Trooper ambush suspect caught; death penalty eyed

A survivalist accused of ambushing two Pennsylvania state troopers, killing one and seriously wounding the other, was captured on Thursday by US marshals in an abandoned airplane hangar, ending a seven-week man hunt that had rattled the nerves of are are sidents.

Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Eric Frein, who gave himself up when surrounded, authorities said.

"He did not just give up because he was tired, "state police Commissioner Frank Noonan said. "He gave up because he was caught."

Frein was held in the hand-cuffs of the trooper he's accused of killing, Governor Tom Cor-bett said on Thursday at a nighttime news conference.

The quiet take down of Frein, who knelt and put his hands up when marshals approached him on Thursday, ended weeks of tension and turmoil in the area, as authorities at times closed schools, canceled outdoor events and blockaded roads to pursue him. Residents grew weary of hearing helicopters overhead, while small businesses suffered mounting losses and town supervisors canceled a popular Hallo ween parade.

Frein is charged with opening fire outside the Blooming Grove barracks on Sept 12, killing Corporal Bryon Dickson, 38, and seriously wounding another trooper.

Police said they linked him to the ambush after a man walking his dog discovered his partly submerged SUV three days later in aswamp a few kilometers from the shooting scene. Inside, investigators found shell casings matching those found at the barracks as well as Frein's driver's license, camouflage face paint, two empty rifle cases and military gear.

Officials, saying Frein was armed and extremely dangerous, had urged residents to be alert and cautious. Using dogs, thermal imaging technology and other tools, law enforcement officials combed kilometers of forest as they hunted for Frein, whom they called an experienced survivalist at home in the woods.

Frein had expressed anti law enforcement views online and to people who knew him. His criminal record appeared limited to a decadeoldm is demeanor case involving items stolen from a World War II re-enactors event in upstate New York, for which he spent 109 days in jail.

Police found a US Army manual called Sniper Training and Employment in his bedroom at his parents' house, and his father, a retired Army major, told author it ies that his son is an excellent marksman who "doesn't miss", according to a police affidavit. Authorities believe Frein had been planning a confrontation with police for years, citing information they found on a computer used by him.

Helen Black more, who lives in the heart of the search zone in Cresco, was ready for some normalcy.

"It was very crazy here. The helicopters were out all the time. Nobody was sleeping. Even today they were out, "she said. "We're relieved. We're very relieved. We want things to get back to normal."

AP - Reuters

(China Daily 11/01/2014 page11)