The New York Police Department confirmed authorities have taken a 26-year-old man into custody in connection to the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The man, identified as Luigi Mangione, was pulled over and arrested in Pennsylvania. He appeared in court in Blair County Monday evening for arraignment.
According to court documents, Mangione faces five charges: Forgery, felony carrying a firearm without a license, misdemeanor tampering, misdemeanor possessing instruments of crime and false identification to law enforcement.
Mangione has been held without bail and is currently in a state prison in Huntingdon County. Police say he will ultimately be extradited New York to face charges there in connection with Thompson's death. Authorities said on Monday night that Mangione would likely face murder charges — but no such charges have been filed yet.
Booking photo of Luigi Mangione (QQ7787): https://t.co/5VIC4r4s0T pic.twitter.com/XKmJhxTl9V
— PA Department of Corrections (@CorrectionsPA) December 10, 2024
Mangione was stopped after authorities got a tip from a McDonald's in Altoona, about 230 miles west of New York. Authorities say a customer spotted the man and notified restaurant staff, who called police.
Mangione was reportedly acting suspiciously and presented officers with a fake ID. According to court documents, when police asked him if he had been in New York recently, he began to shake.
"Officers recovered a firearm on his person as well as a suppressor, both consistent with the murder," said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. "They also recovered clothing, including a mask consistent with those worn by our wanted individual."
Police say the pistol they found in Mangione's backpack had a metal slide and barrel and a plastic handle. They also found a plastic suppressor, six 9mm bullets in a Glock magazine and one loose round.
Authorities believe the firearm was a "ghost gun" that was likely made with a 3D printer.
Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks said Mangione was also carrying a box of face masks, a passport and some $10,000, including $2,000 worth of foreign currency.
Officials said they had warrants to search electronic devices Mangione was carrying.
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Writings that could shed light on Mangione's mindset were also recovered and would be turned over to NYPD, police said. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said the materials suggested Mangione harbored "ill will toward corporate America."
Officials say they believe Mangione traveled around the area after Thompson was killed, moving from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.
“Based on everything we have seen, he was very careful with trying to stay low profile, avoid cameras — not all that successfully in some cases, but that was certainly the effort he was making," Pennyslvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said. “He took steps to try and avoid detection with some of the electronic devices as well.”
Thompson was shot and killed outside of a Midtown Manhattan hotel on Wednesday. The words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were written on shell casings found at the site of the shooting, police said.
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The Associated Press reports that Mangione graduated in 2016 as valedictorian from Gilman School, an all-boys high school in Baltimore, Maryland.
