Danelo Cavalcante, a convicted murderer who escaped from a Pennsylvania prison late last month, has been captured.
Cavalcanteescaped from the Chester County Prisonin on Aug. 31 in Chester County, Pa., and was later tracked down in the county.
The 34-year-old was convicted of stabbing his girlfriend in July, and is also wanted on a homicide accusation in Brazil, authorities previously said.
The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP)announced the newsWednesday morning. At a press conference, PSP Lt. Col. George Bivens said authorities started getting closer to Cavalcante shortly after midnight Wednesday morning, when a burglar alarm sounded in a residence that was within the parameters of their search.
The investigation did not find anything, but it brought the team closer to the area. Subsequently, authorities were able to monitor Cavalcante’s movements using an overhead aircraft which identified a “heat source” on the ground, Bivens said.
“The tactical teams began to converge on that location where the heat source was moving,” Bivens said, adding that aircraft had to come down from the sky for a period due to lightning in the area.
PA State Police/ Facebook
The team then secured the area until the storm passed and the aircraft was able to operate again. Once the operation resumed, officers located Cavalcante and surrounded him at about 8 a.m. Wednesday.
Cavalcante did not know he was being surrounded, and once he realized he had been cornered, he tried to crawl through a bush, taking a rifle he had previously stolen with him.
However, law enforcement had a dog that “subdued” him, Bivens said, later adding that Cavalcante suffered a minor bite injury.
Calvante was taken into custody. He will be transferred to a state correctional facility, said Bivens.
As of Tuesday, Cavalcante was considered armed with a 22-caliber rifle and ammunition after he stole it from an owner in Pottstown, Pa., according to authorities.
Danelo Cavalcante.Pennsylvania State Police Depart/AFP via Getty
Pennsylvania State Police Depart/AFP via Getty
The owner of the rifleshot several times at Cavalcante, but authorities had “no reason to believe” that he was injured in the shooting, Bivenssaid in a press conferenceon Tuesday morning.
Cavalcante was spotted at least twice on Monday evening, and belongings believed to be his were found in the vicinity, according to authorities.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Bivens urged residents in the area to stay vigilant and keep their doors locked. The schools on Tuesday were closed in the Owen J. Roberts School District, which is in northern Chester County.
On Sunday, local authorities said Cavalcante wasspotted multiple timesover the weekend as he tried to reach out to former associates who alerted authorities. A doorbell video captured his attempt, and revealed that he had changed his appearance.
At Tuesday’s press conference, Bivens said the fugitive was “beyond assistance” at that point.
“He has killed two people previously,” the lieutenant added. “I would suspect he is desperate enough to use that weapon.”
source: people.com
