Luigi Mangione’s distinctively bushy eyebrows played a crucial role in his capture, as customers at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s suspected he could be linked to the shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. These suspicions were aired in court on Monday, shedding light on the circumstances leading to his arrest.

The 27-year-old, accused of the point-blank murder, had evaded capture for five days before law enforcement officers in Altoona, Pennsylvania, apprehended him at the fast-food restaurant. This swift action followed a customer’s observation aligning Mangione’s features with those of the wanted suspect in New York City.

Just moments before Mangione’s arrest, the McDonald’s manager placed a 911 call, reporting that patrons had identified Mangione’s eyebrows as matching those of the high-profile fugitive. “It’s not really an emergency, but I have a customer here that some other customers were suspicious of, that he looks like the CEO shooter from New York,” said the manager, as audio of the call was played during proceedings at the Manhattan Supreme Court.

The manager further explained that an older female customer became extremely upset and frantic upon seeing Mangione dining at the back of the establishment. Her agitation was compounded by Mangione’s apparent attempt to act inconspicuous, according to a report by ABC News.

During the call, the manager expressed reluctance to confront Mangione directly. “I can’t approach him,” she told the dispatcher, who acknowledged the gravity of the situation by replying, “He shot the CEO, I got you.”

‘I can’t approach him,’ the female manager told a dispatcher at one point int he phone call, to which the dispatcher responded: ‘He shot the CEO, I got you.’ 

At that point, the manager tried to identify Mangione by his size – ‘mid-height’ and ‘mid-weight,’ but seemed to struggle to list any identifiable characteristics beyond his clothing – a black sweater jacket with a medical mask and a tan beanie pulled down.

‘The only thing you can see is his eyebrows,’ the manager then revealed.

Luigi Mangione, 27, appeared in Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday as his lawyers urged a judge to bar damning evidence from being heard at his murder trial

A 911 call played in court revealed that customers at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania recognized the suspect from images the NYPD released showing his bushy eyebrows

Mangione is facing murder charges for the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, nearly one year ago

She went on to tell dispatchers that the suspect was ‘by the back of our lobby by the bathroom.’

‘I don’t know what to do here, guys,’ she said, to which the dispatcher told her to just make sure the suspect did not leave the premises as she assured the manager that cops were on their way.

Officers arrived at the fast food restaurant just moments later, and were seen in body camera footage approaching the suspect, prompting him to pull down his mask.

The Pennsylvania cops then proceeded to ask Mangione several questions, before Patrolman Joseph Detwiler relayed information from a New Jersey driver’s license under the name Mark Rosario to a dispatcher, in another recording played in court on Monday.

Prosecutors have claimed that Mangione gave police a fake ID, which he had earlier used when he checked into a New York City hostel ahead of the shooting.

After apparently determining that the license was fake, responding officers then called in the name Luigi Mangione and a birthdate.

‘It came back with a response from Maryland that the license is valid with no warrants,’ prosecutors argued.

But Mangione’s attorneys are trying to bar that evidence from being heard at his upcoming trial, claiming that officers started asking their client questions before telling him he had a right to remain silent.

They also argued that some of the District Attorney’s proposed witnesses should not be tasked with identifying him to the jury, as they were not eyewitnesses to the crime – and had only viewed surveillance footage that the New York Police Department released during the days-long manhunt for the suspect.

Mangione’s lawyers have argued that some of the District Attorney’s proposed witnesses should not be tasked with identifying him to the jury, as they were not eyewitnesses to the crime

They also claimed police started questioning Mangione before telling him he had the right to remain silent. Body camera footage shows Mangione at the Altoona McDonald’s when he was confronted by a police officer on December 9, 2024 

The now 27-year-old was taken into custody from the McDonald’s

Mangione’s lawyers have further claimed that the Pennsylvania cops improperly seized evidence from his backpack – including a 3D printed 9mm handgun that prosecutors say matches the one used in the killing, a silencer and a notebook in which they say he described his intent to ‘wack’ a health insurance executive.

Those items, they argue, should be excluded from Mangione’s trial because police lacked a warrant to search the backpack in which they were found. 

Body camera footage showing a cop rifling through Mangione’s backpack, saying she was checking to ensure there ‘wasn’t a bomb’ inside, was an excuse ‘designed to cover up an illegal warrantless search of the backpack,’ the lawyers have claimed.

Eliminating the gun and notebook would be critical wins for Mangione’s defense and a major setback for prosecutors, depriving them of a possible murder weapon and evidence they say points to motive.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has quoted extensively from Mangione´s handwritten diary in court filings including his praise for Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.

In the journal, prosecutors say, Mangione mused about rebelling against ‘the deadly, greed fueled health insurance cartel’ and said killing an industry executive ‘conveys a greedy bastard that had it coming.’

Prosecutors allege Mangione is the suspect who was caught on surveillance footage shooting Thompson at point-blank range on December 4, 2024

Mangione’s defense is seeking to bar admission of items found in his backpack when he was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, because cops didn’t have a warrant – including a 3D printed gun and silencer (pictured) allegedly used in Thompson’s shooting 

Prosecutors seized a handwritten diary from Mangione’s backpack during his arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania that his attorneys are now trying to hide from jurors 

Attorneys on both sides sparred in court Monday over whether to allow the evidence at Mangione’s New York trial, where he faces charges of murder in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon.

The pre-trial hearings could last all week, meaning Mangione may be in court on December 4 – the first anniversary of the day Thompson was shot dead on the streets of Manhattan while walking to a hotel for his company´s annual investor conference.

The crime and Mangione’s ensuing arrest led him to become somewhat of a celebrity, with his fans saying that he had taken a ‘bite out of corruption.’

They appeared en masse as the alleged assassin appeared in court on Monday, wearing a selection of merchandise supporting the alleged killer and vying for his attention. 

Legions of young women were also seen gathered outside the courthouse for his latest appearance as State Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro hears from more than 20 witnesses before he makes a ruling on the admissibility of the evidence.