UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect faces five charges in Pennsylvania

Luigi Mangione, the suspect being questioned by police in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has been charged with five crimes in Pennsylvania after authorities arrested him Monday morning, according to a newly released criminal complaint.

Mangione is accused of forgery, carrying a firearm without a license, tampering with records or identification, possessing instruments of crime and false identification to law enforcement authorities.

He has not yet been charged directly over Thompson’s death, but Blair County, Pa., District Attorney Pete Weeks said at a Monday press conference that Mangione is expected to face a homicide charge “in the very near future.”

The initial charges were unveiled as Mangione appeared for a preliminary arraignment Monday evening at the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pa., which is located a few miles from where Mangione was arrested Monday morning at a McDonald’s in Altoona. 

According to the newly released complaint, officers found Mangione in the rear of the fast-food chain. He allegedly initially provided a false New Jersey driver’s license as identification and “started to shake” when asked if he had been to New York recently.

After being told he was under investigation and could be arrested if he was lying, Mangione then told officers his real name and birthdate, according to the complaint. The complaint states Mangione told the officers “I clearly shouldn’t have” lied, and he was then placed into custody and transported to the Altoona Police Department station.

“My partner and I recognized him immediately just from what we saw on the media with photos, videos. We just didn't even think twice about it. We knew that was our guy. But he was very cooperative with us. Didn't really give us too many issues,” Tyler Frye, an Altoona Police Department officer who arrested Mangione, said at Monday’s press conference.

Authorities said they searched his backpack and discovered a 3D-printed pistol with one loaded Glock magazine and a 3D-printed silencer.

Mangione’s arrest concluded a multiday manhunt that began after Thompson was shot early Wednesday morning outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan. 

The search captivated national attention, with police releasing multiple photos of a person of interest. An employee at the Altoona McDonald’s recognized Mangione after being alerted by a customer and called local police, officials said.

“The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald's this morning,”  Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) said at the press conference.

Story updated at 8:03 p.m. EDT