Killer was subdued by K-9s after evading cops for 14 DAYS

Bloodied killer Danelo Cavalcante was sniffed out by K-9s while lying underneath a pile of leaves and wood as cops surrounded him: Officers posed and paraded him for a photo like a trophy after his capture

• Cavalcante, 34, escaped from the the Chester County Prison on August 31
• Over 500 agents were actively searching for Cavalcante, who somehow managed to escape the original search perimeter around the prison
• On Monday a homeowner shot at him but he got away with a rifle, police say 

Escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante was subdued by K-9s before he was captured by cops on Wednesday morning, ending a two week-long manhunt that struck terror into a Pennsylvania community.

The 34-year-old was serving a life sentence for the murder of his ex-girlfriend at the Chester County Prison, 30 miles west of Philadelphia, when he escaped on August 31 by crab-walking up a wall. 

After a bloodied Cavalcante was captured, the SWAT officers in the search team paraded him like a trophy and lined up with a photo of him around 8am EST.

The Brazilian, who is in the US illegally, was arrested in a wooded area near South Coventry Township, inside the updated perimeter set up by police this week. He had reportedly been hiding with the rifle he stole on Monday when he was found under a pile of logs.

The killer’s capture, which took about five minutes, brings relief to anxious residents of southeastern Pennsylvania who endured sleepless nights as he hid in the woods, broke into suburban homes for food, changed his appearance, and fled under gunfire with a rifle pilfered from a garage.

Escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante has been captured, police said on Wednesday morning

Police are seen posing with killer Danelo Cavalcante after his capture on Wednesday

Cavalcante was serving a life sentence for the murder of his ex-girlfriend at the Chester County Prison, 30 miles west of Philadelphia, when he escaped on August 31.

Authorities used thermal imaging from an aircraft to pinpoint a possible location and then used ground forces to capture Cavalcante, State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said on Wednesday.

About 25 officers were able to surprise him as they surrounded him, but Cavalcante still tried to escape again by crawling through the tall grass with the rifle. Officials then released a police dog to capture the killer. 

Cavalcante was bitten and treated for the injury at the scene, Bivens said. 

State police were seen posing with the Brazil native after his capture at around 8am EST. State police they will provide details of the capture at 9.30am. 

When asked about officials taken photos with the convict, Bevins said: ‘Those men and women worked amazingly hard through some very trying circumstances… I’m not bothered at all by the fact they took a photo with him.’

Residents or Pocopson Township had been told to stay alert and indoors as more than 500 agents actively searched for Cavalcante, who somehow managed to escape the original search perimeter around the prison. 

The Brazil native was seen being put into a police armored vehicle on a Pennsylvania road 

Law enforcement officers gather as the search for escaped convict Danelo Cavalcante continues Tuesday

Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said she called the family of Cavalcante’s victim Deborah Brandao as son as the killer was found.

In a statement, Chester county commissioners told DailyMail.com: ‘The capture of Cavalcante ends the nightmare of the past two weeks, and we thank every single law enforcement official at the regional, state and federal level that was out in all weather conditions, all day and night – as well as everyone in the incident command center, our County Department of Emergency Services and County Sheriff’s Office – for their immense efforts. 

The killer was last seen on Monday night breaking into the garage of a home in East Nantmeal – 20 miles from the search area police had spent days combing last week. The homeowner was home and shot him several times, but police said there was no evidence to suggest the convict was hit.

It was the first sighting reported since Saturday, when Cavalcante stole a van and tried contacting former coworkers before dumping the vehicle in a field.

Police had focused their search in the perimeter near the prison, where he had been spotted several times last week. But on Saturday, a clean-shaven Cavalcante was seen outside a former colleague’s home through a Ring doorbell camera in East Pikeland Township, before he was spotted outside a different ex co-worker’s home in nearby Phoenixville. 

Police updated the search perimeter after Cavalcante was spotted outside the original search area over the weekend

‘Chester County Prison officials have made some immediate changes to bolster security in the prison, have brought in security contractors to make permanent changes to the exercise yards, and are reviewing and – where needed – changing procedures for both security measures and communication to residents who live close to the prison.’ 

On Sunday, police found a 2020 Ford Transit van Cavalcante had stolen in a field behind a barn in East Nantmeal Township – outside the previous search area. Cavalcante had taken it from the West Chester based Baily’s Dairy, near the prison. 

Cavalcante’s sister, who has an overstay status, was detained by ICE and entered into a deportation proceeding after she chose not to cooperate in the investigation,  Bivens said on Tuesday.

On August 31, Cavalcante was seen on surveillance camera in the prison’s outdoor area looking at the camera before ‘crab walking’ between two walls, scaling a fence and jumping over razor wire during the daring break out that took place in broad daylight.

Last week, the prison guard who did not see or report the escape was fired. Prison officials told CNN, the corrections officer was an 18-year veteran of the prison.

Police narrowed in on Cavalcante after an aircraft pointed to a source of heat in a wooded area within the search perimeter, State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said on Wednesday

The manhunt for fugitive murderer Cavalcante expanded after several sightings over the weekend. He is seen outside a former coworker’s home

Before this weekend, there were repeated sightings of the ‘extremely dangerous’ killer in the 759 square mile search area around the prison.

Cavalcante is also wanted in a homicide case in his native country of Brazil. He managed to flee the country in 2017 after he killed a student at a food truck stand.

He gunned down Walter Junior in Figuéiropolis, Tocantins on November 5, 2017, and then managed to slip past authorities at Brasília–President Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport two months later.

Evaldo Feitosa told Brazilian news outlet G1 that he was talking to Cavalcante and that he approached Junior at a corner table.

He remembered they were having a conversation before he heard several shots being fired and someone shout, ‘man the guy killed his friend.’

TV Globo also reported that the killing was over money Junior owed Calvacante.

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