Murderer Danelo Cavalcante was seen leaving a Pennsylvania State Police station on Wednesday, wearing a hospital gown with noticeable bloodstains. New photos have surfaced showing the hero K-9 that managed to arrest him just hours earlier. Cavalcante was captured on Wednesday after he broke out of the Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania on August 31.
He was escorted out of the Pottstown station by heavily armed cops, who placed him inside an armored vehicle and transported him away. The 34-year-old Brazilian still bore a battered and bloodied face after being routed out from a woodpile on Wednesday morning. He was led along the pavement with his wrists and ankles cuffed, and his feet bare.
With a Bloodied Face
Onlookers stood by, filming the scene and cheering as the murderer was escorted away. Cavalcante was arrested on Wednesday morning when K9 units tracked him down, finding him lying in hiding with a stolen .22 caliber rifle by his side.
He tried to crawl away during his attempt to evade the police, Lt. Colonel George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police said during a press conference. However, his escape was thwarted when a police dog bit him.
Images captured at the time of the arrest showed Yoda, the K-9 later identified by name, sitting with its front paws encircling Cavalcante's feet and its mouth positioned near his calves. Simultaneously, officers in camouflage tactical attire subdued his bloodied body on the ground and restrained him with handcuffs.
Yoda is a member of the U.S. Border Patrol Border Patrol Tactical K9 unit, who was drafted in to assist in tracking down Cavalcante.
The murderer was wearing a Philadelphia Eagles hoodie when he was captured, and his forehead was streaked with blood from the K9's scalp bite. Police were able to arrest him without firing a single shot.
"Cavalcante did not realize he was surrounded until he was," Bivens said regarding the stealthy capture operation. The operation commenced at approximately 1 am on Wednesday when a DEA aircraft detected a heat signature in the dense vegetation, reportedly located behind a tractor supply store in South Coventry Township.
From the Beginning Again
In addition to his murder conviction for the killing of his ex-girlfriend, there are now pending additional charges that will be handled by the District Attorney's Office, according to Bevin.
Early morning lighting conditions necessitated the grounding of tactical aircraft, prompting ground units to patiently await the opportune moment for their operation.
Cavalcante was ultimately located to the west of PA 100 and north of Prizer Road, near the location where a burglar alarm was activated on Tuesday night.
Police removed his hoodie to ensure there were no concealed weapons.
During the press conference, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro humorously pledged to replace the hoodie, as it is assumed that Cavalcante had acquired it from someone during his 14-day period on the run.
Following the capture, SWAT teams gathered for a group photo alongside their apprehended subject.
While some critics found the photo opportunity to be in poor taste, Bevins dismissed these opinions during the press conference and commended the officers who played a role in the successful capture. "Those men and women worked amazingly hard. I'm not bothered at all," Bivens said, shrugging.
"They're proud of their work."
Cavalcante managed to escape from prison shortly after receiving a life sentence for the fatal stabbing of his ex-girlfriend, Deborah Brandão, in April 2021.
He is under suspicion for the shooting death of a friend in Brazil in 2017, allegedly related to car payment issues.
Following the 2017 killing in Brazil, he evaded capture by hiding in the Brazilian countryside for several weeks before unlawfully entering the United States.
The search for the 5-foot-tall suspect engaged a significant law enforcement effort, involving hundreds of officers across southeastern Pennsylvania. As a result, several school closures occurred as residents took precautionary measures, securing their homes tightly.
