Convicted murderer and fugitive Danelo Cavalcante was captured Wednesday morning when a K9 officer sniffed him out in the Pennsylvania woods, after two weeks of eluding search teams by breaking into suburban homes for food and hiding in the desert .
Cavalcante, who escaped from the Chester County Jail on Aug. 31, was taken into custody without incident shortly after 8 a.m. when the K9 revealed him lying under a pile of leaves and wood, police Lt. Col. George Bivens said. Pennsylvania State (PSP). at a press conference.
Additional charges for the double murderer are pending discussions with the District Attorney’s Office, he added.
The fugitive attempted to evade capture by crawling on his stomach with a rifle, but was ultimately bitten by the K9 and arrested without a chance to fire on the tactical team of Border Patrol and PSP officers.
The firearm is believed to be the same .22-caliber rifle that Cavalcante stole during a confrontation with a homeowner in South Coventry Township Monday night.
“Cavalcante didn’t realize he was surrounded until he was,” Bivens said of the covert effort, which concluded around 1 a.m. Wednesday when a DEA plane detected a heat signature in the forested underbrush.
The fugitive was seen with a bloody face, the result of a minor K9 bite during his capture.
Danelo Cavalcante was seen wearing a Philadelphia Eagles sweatshirt during his arrest.
When lightning forced the plane to land, a tactical unit on the ground held its position and waited for the right moment to act, Bivens said.
Cavalcante was eventually found west of PA 100 and north of Prizer Road, where police were alerted to a burglar alarm Tuesday night, Bivens said.
“I think they took him by surprise,” Bivens said of the prisoner, who did not have the opportunity to fire any shots at law enforcement despite having the rifle with him.
Cavalcante was captured after 14 days of persecution.X / @JackPosobiec
The fugitive tried to “crawl through the thick brush, taking his rifle as he walked,” but a K9 subdued him, said Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens.6abc Philadelphia
In the moments after his arrest, Cavalcante was seen wearing a gray Philadelphia Eagles hoodie, which was cut off to check for weapons and confirm his identity through distinctive tattoos, CBS Philadelphia reported.
In a light-hearted moment, Gov. Josh Shapiro pledged at the news conference to replace the hoodie, which was presumably stolen during Cavalcante’s 14-day escape.
The fugitive’s face was also partially obscured by blood, which Bivens said was due to a minor scalp wound from a K9 bite.
Cavalcante escaped from the Chester County Jail on August 31. Pennsylvania State Police Department/AFP via Getty Images
This appears to be the pile of logs where police found Danelo Cavalcante hiding this morning. Officers were concentrated in this area when our crews arrived. This is behind a tractor supply store off Route 100 in South Coventry Township. @6abc pic.twitter.com/DGeFaODO1X
—Caroline Goggin (@CarolineGoggin) September 13, 2023
Shortly before the morning news conference, Cavalcante was seen arriving at the Avondale state police barracks in a motorcade as relieved residents looked on, CBS News Philadelphia reported.
He will now be processed and examined, and will likely be interviewed with the help of an interpreter, Bivens told reporters.
“I don’t know if he was particularly skilled, he was desperate,” Bivens said of Cavalcante’s escape plan.
In the center of the image you can see Cavalcante surrounded by agents. Chopper 3 / CBS News Philadelphia
Footage showed the double killer wearing a gray Philadelphia Eagles sweatshirt, which was later cut up by officers, presumably to search for hidden weapons.FOX
“There were people who were intent and intent on helping him, [but[ we had been successful in preventing it,” he added, noting that one of Cavalcante’s would-be helpers was his sister, who is now in custody with immigration.
Bivens also defended a post-manhunt photo-op of the SWAT team with Cavalcante, which some critics blasted as tasteless.
“Those men and women worked amazingly hard. I’m not bothered at all,” Bivens shrugged.
The investigators took pictures of his tattoos once his shirt was off, to confirm his identity, news station KYW-TV reported.Chopper 3 / CBS News Philadelphia
At the time of his arrest, Cavalcante was still in possession of a .22 rifle he stole from a homeowner’s garage Monday night, officials said.Chopper 3 / CBS News Philadelphia
“They’re proud of their work”
Shapiro also took a moment to praise the “extraordinary” efforts from local, state, and federal law enforcement, as well as the Chester County community.
“This has been a concerning and trying time [for the area]“Shapiro acknowledged.
District Attorney Deb Ryan added that “today is a great day” in Chester County, home to fewer than 540,000 people.
Escaped convict Danelo Cavalcante was spotted in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, on Monday night.6ABC
“Our nightmare is finally over and the good guys won,” the lawman smiled in relief.
Ryan also praised the extensive use of innovative technology and other strategies during the search, which even used a broadcast message from Cavalvante’s mother pleading with her son to turn himself in.
Cavalcante, originally from Brazil, was awaiting transfer to state prison after being sentenced to life in prison without parole for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend in April 2021 as she crab-walked along the walls of the Chester County facility at end of last month.
He escaped from the prison by wandering to a secluded area of the yard, scaling a wall and climbing barbed wire before jumping from a roof to elude guards.
Cavalcante had been on the run since August 31.BACKGRID
In his comments Wednesday, Ryan said the victim’s family was one of the first to be alerted that Cavalcante was back in custody.
Locals were also informed of the capture through a reverse 911 call, CBS Philadelphia said.
Less than 24 hours before Cavalcante was found, PSP announced that he was “armed and extremely dangerous” after he fled with the .22-caliber rifle from the garage of an unidentified resident who fired seven shots at the fugitive in the brief fight. of Monday.
Still images from the stunning video showing how Cavalcante escaped from his Pennsylvania prison yard. Chester County/MEGA
Investigators arrived at the scene of the confirmed sighting and found shoes they believe may belong to Cavalcante, according to the local report.
SWAT officers in armored trucks with hundreds of police officers searched the neighborhood Tuesday after a helicopter spotted the fugitive.
Two state police helicopters hovered over the area of French Creek Elementary School for most of the morning, near where the homeowner reported shooting the person who entered his home.
State police were authorized to use deadly force if he did not surrender, Bivens confirmed Wednesday.
Some nearby school districts closed Tuesday and residents were warned to lock their homes, vehicles and outbuildings.
An unidentified 18-year veteran corrections officer who was on duty at the observation tower when Cavalcante escaped was fired last week, a Chester County spokesperson confirmed to The Post.
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