Escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante has been taken into custody and is alive following a 14-day search, Pennsylvania State Police said.
He was captured just before 8:15 a.m. Wednesday in northern Chester County, Action News has learned.
Cavalcante was found in a field within the perimeter by tactical teams using thermal technology and police K9s. He was hiding under foliage and a pile of logs.
He was wearing a gray Eagles sweatshirt at the time of his capture. It is not yet known where he obtained the clothing.
Sources said Cavalcante was bitten by a K9 while he was taken into custody.
He is now being transferred to Pennsylvania State Police Avondale Barracks, sources said.
“The capture of Cavalcante ends the nightmare of the past two weeks, and we thank every single law enforcement official at the regional, state and federal level that was out in all weather conditions, 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 immense efforts,” Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell and Michelle Kichline said in a statement.
A press conference announcing details of the capture is scheduled for 9:30 a.m.
Cavalcante escaped from the Chester County jail in southeastern Pennsylvania on Aug. 31 by crab-walking up between two walls that were topped with razor wire, then jumping from the roof and dashing away. He had been awaiting transfer to state prison after being sentenced days earlier for fatally stabbing his girlfriend, and is wanted in connection with another killing in Brazil.
Authorities said over the weekend that Cavalcante had slipped out of the initial search area, shaved and changed his clothing, stole a vehicle to travel miles to seek aid from former co-workers in the northern part of the county, and then abandoned the vehicle, at least in part because it was low on fuel.
Authorities have declined to say how they think Cavalcante slipped out of the first search area, and officials have pushed back against questions about whether they blew a chance to catch him.
Then, late Monday, a motorist alerted police to a man matching Cavalcante’s description crouching in the darkness along a line of trees near a road in northern Chester County. Police found footprints and tracked them to the prison shoes identical to those Cavalcante had been wearing. A pair of work boots was reported stolen from a porch nearby.
State police said they believe he was looking for a place to hide when he saw an open garage. There, he stole a .22-caliber rifle and ammunition, and fled when the homeowner who was in the garage drew a pistol and shot at him several times, state police said.
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