NYC shooting manhunt ends in city

The suspect in the Nov. 24 New York City shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was arrested Monday morning at the Plank Road McDonald’s in Altoona.

Luigi Mangione, 26, of Maryland and Hawaii, was taken into custody by Altoona police after a customer recognized the masked suspect and alerted an employee, who called 911, according to officials at an arraignment Monday evening in the Blair County Courthouse.

The arraignment was followed by a press conference with Gov. Josh Shapiro, a phalanx from the New York City Police Department and about 50 media members.

When police arrived at the McDonald’s about 9:15 a.m., they asked Mangione to remove the mask, upon which officers Tyler Frye and Joe Detwiler immediately pegged the man before them as the suspect from pictures and videos that the NYPD has released in recent days.

Mangione

Asked to produce identification, the suspect handed over the same fake New Jersey ID he had used to register at a Manhattan hostel before the murder, and when asked whether he’d been in New York City recently, the suspect started shaking, according to officials.

Challenged about the fake ID, the suspect then gave his actual name, officials said.

Mangione was arraigned on charges of forgery, a firearms violation, tampering with records, possession of an instrument of crime and presenting false identification to police.

In a backpack seized by police after his peaceful arrest was a U.S. passport in his true name, a ghost gun with a silencer and money, according to information presented at the arraignment.

Mangione was ordered held without bail and was taken to SCI Huntingdon.

Local and national news outlets gathered in a cold drizzle for hours waiting for officers with the Altoona Police Department, New York Police Department and the FBI to bring Luigi Mangione out of the APD station and transport him to the Blair County Courthouse for arraignment Monday evening.
Mirror photo by Rachel Foor

NYPD filed second-degree murder and related charges against Mangione late Monday night, according to CNN.

Once those are filed, local authorities will file a fugitive from justice complaint, giving Mangione the option to waive, in which case he’d be taken to New York City right away, or to contest it, in which case, there could be a delay of 30 to 45 days, Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks said.

At the arraignment, Mangione, who has curly, dark hair and who was handcuffed and shackled at the ankles, answered questions directed to him by Magisterial District Judge Ben Jones in a strong, seemingly confident voice.

Authorities aren’t aware of any criminal history for Mangione, according to Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens.

A preliminary hearing on the local charges is scheduled for Dec. 23.

Courtesy photo

Authorities know Mangione traveled by bus from New York City to Philadelphia, then went to Pittsburgh, then to “points in between,” they said.

It wasn’t clear how long he’d been in Altoona, or if he has connections here, according to authorities.

Mangione was striving to avoid detection, “keeping a low profile,” staying away from cameras, Bivens said.

“He was very security conscious,” Bivens stated.

Shapiro praised the fast food customer whose attentiveness led to the arrest.

A reporter records Gov. Josh Shapiro as he speaks at the press conference on Luigi Mangione’s arrest in the city on Monday morning.
Mirror photo by Rachel Foor

“A Pennsylvania resident saw something at McDonald’s and said something to local police,” Shapiro said, modeling that statement on the well-known anti-terrorist message of the NYPD — as members of that department stood behind him in a line.

Shapiro also complimented Frye, who with his partner effected a quick and nonviolent arrest.

“He acted swiftly, with smarts and with calm,” the governor said.

The resident-law enforcement combination shows how community and law enforcement working together ensures public safety, Shapiro said.

But Shapiro excoriated the many people who have praised the suspected killer for his deed, which, based on writings allegedly found with him Monday, and based on words written on shell casings found after the shooting, indicate he was exacting retribution for the behavior of health insurance companies.

Media and Altoona residents gather near the Altoona Police Department, hoping to catch a glimpse of Luigi Mangione, the suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killing last week.
Mirror photo by Rachel Foor

Such comments are “deeply disturbing, (with people) looking to celebrate instead of condemning” the murder, Shapiro said.

The insurance CEO was a husband and father and a friend to many, and must not be dehumanized, the governor said.

“I understand the frustration with the health care system,” he said. “But you don’t kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences.”

Civil society isn’t safe “when idealogues mete out vigilante justice,” Shapiro added. Unlike the person who spoke out at McDonald’s, the alleged killer “is not a hero,” Shapiro said.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.

Altoona Police Officer Tyler Frye (far right) had only been on the job for six months when he and fellow Officer Joe Detwiler responded to the McDonald’s on Plank Road where the suspect was seen. Frye and Altoona Deputy Chief of Police Derek Swope (left) detailed the arrest made Monday.
Mirror photo by Rachel Foor

Courtesy photo

Kaz Daughtry, New York Police Department Deputy Commissioner of Operations, answers questions during a press conference on the arrest of Luigi Mangione.
Mirror photo by Rachel Foor