BALTIMORE — The alleged gunman who shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is originally from the Towson area.
Luigi Mangione, 26, was taken into custody Monday morning at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Investigators were tipped off by an employee who spotted Mangione eating inside the fast food restaurant.
He's accused of gunning down Thompson outside a Hilton hotel in Manhattan last week.
Police say Mangione was found in possession of several pieces of evidence linking him to Thompson's murder.
Among those items, a fake New Jersey ID Mangione reportedly used to check into a New York City hostel prior to the shooting.
According to charging documents, the ID falsely identified Mangione as Mark Rosario.
When threatened with arrest for lying, Mangione provided officers his real name.
Asked if he'd been to New York recently, police say Mangione became quiet and started to shake.
Additionally, police said Mangione was carrying a loaded 3D printed 9mm ghost gun and silencer linked to the murder scene.
A three-page handwritten note, reportedly critical of corporate America, was also seized, revealing a potential motive for the killing.
Luigi Mangione arrives to court, screaming at the media.
Mangione was born and raised in Baltimore County.
He graduated in 2016 from Gilman School as class valedictorian, before attending the University of Pennsylvania earning an engineering degree.
Gilman issued this statement following news of his arrest.
"Luigi Mangione’s suspected involvement in this case is deeply distressing news on top of an already awful situation. Our hearts go out to everyone affected. Here on campus, our focus will remain on caring for and educating our students."
The Mangione family is well known throughout the state.
Mangione's cousin is sitting Maryland State Delegate Nino Mangione, who represents District 42A.
The extended family owns Hayfields Country Club in Hunt Valley, Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City, and WCBM, an AM talk radio station based out of Owings Mills. They've also been major donors to local hospitals like GBMC, who called them "champions of high-quality healthcare."
Investigators say Mangione last lived in Hawaii. Police said they are not aware of any prior arrests.
Until Monday, a nationwide manhunt was ongoing in search of Thompson's killer.
Over the weekend NYPD released surveillance photos of the man now identified as Mangione, leading to a large number of tips being called in.
For now, Mangione remains held in Pennsylvania on a slew of charges including firearms violations, forgery, and presenting false identification to law enforcement. He's expected to be extradited to New York in the near future to face murder charges
UnitedHealth issued this statement reacting to the arrest.
"Our hope is that today's apprehension brings some relief to Brian's family, friends, colleagues and the many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy. We thank law enforcement and will continue to work with them on this investigation. We ask that everyone respect the family's privacy as they mourn."
