US police use thermal imaging to capture Brazilian murderer Danelo Cavalcante after weeks-long manhunt
- Authorities used thermal imaging from aircraft to pinpoint a possible location and then used ground forces to capture Danelo Cavalcante
- Cavalcante broke out of prison near Philadelphia last month by climbing between two walls in the jail house yard and scrambling onto the roof
An escaped Pennsylvania murderer was captured on Wednesday after eluding hundreds of searchers for two weeks by hiding out in wooded areas, breaking into suburban homes for food, fleeing under gunfire with a rifle pilfered from a garage, stealing a vehicle and changing his appearance, authorities said.
Authorities used thermal imaging from aircraft to pinpoint a possible location and then used ground forces to capture escaped inmate Danelo Souza Cavalcante, a law enforcement official told Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity to discuss the operation, which played out over several hours.
State police announced Cavalcante’s capture on social media on Wednesday, as the search entered its 14th day.
“Shortly after 8am, our suspect was captured,” Governor Josh Shapiro, backed by officers from the state, county and federal governments, said at a news conference. “Thank God there were no injuries to law enforcement or the public.” He said no shots were fired during the capture.
Aerial footage from WPVI-TV news showed an armoured vehicle with Cavalcante arriving at the Pennsylvania State Police barracks at Avondale. A handful of officers pulled from the back of the vehicle and quickly led him into the building. He was handcuffed and wrapped in what appeared to be a thermal blanket.