'Proud of their work': Law enforcement pose for photo with Danelo Cavalcante after capture
Law enforcement catches criticism for group picture with captured killer
A crowd of heavily armed law enforcement agents surrounded Danelo Cavalcante after he was recaptured to end a two week long manhunt. The photo op sparked criticism online, while people authorities in charge lauded the moment as a sign of a job well done.
Aerial video captured by FOX 29 on the morning authorities captured an escaped killer showed tactical officers posing for a group photo with the handcuffed convict.
About 30 law enforcement officers in tactical gear could be seen smiling for the cameras moments after pulling a bloodied Danelo Cavalcante out from behind a business in Chester County.
SKYFOX video showed the 34-year-old killer surrounded by members of the U.S. Border Patrol's BORTAC unit and the Special Emergency Response Team of the Pennsylvania State Police. Two K-9 officers involved in Cavalcante's capture were also pictured.
Law enforcement could be seen posing for photos with a bloodied Danelo Cavalcante after his capture. (FOX 29 Philadelphia)
Cavalcante acrobatically escaped Chester County prison nearly two weeks ago and had evaded capture ever since. In the days following his escape, he was spotted more than a dozen times by police, residents, trail cameras, and even doorbell cameras.
Law enforcement faced criticism during the two-week search, especially after Cavalcante was able to steal a van from a dairy business and escape an original perimeter about 20 miles from where he was later captured.
The search intensified this week when a homeowner came face to face with Cavalcante in his garage and fired at the convicted murderer as many as seven times with a handgun. Cavalcante avoided injury and ran off with a .22 caliber rifle authorities say was equipped with a scope and flashlight.
Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens was asked about the photo opportunity Wednesday morning during a press conference detailing Cavalcante’s capture.
"Those men and women worked amazingly hard, through some very trying circumstances," PSP Lt. Col. George Bivens told reporters when asked about it during a news briefing Wednesday morning, just over an hour after Cavalcante's arrest. "I’m not bothered at all by the fact that they took a photograph with him in custody."
"They’re proud of their work," he added. "They kept the community safe. I say thanks to them and good job."
SKYFOX video also revealed that Cavalcante was wearing a Philadelphia Eagles sweatshirt at the time of his capture – one that police believe he either found or stole while at large.
Danelo Cavalcante captured: Escaped killer subdued by K9 before being apprehended in 14-day search
The frantic manhunt for an escaped killer that sent hundreds of law enforcement agents swarming through terrified communities has come to an end after the fugitive was taken into custody two weeks later.
Aerial footage showed an officer cutting it off Cavalcante as was loaded into a police truck.
The governor promised to deliver a new one to the owner.
"Whoever had their Eagles hoodie stolen, if you could let us know," Shapiro said, "I’ll do my best to get you one of those new kelly green ones."
Cavalcante will be transferred to a state correctional facility where he will serve out a life sentence for the murder of his ex-girlfriend in 2021. He is also the suspect in a 2017 murder in Brazil.