During a crucial hearing on evidence suppression, a Pennsylvania officer recounted the pivotal moment he apprehended alleged assassin Luigi Mangione at an Altoona McDonald’s last year. The officer, who was one of those involved in the arrest, reflected on the instant he suspected the man quietly having breakfast might actually be a notorious fugitive.

Altoona Police Officer Joseph Detwiler shared that he initially didn’t anticipate encountering the suspect when he was dispatched to the scene. However, upon arrival, he immediately recognized Mangione as the man wanted for questioning once his face mask was lowered.

Detwiler clarified that he never directly inquired if Mangione was responsible for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Instead, he asked for Mangione’s identification, questioned whether he had recently been in New York, and inquired about his origins, including if he was a local to Altoona.

Luigi Mangione attended an evidence hearing at the Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, in New York. (Michael M. Santiago/Pool Photo via AP)

The officer further testified that he never formally arrested Mangione at the time, did not obstruct his ability to leave, and avoided mentioning the New York City shooting directly.

However, Detwiler became cautious and moved Mangione’s bag, concerned it might contain a weapon, which heightened his suspicions about the man.

Later, police alleged they found the suspected murder weapon in the bag.

Mangione is accused of shooting Thompson from behind outside a Manhattan hotel last year.

This 2017 file photo of Brian Thompson was released via Businesswire when he was named chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare Unit in 2017. (Businesswire)

Police grabbed journals and other writing from Mangione’s backpack. They also took his fake New Jersey ID, under the name “Mark Rosario,” and recovered the alleged murder weapon and a 3D-printed silencer.

Mangione’s defense has argued that the search of his belongings without a warrant was unlawful, and therefore the evidence should be suppressed. Prosecutors countered that police were doing their job within the bounds of the law and that the search was justified without requiring a warrant.

The defense also wants some of Mangione’s statements suppressed.

Luigi Mangione was sitting in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, when police arrived to check on a tipster’s report after someone recognized him from a wanted poster. (Southern District of New York)

First he allegedly gave police a fake name — the one that appears on his alleged fake ID from New Jersey, which police say he used to check into the Manhattan hostel days before Thompson’s assassination.

He also, while in custody, allegedly blurted out something about having a 3D-printed gun. The Pennsylvania jail guard who heard that statement testified that the accused assassin brought it up on his own.