A nationwide manhunt took place after a then-unidentified shooter killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson before a conference outside the New York Hilton Hotel on Wednesday, December 4. Footage later helped identify the alleged shooter as Luigi Mangione, an Ivy League software engineer graduate. Over a week after the shooting took place, he was arrested at an Altoona McDonald's after an employee called 911.
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According to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who held a press conference, someone at McDonald's "saw something early this morning at McDonald's and sent something to our local police." After receiving the call from the employee, Altoona police "acted swiftly." While it is unconfirmed, one customer recognized Mangione first and then told the McDondald's employee, who would later call 911, according to the New York Post.
According to the complaint document, police then approached Mangione at the fast-food establishment and asked him if he had been to New York recently. Reportedly, he started shaking and became silent. Mangione then handed over a fake ID when asked, which said he was from New Jersey. According to the Post, Mangione allegedly used the same ID to check into a hostel in Manhattan, shortly before allegedly killing Thompson.
However, officers "recognized him immediately," and later Mangione admitted he was, in fact, the alleged shooter. He also said he "shouldn't have" lied about his identity.
A McDonald's Hero
Governor Shapiro would go on to praise the actions of the McDonald's employee who called 911, labeling him "a hero." "I want to ask all of our fellow Pennsylvanians to demonstrate the same type of thoughtfulness and courage and smarts as the individual at McDonald's did this morning and help law enforcement here in Pennsylvania as we continue with our investigation," Shapiro said.
Altoona Police Officer Tyle Frye, who arrested Mangione alongside another officer, said: "It feels good to get a guy like that off the street, especially starting my career this way, it feels great."
On Monday, December 9, police charged Luigi Mangione with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. In addition, police charged him with carrying firearms without a license, tampering with records or identification, possessing an instrument of crime, and providing false identification to law enforcement, according to the Post.
