Police Doubted Tip Behind Luigi Mangione’s Arrest

A Pennsylvania police officer testified that he doubted the tip that led to the arrest of Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Wilson.

sarah

Dec 3, 2025 - 11:18

Police Doubted Tip Behind Luigi Mangione’s Arrest

The Pennsylvania police officer who received a tip that Luigi Mangione had been seen at a local McDonald's has said he and his supervisor were so suspicious that he was the suspected shooter that they joked about it.

Joseph Detwiler explained in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday that the tip ultimately led to Mangione's arrest for shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Wilson in New York last December.

Mr. Mangione, 27, who has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges, was in court for a second day to determine whether evidence from his arrest will be admitted at trial.

His defense team is seeking to have crucial evidence dismissed, arguing that he was not immediately informed of his rights.

Mr. Detwiler recounted a text message exchange with his lieutenant in court, saying, "He said, 'If you catch the New York City shooter, I'll treat you to a hoagie from a local restaurant.'" "I said: 'Consider it done.'"

The tip Mr. Detwiler was acting on was played in court on Monday. The tip was passed to a 911 dispatcher by a McDonald's restaurant manager in Altoona, who said customers thought they had seen the suspect.

Police body camera footage and accompanying audio were played in court during a pretrial hearing, which could last several days as defense attorneys may call numerous witnesses.

Mr. Mangione was arrested on December 4, 2024, a few days after allegedly shooting Mr. Thompson, a father of two, while he was on his way to an investors' conference on a busy Manhattan street.

The shooting sparked an interstate manhunt for the suspected killer and sparked debate about the profit-driven health insurance industry in the US.

Mr. Detwiler, a police officer in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and his partner were dispatched to a fast-food restaurant to follow up on a tip.

Although the officer doubted its veracity—he told prosecutors that he had responded to the dispatch call in a "slightly sarcastic" tone—he realized within an hour that it was true.

Mr. Detwiler said he saw a man sitting at a table next to the bathroom wearing a large coat, a brown beanie, and a medical mask, just as the tip-off had described. He said he walked by to see what Mr. Mangione would do when he saw the uniformed officer, and asked for his name and ID, which turned out to be fake.

He said he then asked the man to lower his mask and almost immediately realized it was Mr. Mangione.

Footage played in court shows Mr. Mangione eating hash browns and a steak sandwich while Christmas music plays in the background.

Mr. Detwiler, who could be heard whistling along with the music, told the court that he was "trying to keep things calm and normal."

The officer told Mr. Mangione they were verifying his ID, when in reality they were waiting for backup, and fabricated a story about the restaurant's policy of not loitering. Mr. Mangione had been at the McDonald's for approximately 40 minutes.

Mr. Mangione's defense team is hoping to persuade the judge to exclude evidence such as a 9mm gun and a notebook, which prosecutors say provided a motive.

Mr. Mangione's legal team is also lobbying the federal government to refrain from seeking the death penalty.

His attorney, Karen Agnifilo, pressed Mr. Detwiler on how he identified Mr. Mangione.

Ms. Agnifilo said the dispatch call was "low-priority," and Mr. Detwiler agreed that "it didn't sound serious on the radio," nor did he use lights and sirens when approaching McDonald's.