Killer who escaped Pennsylvania prison now armed with stolen rifle as manhunt continues

Over two weeks after escaping aPennsylvania prison by climbing between the walls, murdererDanelo Cavalacante is still on the loose. On Monday (September 11), the Brazilian broke into a home garagenear Bucktown and escaped with a.22 calibre rifle with a scope and flashlight attached to the weapon, while the authorities involved in the manhunt remained hapless.

Pennsylvania police spokesman George Bivens informed that the killer was confronted by the homeowner upon entering the property. Despite firing a few rounds from the pistol, the homeowner seemed to have missed the fugitive, who got away.

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BivenssaidCavalcanteis "considered armed and extremely dangerous" as schools outsidePhiladelphia were closed and residents told to lock their doors.

"We're not evacuating homes at this point. We're asking residents to be vigilant and, again, lock their doors," Bivens said.

Currently, around 500 officers, includingheavily armed tactical units, are combing the area to find the 34-year-old fugitive,who has popped up repeatedly on residential security footage and even nature cameras set up to monitor wildlife.

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Cavalcante's escape

It was on August 31 thatCavalcante, who measures justfive feet (1.52 meters) tall, managed to escape the prison, in a rather daring manner.

After the escape, the police officials released the footage of Cavalcante's stunt where he could be seencrab-walking up between two walls separated by a 5 ft (1.5m) hallway, in broad daylight

At the time of the escape, just before 9: 00 amlocal time, there was a corrections officer in the observation tower. But the officer apparently failed to monitor the security feed.

Cavalcante was sentenced to life imprisonment in July after being found guilty of brutally stabbing ex-girlfriend Deborah Brando to death in April 2021 in front of her two infants. He is also wanted formurder in Brazil.

The police, desperate to catch the fugitive, haveupped the reward for informationfrom $20,000 to $25,000. The officials sayCavalcante haschanged his appearance, shaving off the dark beard and moustache seen on his original "wanted" poster.

(With inputs from agencies)

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