The man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in cold blood on a New York City sidewalk was indicted late Monday on weapons, forgery and other charges in Pennsylvania. This comes just hours after he was arrested at a McDonald's after a five-day manhunt.
Luigi Mangione, 26, was ordered held without bail after a brief arraignment in Blair County Court in Altoona.
Mangione did not enter a plea, but acknowledged to the judge that he understood the charges against him.
Authorities say the suspect, identified in surveillance images disseminated by the New York City Police Department in the wake of last week's brazen shooting outside a Manhattan hotel, was seen eating at a McDonald's in Altoona when he attacked customers and employees. He was spotted by a police officer and arrested early Monday.
According to the indictment, the suspect was found with a 3D-printed “ghost gun” and a silencer hidden in his backpack, as well as writings suggesting he was angry at American companies.
In court, prosecutors said Mangione was also found to have a passport and $10,000 in cash, including $2,000 in foreign currency, at the time of his arrest.
However, Mangione challenged that amount at the hearing.
Authorities said the Maryland man had multiple IDs, including a fake New Jersey ID that matched the one the gunman used to check into an Upper West Side hostel days before the shooting. He was also found to be in possession of fraudulent identification documents.
What we know about the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
- Brian Thompson, CEO of insurance giant UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed in a “brazen, targeted attack” outside a luxury midtown hotel on Wednesday, police said.
- Mr. Thompson was appointed CEO of UnitedHealth in April 2021. He joined the company in 2004. He was one of several senior executives at the company under investigation by the Justice Department.
- Thompson's wife, Paulette, said she had received threats before her husband was killed.
- Thompson's shooting sparked an online frenzy and even spurred a tasteless lookalike contest in New York.
- A dignitary was arrested by police inside a McDonald's store in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
- The suspect has been identified as Luigi Mangione, 26, of Towson, Maryland. He was a former Ivy League student who hated the medical world.
Follow the Post's live updates on news about Brian Thompson's murder.
Officers responding to a 911 call early Monday morning said they noticed the suspect shortly after they approached him inside the fast food restaurant and asked him to remove the blue surgical mask he was wearing.
“We didn't think too much about it. We knew it was our guy,” Altoona Police Officer Tyler Fry, a rookie with just six months on the job, told a news conference. He spoke at
When the officer asked Mangione if he had been to New York recently, Mangione “became quiet and began to shake,” according to the indictment.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said he expected Mangione to be indicted in New York soon. Investigators are still looking into a possible motive, but officials say the killing is believed to be related to the treatment of a sick relative by the large U.S. medical industry.
