How Convicted Murderer Danelo Cavalcante Was Finally Captured After 13 Days on the Run

After evading authorities for nearly two weeks, fugitive Danelo Cavalcante was caught off guard when a tactical team tasked with finding him eventually cornered him in Chester County on Wednesday morning, authorities said at a Wednesday press conference.

As soon as he realized he was surrounded by law enforcement, Cavalcante tried to “crawl through thick underbrush” and take with him the firearm he stole on Monday evening from a local residence, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said at the press conference.

But it was too late for Cavalcante, who was “subdued” by a police dog who bit him, causing minor injuries, Bivens said.

The extensive search had brought in hundreds of law enforcement officials from a local, state and federal level. The search team finally caught up with him a little after midnight on Wednesday morning when they were alerted to a burglary alarm from a residence that was within their search parameters.

While an investigation into the burglary did not find anything, it brought the team closer to the area where Cavalcante would eventually be captured.

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.

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. on Wednesday.

Cavalcante was then taken into custody, and will be transferred to a state correctional facility, said Bivens.

Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said one of the first calls they made following the fugitive’s capture was to the family of Cavalcante’s ex-girlfriend’s family, who were “living in a complete nightmare.”

According to Bivens, Cavalcante “seemed to like to travel via creek beds, paths of less resistance, woodlines, power lines, [and] gas lines.”

Videos shared by CBS Philadelphia show a group of law enforcement personnel in tactical gear bring Cavalcante out of a truck, with a white cloth draped over him. He was shirtless and in a pair of black shorts, as two officers escorted him into a building.

Bivens said it’s not yet determined whether Cavalcante will be facing further charges for the escape, but he will remain in state prison to serve out his life sentence.