Danelo Cavalcante planned carjacking to flee to Canada before capture - latest updates

Lt Col George Bivens told CNN that the fugitive was stressed as law enforcement closed in on him on Wednesday morning. But even after he was surrounded, Cavalcante tried to crawl away.

“When the dog got to him, he then went flat with the dog on him — the dog was able to detain him there,” Mr Bivens said. “The dog is very quick, has the ability to disable someone and take them off guard so that they’re not able to do something, like fire a gun or use a knife or whatever. Or escaping.”

Pennsylvania state police posed for a group victory photo with Danelo Cavalcante at the forefront, after they caught the escaped killer on Wednesday.

A large group of police officers, all dressed in military camouflage uniforms, gathered around the escaped killer after an exhausting two-week manhunt.

In the video, you can see one military personnel hand his phone over to another officer, before all gathering around for a photo with the fugitive. Some officers posed by crouching on the floor, one kneeling with his gun in hand next to Mr Cavalcante. Another officer made sure his police K-9 was in the shot.

The Independent’s Amelia Neath reports:

On Tuesday night, a burglar alarm went off at a residence within the search perimeter. Deputies responded to the scene but did not immediately locate Cavalcante.

Then at 1am on Wednesday, thermal imaging from a DEA aircraft picked up a signal and officials deployed ground forces. The aircraft had been flying over the perimeter for several days but had not successfully picked up a signal because of high temperatures.

Lightening and extreme weather in the early morning hours of Wednesday complicated the operation but law enforcement secured the perimeter and resumed efforts this morning.

As law enforcement closed in on Cavalcante, a K-9 unit was released to immobilise the fugitive. Lt Col George Bivens said that Cavalcante continued to resist and “crawl away” even after he was surrounded by officers.

Mr Bivens said that Cavalcante was taken by surprise and did not have a chance to use the rifle he had stolen. Cavalcante sustained a minor bite wound from the K-9 during the ordeal.

Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said that one of the first calls made following Danelo Cavalcante’s capture was to the family of his victim Deborah Brandao.

Cavalcante murdered his then-girlfriend Brandao in 2021 in front of her two small children. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison this August.

“Our nightmare is finally over and the good guys won,” said DA Ryan.

“We never lost faith that this capture would take place and knew it was just a matter of time.”

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said that Danelo Cavalcante was captured just after 8am local time on Wednesday morning.

“He was apprehended with no shots fired,” he said.

“First and foremost, thank god there were no injuries to law enforcement or the public... we were deeply concerned after the supect was able to [get a firearm]”.

The governor thanked the “extraordinary work of law enforcement officials” including Pennsylvania State Police, federal partners and local officials.

Lt Col George Bivens said on Wednesday that a K-9 with Border Patrol had helped agents surprise Cvaalcante and secure his capture.

Cavalcante sustained a minor injury on his scalp from the confrontation with the dog. A Border Patrol told The Independent that the K9 behind the heroic efforts was a four-year-old Belgian Malinois named Yoda.

“The men and women of US Customs and Border Protection provide integral law enforcement support to local authorities, protecting and serving local communities around the country alongside our partners,” the spokesperson said. “Today’s actions are the latest demonstration of how our agents and officers bring incredible capability, additional interagency communications technology, and dedication to keep our communities safe. Most importantly, all those involved in the search were able to return home safe following the end to this manhunt.”

Fugitive murder convict Danelo Cavalcante has finally been captured 14 days after his prison escape in northwestern Pennsylvania.

For nearly two weeks following his escape from the Chester County Prison on 31 August, Cavalcante not only eluded hundreds of US Marshalls, SWAT, FBI and state and local law enforcement officers but also managed to sneak past the established search perimeter time and time again - and even stole a rifle from a home.

Over the weekend, the fugitive drove more than 25 miles from his initial hiding spot in Longwood Gardens after stealing a van that he then discarded in East Nantmeal Township. Then on Monday night, he broke inside a garage in South Coventry Township and stole a .22 rifle before fleeing the scene.

Residents of the suburban Pennsylvania county grew increasingly frustrated as police scrambled to keep up with Cavalcante’s moves.

Finally, on Wednesday morning, police announced Cavalcante’s capture.

Here’s a timeline of the stunning case:

Just a day before Cavalcante was captured on Wednesday, his mother Iracema Cavalcante said in an interview with The New York Times that she believed her 34-year-old son would be better off dead than spending the rest of his life behind bars for the April 2021 murder of his former girlfriend Deborah Brandao.

“If it’s to go to a place to suffer and die in that place, it’s better to die soon,” Ms Cavalcante told the Times on Tuesday. “You don’t have to suffer so much.”

Ms Cavalante acknowledged that her son killed his former ex-girlfriend in front of her young children but claimed that he only did it because he felt cornered.

“Did it happen? It happened,” Ms Cavalcante told the Times. “But it happened because of the stranglehold she put on him, the stance she took with him ... It wasn’t femicide. He had to, he had no other choice.”

Cavalcante’s processing at the Pennsylvania State Police barracks in Avondale was finished on Wednesday, FOX29 reports.

The murder convict was expected to be transferred to a high-security state facility.

Cavalcante was arrested without incident shortly after 8am on Wednesday, Governor Josh Shapiro confirmed during a press conference.

“I want to say thank you to the public for their vigilance,” Gov Shapiro said. “This has been a tough and concerning time. We want to thank you for your support to law enforcement and for your support to the efforts that led to this capture.”

The fugitive was found hiding under logs inside a shed at a business dealership in Pottstown with the rifle he had previously stolen from a home in South Coventry Township, FOX29 reports. Aerial footage of the capture showed dozens of Border Patrol tactical unit officers surrounding Cavalcante, who was wearing a grey Eagles hooded sweatshirt and dark pants.

Officers then cleaned Cavalcante’s bloodied face and escorted him out of the woods and into a SWAT tactical car, where they proceeded to cut off Cavalcante’s clothing.