Last year, in an Altoona McDonald’s, a Pennsylvania police officer encountered Luigi Mangione, a man suspected of murder. This week, that officer took the stand at Mangione’s evidence suppression hearing to recount the moment he identified the seemingly ordinary breakfast diner as a potential killer.

Officer Joseph Detwiler of the Altoona Police Department shared his experience, explaining that while en route to the scene, he had low expectations of actually encountering the alleged assassin. However, upon arrival, Mangione’s removal of his face mask revealed a face Detwiler believed belonged to the wanted suspect.

During his testimony, Detwiler stated he refrained from directly accusing Mangione of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Instead, he focused on gathering basic information by asking for Mangione’s name, identification, recent travels, and whether he was a local.

Luigi Mangione attended an evidence hearing on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Pool via AP)

Detwiler clarified that at no point did he inform Mangione he was under arrest or restrict his movement, nor did he discuss the New York City shooting during their encounter.

He said he grew suspicious and moved Mangione’s bag away from him, fearing there might be a weapon inside.

Later, police alleged they found the suspected murder weapon in the bag.

Mangione is accused of shooting Thompson from behind outside a Manhattan hotel last year.

This 2017 file photo of Brian Thompson was released via Businesswire when he was named chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare Unit in 2017. (Businesswire)

Police grabbed journals and other writing from Mangione’s backpack. They also took his fake New Jersey ID, under the name “Mark Rosario,” and recovered the alleged murder weapon and a 3D-printed silencer.

Mangione’s defense has argued that the search of his belongings without a warrant was unlawful, and therefore the evidence should be suppressed. Prosecutors countered that police were doing their job within the bounds of the law and that the search was justified without requiring a warrant.

The defense also wants some of Mangione’s statements suppressed.

Luigi Mangione was sitting in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, when police arrived to check on a tipster’s report after someone recognized him from a wanted poster. (Southern District of New York)

First he allegedly gave police a fake name — the one that appears on his alleged fake ID from New Jersey, which police say he used to check into the Manhattan hostel days before Thompson’s assassination.

He also, while in custody, allegedly blurted out something about having a 3D-printed gun. The Pennsylvania jail guard who heard that statement testified that the accused assassin brought it up on his own.