Newly released body cam footage has revealed the moment Pennsylvania police confronted murder suspect Luigi Mangione at a McDonald’s, a year to the day after his dramatic arrest. The video, submitted in a Manhattan court on Tuesday, shows Altoona Police Officer Joseph Detwiler approaching Mangione, who was sitting alone at a corner table with a medical mask covering most of his face. Detwiler asks him to lower the mask, prompting Mangione to comply before giving the false name “Mark Rosario.”
The officers had been alerted by customers who believed the man’s distinctive eyebrows resembled images circulated by New York authorities days earlier. Mangione, 27, was wanted for the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street on 4 December 2024, a killing that triggered a five-day manhunt across several states.As Detwiler asked for identification, Mangione produced a New Jersey ID bearing his photograph but the alias he had provided. A second officer, Tyler Frye, can be heard relaying the document details over the radio, as the situation rapidly escalated into the arrest that has since become central to pretrial hearings in New York.
Evidence fight intensifies in Manhattan Court
The release of the video comes as Mangione’s legal team seeks to suppress the evidence gathered during the Altoona arrest, including a handgun, silencer, loaded magazine, passport, notes, and what prosecutors describe as a manifesto. Officers have testified that the search of Mangione’s backpack was conducted partly out of concern for public safety, though defence lawyers argue that police lacked a warrant and exceeded their authority.Testimony this week described the moment a loaded magazine was discovered wrapped in underwear, prompting one officer to say on camera, “It’s him, 100%.” Additional footage shows officers finding a notebook, travel plans, and to-do lists referencing eyebrow plucking, new shoes, and methods for avoiding surveillance.Prosecutors contend that the firearm matches the one used in Thompson’s killing and that Mangione’s writings point to a motive linked to hostility towards health insurers. Witnesses also described evidence of his movements after the shooting, including travel through Newark, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh under various aliases.
High-stakes hearings ahead of trial
Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland family, has pleaded not guilty to both state and federal charges. The hearings — now in their fifth day — will determine whether key items seized in Altoona can be shown to a future jury. A ruling to exclude the material could narrow the case significantly as prosecutors prepare for what is expected to be a major trial.
