A three-week manhunt that began when two convicted murderers staged a brazen prison break involving stolen power tools and hacksaw blades hidden in frozen beef ended on Sunday when a single state police officer spotted a suspicious man walking down a rural road near the Canadian border.
David Sweat’s capture came two days after his fellow escapee, Richard Matt, was killed in a confrontation with law enforcement officers while holding a shotgun. Sweat was unarmed when he was shot twice by Seargent Jay Cook as the fugitive ran for some trees.
Cook, a 21-year veteran, was alone and on routine patrol when he stumbled upon Sweat in the northern New York State town of Constable — northwest of the prison — and recognized him.
He gave chase when Sweat fled and decided to fire upon fearing he would lose him in the trees, state police said.
“I can only assume he was going for the border,” New York State Police Superintendent Joseph D’Amico said.
The arrest ended an ordeal that sent 1,300 law enforcement officers into the thickly forested northern reaches of New York State and forced residents to tolerate nerve-wracking armed checkpoints and property searches.
“The nightmare is finally over,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said at a news conference.
Authorities said Sweat was struck in the torso and taken to a hospital in the New York State town of Malone before being transported to Albany Medical Center in New York, which has a trauma center.
Sweat, who was listed in critical condition, was being evaluated by a team of doctors including emergency medical physicians, trauma specialists and others who would determine whether surgery was necessary, doctor Dennis McKenna said.
Sweat had not been formally interviewed by investigators as of late on Sunday, but any information he provides could be critical to the investigation, Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wylie said.
Sweat is to be charged with escape, burglary and other charges, Wylie said. He and Matt are suspected of breaking into some of the region’s many cabins during their time on the run. Wylie said prosecutors would wait for Sweat to recover before charging him.
The men had been on the loose since June 6, when they cut their way out of a maximum-security prison about 50km away using power tools. Two prison workers have been charged with helping them.
D’Amico said the men might have used black pepper to throw off the scent of dogs that were tracking them. He said Sweat’s DNA was recovered from pepper shakers found at one camp where the fugitives may have spent time.
Cuomo said many questions remained unanswered in the case, including whether the inmates had other accomplices.
“We have already started a full investigation,” he said. “But today ends with good news. These were dangerous, dangerous men.”
OPTIMISTIC: A Philippine Air Force spokeswoman said the military believed the crew were safe and were hopeful that they and the jet would be recovered A Philippine Air Force FA-50 jet and its two-person crew are missing after flying in support of ground forces fighting communist rebels in the southern Mindanao region, a military official said yesterday. Philippine Air Force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo said the jet was flying “over land” on the way to its target area when it went missing during a “tactical night operation in support of our ground troops.” While she declined to provide mission specifics, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala confirmed that the missing FA-50 was part of a squadron sent “to provide air support” to troops fighting communist rebels in
PROBE: Last week, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against presidential candidate Calin Georgescu accusing him of supporting fascist groups Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital on Saturday in the latest anti-government demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the EU country last year. Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flags and chanting slogans such as “down with the government” and “thieves.” Many expressed support for Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in December’s canceled election, and demanded they be resumed from the second round. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), which organized the protest,
ECONOMIC DISTORTION? The US commerce secretary’s remarks echoed Elon Musk’s arguments that spending by the government does not create value for the economy US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Sunday said that government spending could be separated from GDP reports, in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn. “You know that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures. “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.” Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the US economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because
Hundreds of people in rainbow colors gathered on Saturday in South Africa’s tourist magnet Cape Town to honor the world’s first openly gay imam, who was killed last month. Muhsin Hendricks, who ran a mosque for marginalized Muslims, was shot dead last month near the southern city of Gqeberha. “I was heartbroken. I think it’s sad especially how far we’ve come, considering how progressive South Africa has been,” attendee Keisha Jensen said. Led by motorcycle riders, the mostly young crowd walked through the streets of the coastal city, some waving placards emblazoned with Hendricks’s image and reading: “#JUSTICEFORMUHSIN.” No arrest
RSS