Eric Frein, the man who allegedly shot and killed a police officer and wounded another before leading authorities on a massive seven-week manhunt through rural Pennsylvania, is due in court this morning following his arrest on Thursday.
Pike County District Attorney Ray Tonkin says he will seek the death penalty for Frein, 31, who authorities have described as a survivalist who had expressed interest in killing law enforcement and committing acts of mass murder.
U.S. Marshals captured Frein on Thursday in the Pocono Mountains about 30 miles from the police barracks he attacked on Sept. 12. Frein was holed up in an empty airport hangar.
Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan says the Marshals spotted Frein and "ordered him to surrender — to get down on his knees and raise his hands, which is what he did. Once they approached him he admitted his identity and he was taken into custody.
"He did not just give up because he was tired," Noonan said. "He gave up because he was caught."
The Associated Press says: "The quiet takedown of Frein, who kneeled and put his hands up when marshals approached him, ended weeks of tension and turmoil in the area, as authorities at times closed schools, canceled outdoor events and blockaded roads to pursue him. Residents grew weary of hearing helicopters overhead, while small businesses suffered mounting losses and town supervisors canceled a popular Halloween parade."
The hunt for the elusive Frein reportedly involved as many as 1,000 law enforcement officers and cost millions of dollars. During the 48-day manhunt that followed the killing of Pennsylvania State Trooper Bryon Dickson and the wounding of Alex Douglass, authorities found several items in the woods thought to belong to Frein, including military-style food packs, pipe bombs, ammunition and clothing, The Washington Post says.
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