Escaped convict Danelo Cavalcante was seen in a hospital gown and shackles hours after he was taken into custody Wednesday — following a two-week manhunt that terrorized the Pennsylvania community.
Cavalcante, 34, was cornered by about 25 officers in a wooded area near South Coventry Township after authorities used thermal imaging from an aircraft to pinpoint his possible location.
After spotting the police, the convict tried to escape again by crawling into the tall grass with the gun he had stolen from a house he had broken into on Monday.
Officials then released a police dog to capture the killer, who was bitten at the scene and treated for his injury.
SWAT team members were seen posing with the bloodied killer shortly after the arrest, which happened shortly after 8 a.m. and lasted about five minutes.
The Brazil native was serving a life sentence for brutally killing his ex-girlfriend in front of her two children when he escaped from the Chester County Jail, 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Philadelphia, on August 31.
The arrest of the killer, which took about five minutes, brings relief to concerned residents of southeastern Pennsylvania who endured sleepless nights as he hid in the woods, broke into suburban homes for food, changed his appearance and came under gunfire. fled with a gun he had stolen from a car. garage.
Escaped convict Danelo Cavalcante was seen in a hospital gown and shackles hours after he was taken into custody on Wednesday
Cavalcante, 34, was cornered by about 25 officers in a wooded area near South Coventry Township
Officials released a police dog to capture the killer, who was bitten at the scene and treated for his injury
A plane picked up a noise source on Tuesday evening, but officials had to postpone the operation after a storm moved in, while a ground team stayed in the area overnight.
When asked about officials taking photos with the convict, State Police Lt. Col. George Bevins said, “Those men and women worked incredibly hard under very difficult circumstances… I have no problem at all with them taking a photo have made. with him.’
Residents of Pocopson Township had been told to stay alert and indoors as more than 500 officers actively searched for Cavalcante, who somehow managed to escape from the original search zone around the jail.
In a statement, Chester County Commissioners told DailyMail.com: ‘The capture of Cavalcante puts an end to the nightmare of the past two weeks, and we thank every law enforcement officer at regional, state and federal level who was out in all weathers , all day and night – as well as everyone in the Incident Command Center, our County Department of Emergency Services and County Sheriff’s Office – for their tremendous efforts.
About 25 officers were able to surprise him as they surrounded him, but Cavalcante still tried to escape by crawling through tall grass with the rifle.
“Chester County Jail officials have made a number of immediate changes to increase security at the jail, have engaged security contractors to make permanent changes to the training areas, and are reviewing and – where necessary – changing procedures for both security measures and communication with residents who live close to the prison.’
The killer was last seen on Monday evening breaking into the garage of a house in East Nantmeal – 20 miles from the search area. The police had been combing for days last week. The homeowner was home and shot him several times, but police said there was no evidence the convict was hit.
It was the first sighting since Saturday, when Cavalcante stole a van and tried to contact former colleagues before dumping the vehicle in a field.
Police had initially concentrated their search in the vicinity of the prison, where he had been spotted several times last week.
But on Saturday, a clean-shaven Cavalcante was spotted outside a former co-worker’s home via a Ring doorbell camera in East Pikeland Township, before being spotted outside another ex-co-worker’s home in nearby Phoenixville.
Law enforcement officers gather as the search for escaped convict Danelo Cavalcante continues Tuesday
On Sunday, police found a 2020 Cavalcante Ford Transit stolen in a field behind a shed in East Nantmeal Township – outside the previous search area. Cavalcante took it from Baily’s Dairy, located in West Chester, near the prison.
Cavalcante’s sister, who has overstayed her status, was detained by ICE and initiated deportation proceedings after choosing not to cooperate with the investigation, Bivens said Tuesday.
On August 31, Cavalcante was seen on a surveillance camera in the prison’s outdoor area looking at the camera before the crab walked between two walls, climbed a fence and jumped over barbed wire during the daring escape that took place in broad daylight.
Last week, the prison guard who did not see or report the escape was fired. Prison officials told CNN that the corrections officer was an 18-year veteran of the prison.
Cavalcante is also wanted in a murder case in his native Brazil. He managed to flee the country in 2017 after killing a student at a food truck stand.
He shot Walter Junior in Figuéiropolis, Tocantins on November 5, 2017, and two months later managed to slip past authorities at Brasília President Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport.
Evaldo Feitosa told Brazilian news channel G1 that he was talking to Cavalcante and approached Junior at a corner table.
He recalled that they had a conversation before he heard several shots and someone yelled, “Man, that guy killed his friend.”
TV Globo also reported that the murder was related to money Junior owed Calvacante.