The man accused of gunning down UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last week was jailed at a Pennsylvania prison Tuesday after he was arrested by police in Altoona.
Luigi Mangione, 26, who has links to Philadelphia and had lived recently in Honolulu, was arrested while at a McDonald’s in Altoona on Monday, authorities said.
Mangione, who was considered a “person of interest” in Thompson’s brazen assassination, was apprehended by Altoona police after being spotted wearing a blue medical mask and browsing on a laptop, according to court papers.
New York Police Department officials said Mangione was found in possession of a “ghost gun”—a firearm made with a 3D printer—and a three-page document outlining his motivations. He also had a passport and fake IDs, including one from New Jersey believed to have been used by the shooter at a New York City hostel before the attack.
Mangione came before a judge at a preliminary arraignment Monday evening at the Blair County Courthouse near Altoona. He was charged with carrying a firearm without a license, forgery, tampering with records or identification, possession of instruments of crime, and false ID to law enforcement.
Following the preliminary arraignment, the 26-year-old was remanded to custody and housed at a state prison.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office also filed murder and additional charges against Mangione late Monday night, according to NBC 4 New York.
In response to Mangione’s arrest, Gov. Josh Shapiro pointed to the importance of the public’s help in the investigation but condemned the celebration of the suspect’s actions online.
The Democratic governor and the state’s former attorney general noted that Thompson might have been the CEO of a health insurance company, but he was also a family man.
“In America, we do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a viewpoint,” the governor said.
“This killer is being hailed as a hero,” Shapiro told the public. “Hear me on this. He is no hero. The real hero in this is the person who called 9-1-1 at McDonald’s this morning.”
Authorities have revealed that Mangione traveled across Pennsylvania, including stops in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, prior to his capture. Pennsylvania State Police have asked anyone with information about his movements to contact the state tip line at 1-800-472-8477.
Altoona police were dispatched to the McDonald’s on Plank Road after a tip about a suspicious individual matching the description of Thompson’s alleged killer. After verifying his identity, officers found a loaded 3D-printed pistol and a silencer in Mangione’s backpack. He appeared nervous and then was taken into custody, according to court papers.
Mangione, a University of Pennsylvania graduate and former data engineer, is a high school valedictorian from a well-known Maryland family.
His family expressed their devastation over his arrest and extended their prayers to Thompson’s family, according to a social media post by his cousin, Maryland lawmaker Nino Mangione.
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