Luigi Mangione ‘on the radar’ of San Francisco cops days before arrest in Pennsylvania after CEO shooting

Police in San Francisco apparently identified Luigi Mangione as the accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson days before he was arrested in Pennsylvania.

An officer from the police Special Victims Unit was sifting through surveillance footage the New York Police Department released of the suspected killer and recognized him as Mangione on December 5 – just one day after the shooting, police sources say told the San Francisco Chronicle.

The officer had been investigating Mangione’s disappearance since his mother, Kathleen, reported him missing in mid-November.

She claimed she had not spoken to her son since July 1 and noted that he worked for San Francisco-based TrueCar, an online car marketplace – apparently not realizing he had been fired in 2023.

Upon recognizing the suspect, the suspect reportedly called the FBI and provided the agency with Mangione’s name, despite law enforcement officials later saying the 26-year-old was not on their radar until his arrest in Pennsylvania on Monday.

He was taken into custody that day on gun charges after stopping at a McDonald’s in Altoona for a snack and a drink, where a customer also recognized him.

Mangione allegedly had a 3D printed pistol and a black silencer loaded with one Glock magazine containing six 9mm all-metal jacketed bullets that the NYPD said matched those of bullets found at the scene of Thompson’s murder.

The suspect also reportedly had a manifesto outlining his grievances against UnitedHealthcare after a debilitating back injury that required painful spinal surgery.

‘To spare you a lengthy investigation, I clearly state that I have not collaborated with anyone. This was fairly trivial: some basic social engineering, basic CAD, [and] much patience’, he is said to have written in the manifesto, according to the Daily Beast.

He went on to say he had “respect” for federal investigators and apologized for causing any “trauma” but appeared to defend his alleged actions.

“To be honest, these parasites already expected it,” the manifesto wrote.

It claimed that the United States had the “world’s most expensive health care system” but criticized the system for only ranking America 42nd in life expectancy.

Police now say they have “no indications” that Mangione was ever a customer of the insurance company.

But Chef Joseph Kelly listed on NBC New York that the manifesto “states that it is the fifth largest company in America, which would make it the largest health care organization in America.

“So that might be why he targeted the company,” Kelly suggested.

Mangione appeared in court Tuesday to face the gun charges in Pennsylvania, where he had an intense public meltdown hours earlier.

The suspect, dressed in orange jumpsuit, had to be restrained as he shouted at police as he entered the courtroom.

His attorney, Thomas Dickey, has since claimed that Mangione was simply “agitated” because he had no legal representation at the time.

Dickey has also said his client will plead not guilty to the murder charges in New York and the weapons charges in Pennsylvania – as he continues to fight extradition to the Big Apple.

But former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly told Fox News On Thursday, he expects the 26-year-old to “make a show trial of it” when he eventually comes to New York.

“He’s a very intelligent man, but he wasn’t aware of what the police could do today to follow his path,” Kelly said, noting that “within 10 hours the NYPD sent a photo of his uncovered face through the entire police force dispersed. the world.

“It’s very difficult to figure out what this person had in mind,” Kelly continued.

‘But of course – I think – he’s going to make a show trial of it.

“He’s going to want a platform and that’s what I think we’ll see in New York County when he eventually gets to New York,” the former police chief concluded.

Mangione is now due back in court on December 30, when a judge will review multiple habeas corpus petitions filed on behalf of the suspect and impose bail.

In the meantime, the Altoona McDonald’s has had to beef up its security, with two private security guards stationed at the fast-food restaurant on Wednesday.

The increased security came just one day after Altoona Police Department Deputy Chief Derek Swope told reporters that officers and citizens in the community had received threats following Mangione’s arrest.

“This is clearly a very polarized issue,” he said. “You know, we’ve received some threats against our officers [the] build here.

“We have begun to investigate some threats against some citizens in our community,” Swope added, assuring the public, “We take all of these threats seriously and are doing everything we can.”