Police Bodycam Footage Reveals Tense Moments Leading Up to Luigi Mangione's Arrest in McDonald's

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A dramatic body camera video played in court has shed light on the minutes leading up to Luigi Mangione's arrest at a Pennsylvania McDonald's. The footage, taken five days after the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, shows police approaching Mangione, asking him questions, and eventually arresting him. According to Officer Joseph Detwiler, the officers believed Mangione was the suspect in Thompson's killing as soon as they saw his face. However, they claimed they were initially responding to a loitering concern at the restaurant. The officers made casual conversation with Mangione, including discussing his steak sandwich, but also patted him down and pushed his backpack away due to safety concerns. After about 15 minutes, with a half-dozen officers present, Detwiler warned Mangione that he was being investigated and could be arrested if he gave a false name again. Mangione then revealed his true identity, explaining that he had lied because the ID in his wallet was the only one he had. Minutes later, an officer read Mangione his rights, although he was not in custody at that point. The video and testimony have sparked a debate about whether Mangione's statements and items seized from his backpack should be allowed as evidence in his upcoming murder trial. Mangione's lawyers argue that the officers started asking questions before reading him his rights, and that the backpack items should be excluded because police did not obtain a warrant before searching it. The laws surrounding police interactions with potential suspects are complex and often disputed in criminal cases. In Mangione's case, crucial questions include whether he believed he was free to leave and whether there were exigent circumstances that justified searching his backpack without a warrant. Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges, which carry the possibility of life in prison and the death penalty, respectively. His lawyers want to bar evidence from both cases, but the current hearing pertains only to the state case.