Luigi Mangione expressed visible astonishment at the large crowd assembled outside a Pennsylvania courtroom following his arraignment for the alleged murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024. This reaction was noted by a local police officer.
On Tuesday, Mangione was back in Manhattan Criminal Court for the sixth day of hearings focused on whether certain evidence should be excluded from his upcoming trial. During these proceedings, Altoona Police Officer Stephen Fox testified that Mangione was taken aback by the crowd at his Pennsylvania arraignment in December 2024.
“All these people are here for a mass murder, wild,” Mangione reportedly commented as he exited the courtroom, according to Officer Fox.
Mangione’s arrest took place at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on December 9, 2024. It was an employee at the fast-food establishment who recognized Mangione and informed a colleague, leading to a call to the police. Mangione is now facing multiple state and federal charges linked to the alleged murder.
“I’m a manager at Plank Road McDonald’s out here on the boulevard,” a McDonald’s manager reported to the 911 dispatcher. “I have a customer here who some other customers were suspicious of. They think he resembles the CEO shooter from New York.”
Officer Fox stated that his certainty about Mangione being the suspect in Thompson’s death was solidified when Mangione smiled at him.
Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Supreme Court during a hearing in the murder case of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York, Dec. 8, 2025. (Sarah Yenesel/pool via Reuters)
Photo evidence showing the possessions of Luigi Mangione during the arrest for the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Pictured: Mangione’s planned escape route with clothing notes. (Manhattan District Attorney’s Office)
Evidence collected after the arrest of Luigi Mangione and presented by the Manhattan DA during a suppression hearing is shown here. Pictured: Mangione’s passport, driver’s license, debit and credit cards, and a wallet (Manhattan District Attorney’s Office)
On Monday, Altoona Police Officer Christy Wasser testified that she found a magazine with bullets wrapped in wet underwear that was inside the alleged assassin’s backpack.
“There was another magazine hidden in his underwear,” Wasser can be heard saying.
Luigi Mangione allegedly killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (AP Photo/UnitedHealth Group via AP)
Mangione’s lawyers argue that their client’s Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights were violated, which protect against unreasonable searches and seizures as well as the right to due process.
Prosecutors say that police acted within the law, arguing that the warrantless search of Mangione’s bag after his arrest was legal, adding that the only non-Mirandized statement he gave was allegedly giving officers a fake name.
Mangione faces numerous state and federal charges in relation to the alleged murder.
