Police were doubtful of tip that led to Luigi Mangione’s arrest

The Pennsylvania police officer who received a tip that Luigi Mangione had been spotted at a local McDonald’s said he and his supervisor were so skeptical that they exchanged jokes about the alleged shooter.

Joseph Detwiler testified in a Manhattan court Tuesday that that tip ultimately led to Mangione’s arrest for the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Wilson in New York last December.

Mr. Mangione, 27, who has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges, was in court for a second day of proceedings to decide whether evidence from his arrest is admissible at trial.

His defense team wants key evidence tossed out, arguing he was not immediately advised of his rights.

“He said, ‘If you catch the New York shooter, I’ll buy you a hoagie at a local restaurant,'” Mr. Detwiler testified in court from text messages exchanged with his lieutenant. “I said, ‘Consider it done.'”

The advice Mr Detwiler was responding to was heard in court on Monday. The manager of the Altoona McDonald’s restaurant called a 911 dispatcher, who said customers thought they had spotted the suspect.

Footage from police body cameras and accompanying audio were also played in court during the pretrial hearing, which could last several days as defense attorneys are expected to call a slew of witnesses.

Mr. Mangione was arrested days after allegedly shooting Mr. Thompson, a father of two, as he walked to an investor conference on a busy Manhattan street on December 4, 2024.

The shooting sparked a cross-state manhunt for the suspected killer and ignited a debate over the for-profit health insurance industry in the United States.

Mr. Detwiler, a police officer from Altoona, Pennsylvania, and his partner were sent to the fast-food restaurant to follow up on the information.

Although the officer doubted its veracity — telling prosecutors he responded to the call in a “semi-sarcastic” tone — he learned within an hour that the call was legitimate.

Mr. Detwiler said he saw a man wearing a large coat, a brown cap and a medical mask sitting at a table next to the toilet, as the informant had indicated. He said he had passed by, wanting to see what Mr. Mangione would do when he saw the police officers in uniform, and asked for his name and identification card, which turned out to be false.

He said he then asked the man to pull down his mask and almost immediately knew it was Mr Mangione.

Footage played in court shows Mr Mangione eating hash browns and a steak sandwich, while Christmas music plays in the background, CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, reported.

Mr Detwiler, who could be heard whistling to the music, told the court he was “trying to keep things calm and normal”.

The officer told Mr. Mangione that they were confirming his identity when they were actually waiting for backup, making up a story that the restaurant had a policy regarding loitering. Mr. Mangione had been at this McDonald’s for approximately 40 minutes.

Mr. Mangione’s defense team hopes to convince a judge to exclude evidence, including a 9mm pistol and a notebook in which prosecutors say he exposed his motive.

Mr. Mangione’s legal team is also pushing to block the federal government from seeking the death penalty.

His lawyer, Karen Agnifilo, pressed Mr. Detwiler on how he identified Mr. Mangione.

Ms Agnifilo said the call was “low priority” and Mr Detwiler acknowledged “it didn’t sound serious on the radio”, nor did they use any lights or sirens when they approached the McDonald’s.