Police arrested a suspect Monday in the brazen killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO after a fast-moving McDonald’s customer in Pennsylvania spotted a man officers found with a gun, a mask and writings linking him to the ambush.
Luigi Nicholas Mangione, 26, an Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family, possessed a gun believed to be the one used in the shooting of Brian Thompson last Wednesday in Manhattan, as well as writings suggesting anger against American companies, police said.
He was charged with possession of a firearm without a license, forgery and providing false identification to police. Authorities said they expected murder charges to be filed in New York in the coming days.
The latest details of the case, including developments from a Monday evening court hearing and UnitedHealth Group’s reaction to the arrest, are available below:
Suspect held without bail
Mangione was arraigned and held without bail during a brief court hearing. When asked if he needed a public defender, he asked if he could “answer that question at a later date.” He will ultimately be extradited to New York to face charges related to Thompson’s death, Kenny said.
UnitedHealth Group comments on arrest
“We hope that today’s arrest brings some relief to family, friends, colleagues and the many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy,” a UnitedHealth Group spokesperson said Monday. “We thank law enforcement and will continue to work with them on this investigation. We ask everyone to respect the privacy of families as they grieve.
UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect shaken when police confronted him, cops say
Altoona police said officers were dispatched to a McDonald’s Monday morning to respond to reports of a man matching the description of the man wanted in connection with the killing of the United Healthcare CEO in New York.
Mangione was sitting in the back of the McDonald’s, wearing a blue medical mask and looking at a laptop, according to court documents. A customer saw him and an employee called 911, said NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry.
Altoona Police Officer Tyler Frye said he and his partner immediately recognized the suspect when he pulled down his mask. “We just didn’t think twice about it.” We knew he was our guy,” he said.
When one of the officers asked him if he had been to New York recently, he “went silent and started shaking,” according to a criminal complaint based on their account of the arrest.
In his backpack, police found a black 3D-printed pistol and a black 3D-printed silencer, the complaint states. The gun had a metal slide and plastic grip with a threaded metal barrel. He was taken into custody around 9:15 a.m., police said.
Mangione wore clothing and a mask similar to those worn by the shooter, as well as a fake New Jersey ID matching the one the suspect used to check into a New York inn before the shooting, said New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
The Pennsylvania State Police Department held a press conference following the arrest of a person of interest in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The man is charged with two felonies, including second-degree forgery and counting of firearms, and three misdemeanors.
Suspect had ‘ghost gun,’ police say
“At this time, the information we are receiving from Altoona is that the weapon appears to be a ghost gun that may have been made on a 3D printer, capable of firing a 9mm round,” the chief of detectives said of the NYPD, Joseph Kenny. during a press briefing.
Ghost guns, almost untraceable weapons that can be made at home, have increasingly appeared at crime scenes across the United States in recent years.
Suspect’s background details revealed
Mangione attended an elite Baltimore prep school and graduated valedictorian in 2016, according to the school’s website. He then earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 at the University of Pennsylvania, a school spokesperson said.
One of his cousins is a Maryland state legislator, and his family bought a country club north of Baltimore in the 1980s. On Monday, police blocked an entrance to the property, which public records link to the suspect’s parents. A swarm of journalists and photographers gathered outside.
Mangione traveled from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh after the shooting and “was likely in various locations throughout the state,” said Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police.
“Based on everything we saw, he was very careful trying to keep a low profile, avoid the cameras – not very successful in some cases, but it was certainly the effort he was making,” Bivens said.
