangione pulled down his face mask, they claimed to recognize him from the photos. They asked for ID, which turned out to be false, and more police were dispatched to the scene, ultimately resulting in his arrest.
Mangione’s backpack was searched at the police station – turning up an apparent ghost gun, as well as a silencer and bullets, among other allegedly inculpatory items – and he was charged with false identification and weapons counts. This chain of events would culminate in Mangione’s extradition to New York City, where he now faces state and federal charges.
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