Bullets in Luigi Mangione’s bag convinced police that he was UnitedHealthcare CEO killing suspect

NEW YORK (AP) — Moments after Luigi Mangione was handcuffed at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s, a police officer searching his backpack found a loaded gun magazine wrapped in a pair of underwear.

The discovery, recounted in court Monday as Mangione fights to keep evidence out of his New York murder case, convinced police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, that he was the man wanted in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan five days earlier.

“It's him, dude. It's him, 100%,” an officer was heard saying on body-worn camera video from Mangione’s Dec. 9, 2024 arrest, punctuating the remark with expletives as the officer combing the bag, Christy Wasser, held up the magazine.

Wasser, a 19-year Altoona police veteran, testified on the fourth day of a pretrial hearing as Mangione sought to bar prosecutors from using the magazine and other evidence against him, including a 9 mm handgun and a notebook found during a subsequent bag search.

The testimony shed light on the critical minutes after Mangione was spotted at the McDonald’s and the sometimes unusual steps police officers took in collecting evidence critical to tying him to the crime.

Mangione’s lawyers argue the items should be excluded because police didn’t have a search warrant and lacked the grounds to justify a warrantless search. Prosecutors contend the search was legal and that police eventually obtained a warrant.

Wasser, testifying in full uniform, said Altoona police protocols require promptly searching a suspect’s property at the time of an arrest, in part for dangerous items.

On body-worn camera video played in court, Wasser was heard saying she wanted to check the bag for bombs before removing it from the McDonald’s. Despite that concern, she acknowledged in her testimony Monday that police never cleared the restaurant of customers or employees.

Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges. He appeared in good health on Monday, pumping his fist for photographers and chatting with his lawyers as testimony resumed.

The hearing, which was postponed Friday because of Mangione’s apparent illness, applies only to the state case. His lawyers are making a similar push to exclude the evidence from his federal case, where prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Prosecutors have said the handgun found in the backpack matches the firearm used in the killing and that writings in the notebook showed Mangione’s disdain for health insurers and ideas about killing a CEO at an investor conference.

Thompson, 50, was killed as he walked to a Manhattan hotel for his company’s investor conference on Dec. 4, 2024. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him from behind. Police have said “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.

Mangione was arrested in Altoona, about 230 miles (370 kilometers) west of Manhattan, after police there received a 911 call about a McDonald’s customer resembling the suspect.

Wasser testified that she went to the McDonald’s on her own to assist another officer, Joseph Detwiler. Before that, she said, she had seen some coverage of Thompson’s killing on Fox News, including the surveillance video of the shooting and images of the suspected shooter.

Wasser began searching Mangione’s bag as officers took him into custody on initial charges of forgery and false identification, after he acknowledged giving them a bogus driving license, police said. The same fake name was used by the alleged gunman used at a Manhattan hostel days before the shooting.

By then, a handcuffed Mangione had been informed of his right to remain silent — and invoked it — when asked if there was anything in the bag that officers should be concerned about.

Wasser told another officer she wanted to check the bag for a bomb before leaving the McDonald’s because she didn’t want to repeat an incident in which another Altoona officer had inadvertently brought a bomb to the police station.

“Did you call the bomb squad?” Mangione lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo asked.

“No. I didn’t find a bomb yet,” Wasser responded.

According to body-worn camera video, the first few items Wasser found were innocuous: a hoagie, a loaf of bread and a smaller bag containing a passport, cellphone and computer chip.

Then she pulled out a gray pair of underwear, unwrapping them to reveal the magazine.

Satisfied there was no bomb, she suspended her search and placed some of the items back in the bag. Some evidence, including Mangione’s laptop computer, was transported to the police station in a brown paper McDonald’s takeout bag, body-worn camera video showed.

Wasser resumed her search after an 11-minute drive to the police station and almost immediately found the gun and silencer — the latter discovery prompting her to laugh and exclaim “nice,” according to body-worn camera footage. Wasser said the gun was in a side pocket that she hadn't searched at McDonald’s.

Later, while cataloging everything in the bag in what's known as an inventory search, she found the notebook and other notes, including what appeared to to-do lists and possible getaway plans.

“Isn't it awesome?” Wasser said at one point during the search, according to the body-worn camera video.

Asked to explain, she told Friedman Agnifilo on Monday that she was proud of her police department’s work in helping to capture Thompson’s suspected killer.

A Blair County, Pennsylvania, prosecutor testified that a judge later signed off on a search warrant for the bag, a few hours after the searches were completed. The warrant, she said, provided a legal mechanism for Altoona police to turn the evidence over to New York City detectives investigating Thompson’s killing.

