Escaped inmate Danelo Cavalcante has been captured after an intense two-week manhunt, Pennsylvania State Police announced on Wednesday.
“This is a message from Pennsylvania State Police. The search for Danelo Cavalcante is over. The subject is now in custody,” a reverse 911 call sent to area residents said, CNN reports.
After a two-week manhunt, authorities finally apprehended the escaped killer. The manhunt recently focused on South Coventry Township in Chester County, where police revealed that the fugitive, aged 34, was armed.
As a precaution, schools were closed and residents were alerted as the search took place in the vicinity, approximately 20 miles north of the prison from which he had escaped.
According to Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens, Cavalcante appeared without a shirt at a homeowner’s garage on Monday night. He quickly entered the garage and took hold of a .22-caliber rifle, reports say.
As he made his escape, the homeowner discharged his pistol, but there is no indication that the fugitive sustained any injuries, Bivens stated during a news conference on Tuesday, CNN reports.
“We consider him desperate. We consider him dangerous,” he said. “I would suspect that he’s desperate enough to use that weapon.”
The incident prompted a significant police presence in South Coventry Township, with residents receiving urgent reverse 911 calls to secure their homes and remain indoors due to the armed status of Cavalcante.
In the pursuit of Cavalcante, approximately 500 law enforcement officers, including Pennsylvania State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, and US Marshals, were actively involved in the extensive manhunt.
