Danelo Cavalcante, Escaped Brazilian Murderer, Finally Arrested After 2-Week Manhunt; Was Brought Down by a Police Dog

Convicted Brazilian murderer Danelo Cavalcante has captured the imagination of many in the US and Brazil after his daring prison escape in Pennsylvania. Now, however, he is back in custody after a 2-week manhunt that had local residents, including the family of his victim, running scared.

The 34-year-old Brazil man was arrested in a wooded area in South Coventry Township in Pennsylvania. An elite search team was deployed to search for the convicted murderer, comprising of mounted patrols, search dogs, and aircraft. It was conducted while a thunderstorm was happening as well.

The BBC reported that over 500 police officers were part of the manhunt efforts since he made his daring escape from the Chester County Prison last August 31. He managed to elude them all, including dogs and aircraft, until now.

Calvalcante killed his ex-girlfriend, Deborah Brandão, stabbing her multiple times in front of her young children. Her family have been under 24-hour police protection since his escape and were afraid for their lives.

Escaped Brazilian Murderer Danelo Cavalcante Continued To Resist Even After Capture

To many living in the area where he escaped, there had been a sense of fear, especially after Cavalcante stole a .22 caliber rifle from a home he tried hiding in. Now, however, their fears are gone as the escaped Brazilian finally made his biggest mistake and tripped a burglar alarm and alerted police to his location.

Soon, police began swarming the area with dogs and aircraft, though the bad weather did force the aircraft to pull out of the search. Before this, however, a plane with a thermal imaging camera west of Pennsylvania Route 100 did capture a heat signal that police think belongs to the fugitive.

Soon enough, police surrounded the area where he had been hiding. "They had the element of surprise," said Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens at a news conference following Cavalcante's capture. "Cavalcante did not realize he was surrounded until that had occurred."

After discovering that he had been surrounded, Cavalcante still tried to escape and crawled through thick underbrush with the stolen rifle. However, a search dog was released and "subdued him" soon after. The Brazilian suffered a "minor" dog bite and was "forcibly" taken into custody. However, Bivens admitted that he continued to resist.

It was soon revealed that the dog bit the escaped convict in the crotch area, with Deputy US Marshal Robert Clark commenting about where he was bitten, saying that Cavalcante might "probably be in excruciating pain" as the bite area included his "thing."

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro Comments on Danelo Cavalcante Capture

The dramatic manhunt has been talked about in the US and Brazil, but none more so than in Pennsylvania. Even Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was talking about the daring escape and the subsequent manhunt and capture.

He stated that the "extraordinary work" of law enforcement and "a tremendous assist from members of the public" were the reasons why the convict got captured. He also confirmed that the escapee was "apprehended with no shots fired."

"He was desperate, and it was just a matter of time," Gov. Shapiro said at the news conference.

Cavalcante is also wanted in his native Brazil over a 2017 murder. Police also noted that this may be the reason why he killed his ex-girlfriend.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante captured following intense manhunt - ABC News