After a nearly two-week manhunt throughout Pennsylvania, the convicted murderer who escaped a Chester County prison was captured by law enforcement in a wooded area Wednesday morning. But before officers loaded Danelo Cavalcante into the back of an armored van, they paused for a photo.
Dozens of officers in tactical gear can be seen in aerial footage from CNN affiliate KYW half-circling around Cavalcante as he is being held by two officers with his arms behind his back.
Police with K-9s, who are credited for locating Cavalcante, moved their way to front of the group photo. Then, a few officers took out their phones to capture the moment — a moment that quickly received criticism on social media.
When asked about the photo at a news conference about an hour after Cavalcante's capture, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said he had no problem with the picture.
“Those men and women worked amazingly hard through some very trying circumstances,” Bivens said. “They’re proud of their work. I’m not bothered at all by the fact that they took a photograph with him in custody. Again they’re proud of their work. They kept the community safe. I say thanks to them and good job.”
It took hundreds of law enforcement officers, including members of the Pennsylvania State Police; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the FBI; U.S. Marshals and U.S. Border Patrol to bring Cavalcante back into custody after he escaped the prison on Aug. 31.
Timeline: How murderer Danelo Cavalcante escaped prison and police
Hundreds of officers searched for escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante, a convicted murderer described as "extremely dangerous."
