EXCLUSIVE: Fugitive Danelo Cavalcante did not 'struggle' and 'gave up' upon ... trends now
A witness to the dramatic capture of murderer fugitive Danelo Cavalcante on Wednesday has described how the 'worn out' and 'raggedy' escapee had no choice but to 'give up' when he was cornered in the woods.
Brazilian-born Cavalcante, 34, was hauled out of dense woodland behind a John Deere tractor store in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, at 8am following an astonishing 14-day manhunt.
The escaped double-killer had been cowering in the undergrowth, seen in new DailyMail.com photos of the scene, separated from the business by a slope leading down to it about 100ft away. Behind him was a small stream.
Store manager Jim Martin was watching from inside the store at the rear as Cavalcante was pulled out into the open after being snared.
He spoke after DailyMail.com walked through the exact spot where the escaped prisoner was captured, saying he 'looked done' and 'tired.'
Escaped convict Danelo Cavalcante was seen in a hospital gown and shackles hours after he was taken into custody on Wednesday
This is the moment escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante was captured by police after he was subdued by K-9s. A police dog is seen on the right
Escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante was finally captured, police said on Wednesday morning, following a two-week manhunt in Pennsylvania
Martin continued: 'He looked like he realized he had to give up. He looked soaked, like he was probably in the stream at one point, or just soaked from last night's rain.
'It didn't seem like he was struggling, there was no struggle. At least at that point. I have no idea about earlier on.
'He knew he wasn't going anywhere… he was definitely in custody.'
Martin added: 'They (law enforcement) gave him water. They had cut his shirt off so they gave him a thermal cover to get warm.
Referencing the picture jubilant cops took with their captive, Martin said: 'There was a lot of photography going on – and a lot of cheering.
'They were more than happy that his was over. A lot of these guys were really tired.
'There were high fives all round.'
Martin said his business had been in lockdown because the threat from desperate Cavalcante, who had a .22 rifle he had stolen from a householder who shot at him as he fled.
John Deere store manager Jim Martin - who witnessed the dramatic operation while working in Pottsville, Pa - said Cavalcante appeared too worn out to put up a fight
'This morning I came in around 7:30 and this whole area was very covered by police, everywhere,' he said.
'They were in the parking lot, they were in the back. US Border Patrol and several state troopers were watching the very back perimeter.
'I went inside and within about 30 minutes this place just started to swarm with armored personnel troops from everywhere. It seemed like something was really happening.
'My son and I were watching everything unfold in the back, watched things slowly escalate.
'We watched him be brought out. Initially we watched the Border Patrol come in with the K9 unit and they descended on the hill and disappeared and about 15, 20 minutes we thought everything was done, done with the search and moving on or they were briefing.
'We didn't see him at that moment but they had already apprehended him, so they were basically cleaning him up, probably removing the blood off his face.
'As they finished there they started walking him up behind the building.'
DailyMail.com has walked through the woodland where Cavalcante was captured after cops made a breakthrough tracking him – when an aerial unit with heat seeking equipment picked him up at 1am.
But bad weather prevented further discoveries. Heat seeking equipment again found him, with tactical teams moving in around 8am.
Cavalcante had tried to crawl away and areas of trampled and crushed vegetation where he tried to escape are clear inside the undergrowth.
There was no evidence of him having made a camp – or leaving any signs such as discarded food cans that he had been there.
DailyMail.com photos of the scene show the area where the fugitive had been hiding in the undergrowth just yards away from the John Deere store
According to Martin, Cavalcante looked 'soaked' either from the nearby creek or heavy rainfall the previous night
Martin was watching from inside the store, which is separated from the wooded area by a slope about 100ft away
The 34-year-old was serving a life sentence at the Chester County Prison, 30 miles west of Philadelphia, for the murder of his ex-girlfriend when he escaped on August 31 by crab-walking up a wall.
About 25 officers were able to surprise him as they surrounded him on Wednesday morning, but Cavalcante tried to escape again by crawling through the tall grass with the rifle he stole on Monday.
Officials then released a police dog to capture the killer, who was bitten and treated for the injury at the scene, police said.
After a