As he has throughout the case, Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann described Thompson’s killing as an “execution” and referred to his notebook as a “manifesto” — terms that Mangione’s lawyers said were prejudicial and inappropriate.

Judge Gregory Carro said the wording had “no bearing” on him, but warned Seidemann that he’s “certainly not going to do that at trial” when jurors are present.

Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Criminal Court, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in New York. (Sarah Yenesel/Pool Photo via AP)

Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Criminal Court, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in New York. (Curtis Means /Pool Photo via AP)

Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Criminal Court, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in New York. (Sarah Yenesel/Pool Photo via AP)

Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Criminal Court, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in New York. (Curtis Means /Pool Photo via AP)

Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Criminal Court, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in New York. (Sarah Yenesel/Pool Photo via AP)

Detroit has reached an agreement to add running back Isiah Pacheco as a replacement for David Montgomery after the Lions traded Jahmyr Gibbs' backup before free agency started, a person with knowledge of the deal said Tuesday.

Pacheco spent his first four seasons in the running back rotation with the Kansas City Chiefs, who agreed to a $45 million, three-year deal with Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III in the opening hours of free agency.

The Green Bay Packers are doing some shuffling at cornerback by adding Benjamin St-Juste while informing Nate Hobbs of a plan to release him a year after signing him to the $48 million, four-year contract, according to two people with knowledge of the decisions. St-Juste is getting a $10.5 million, two-year deal.

All the people are speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because transactions can’t be become official until Wednesday, the first day of the NFL’s new league year.

Pacheco rushed for 2,537 yards and 14 touchdowns over four seasons with the Chiefs, helping them win two Super Bowls.

Montgomery, who no longer wanted to play behind Gibbs, was sent to the Houston Texans for offensive lineman Juice Scruggs along with fourth- and seventh-round draft picks.

The Chiefs also agreed to a $24.5 million, three-year deal with former Baltimore safety Alohi Gilman and an $11 million, two-year contract with receiver Tyquan Thornton, who emerged as perhaps their best deep threat during a 6-11 season that ended a 10-year playoff streak.

Gilman fills a big need in Kansas City’s depleted defensive backfield. Safety Bryan Cook is headed to Cincinnati, the Chiefs traded cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Rams and fellow cornerbacks Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams are signing elsewhere.

St-Juste was on the field for about 35% of the Chargers’ defensive plays last season and also was a key special teams contributor during his lone year in Los Angeles. The 28-year-old has two interceptions over five seasons, the first four in Washington for the 2021 third-round draft pick.

Hobbs injured his knee in training camp last year and was benched midseason after leaving the Las Vegas Raiders to join the Packers. The 26-year-old made five starts in 11 appearances and had a career-low two pass breakups.

The Packers will designate Hobbs a post-June 1 cut, which will save about $8 million on the salary cap. Hobbs missed the wild-card loss to Chicago and said after the season he tore a medial collateral ligament Dec. 27 against Baltimore.

Pittsburgh agreed with running back Rico Dowdle on a $12.25 million, two-year deal in what will be a reunion with new Steelers coach Mike McCarthy. They were together in Dallas, where Dowdle became the first undrafted Cowboys running back to rush for 1,000 yards in McCarthy's final season in 2024.

Dowdle signed with Carolina last year and followed a 206-yard outing against Miami with 183 yards rushing and a 36-yard touchdown catch against the Cowboys. Dowdle finished the season with 1,076 yards.

The Steelers are waiting on what would be a much more significant reunion for McCarthy. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers hasn't said whether he plans to return for a 22nd season, and second in Pittsburgh. The 42-year-old was with McCarthy for 12-plus seasons in Green Bay, and they won a Super Bowl during the 2010 season.

The Buffalo Bills and tight end Dawson Knox agreed to a three-year contract extension that will save money under the salary cap. The seventh-year player was entering the final year of his deal and scheduled to count $17 million against Buffalo’s cap.

The New York Giants have an agreement with cornerback Greg Newsome after losing starter Cor'Dale Flott to Tennessee on the first day of negotiations for free agents. New York also has a deal with safety Ar’Darius Washington, the third player to follow new coach John Harbaugh from Baltimore after tight end Isaiah Likely and All-Pro punter Jordan Stout.

Minnesota is keeping two-time All-Pro long snapper Andrew DePaola. The 38-year-old is set for a seventh season with the Vikings. DePaola is the only long snapper to make three straight Pro Bowls (2022-24).

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

FILE - Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Benjamin St-Juste warms up before an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Nov. 16, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

FILE - Green Bay Packers cornerback Nate Hobbs returns a kick off during an NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens, Dec. 27, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke, File)