Pennsylvania police defend against criticism of Danelo Cavalcante manhunt after revealing killer is armed

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Authorities have pushed back against heavy criticism over their manhunt for escaped murder convict Danelo Cavalcante.

Pennsylvania State Police gave an update on the ongoing search for Cavalcante after it was revealed that the fugitive broke into a home in South Coventry Township on Monday night and stole a rifle.

Since his escape from Chester County Prison on 31 August, Cavalcante has travelled more than 30 miles from his initial hiding spot in Longwood Gardens. US Marshalls, FBI, SWAT teams and local and state police have scrambled to keep up with Cavalcante’s moves, despite assertions by officials that the manhunt is “wearing him down.”

During a press conference on Tuesday morning, Lt Col George Bivens downplayed the fact that Cavalcante is now armed. Mr Bivens insisted that the initially established search perimeter was strong and no mistakes were made — a perimeter that had to be repeatedly expanded as Cavalcante kept sneaking past it, until it was dropped altogether on Monday.

“We have considered him dangerous from the very start, it changes nothing,” Mr Bivens told reporters. “We just now absolutely know that he has a weapon.”

Mr Bivens went on to blame the vast wooded area in Longwood Gardens for Cavalcante’s success in eluding hundreds of officers. Despite remarks by US Marshalls on Monday that law enforcement now had the upper hand after Cavalcante moved to an urban area, Mr Bivens said that search teams are facing the same challenges they did in the immediate aftermath of Cavalcante’s escape more than 12 days ago.

Mr Bivens commended law enforcement, noting that they had done an “amazing job” tracking Cavalcante, some officers reportedly even working 20-hour shifts. He then lashed out at reporters when asked what he believed “had gone wrong” with the search.

“I don’t know why you’d think something has gone wrong,” Mr Bivens said. “That proverbial needle in the haystack, and they’ve located that needle repeatedly.”

Around 500 officers were hunting for Cavalcante on Tuesday as one school district remained closed and residents were told to secure their homes and be vigilant. The search is no longer contained to a perimeter but the focus is on South Coventry Township in Chester County — near Route 23 to the North, Route 100 to the East, Fairview and Nantmeal roads to the South and Ambridge and Country Park roads to the West.

While authorities have been on Cavalcante’s heels thanks to several sightings by the community in recent days, they have not successfully located the “extremely dangerous” killer.

Around 8pm on Monday, a motorist told 911 dispatchers that a male figure had crouched near the woodline near Route 100. Troopers responding to the scene investigated the sighting and found footprints on the mud consistent with Cavalcante’s prison shoes, which were also found in the area.

Mr Bivens said that although authorities arrived at the scene within minutes, Cavalcante managed to travel a significant distance during that time.

“Just because they found a footprint doesn’t mean that we know what direction he travelled,” Mr Bivens said.

A resident of the area called shortly after to report that a pair of workboots on her porch had been stolen. Then at 10.10pm, a homeowner reported that a “short Hispanic man” broke inside his garage.

Mr Bivens said that Cavalcante stole a .22 rifle with a scope and a flashlight on it. The homeowner opened fire on Cavalcante with his pistol but the fugitive is not believed to have been injured.

Cavalcante fled before Pennsylvania State Police arrived at the scene. Near the edge of the driveway, authorities found clothes that Cavalcante had been spotted wearing over the weekend.

Before that, Cavalcante was seen in Phoenixville, where he showed up at the door of two former coworkers and unsuccessfully tried to get help from them. Cavalcante had previously stolen a van near a dairy farm in Longwood Gardens that he later abandoned in East Nantmeal Township and was recovered by police on Sunday.

Cavalcante was sentenced to life in prison for the April 2021 murder of his former girlfriend Deborah Brandao. In Brazil, prosecutors in Tocantins state said Cavalcante is accused of “double qualified homicide” in the 2017 slaying of Válter Júnior Moreira dos Reis in Figueirópolis, which they said was over a debt the victim owed him for repairing a vehicle.

He escaped from Chester County prison while awaiting transfer to a state facility.

To escape, Cavalcante scaled a wall by crab-walking up from the recreation yard, climbed over razor wire, ran across a roof and jumped to the ground. His escape went undetected for more than an hour until guards took a headcount.

The tower guard on duty has since been fired.

A $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his capture.