Bloodied killer Danelo Cavalcante was tracked down by K-9s as he lay beneath a pile of leaves and wood and was surrounded by police officers: officers posed and paraded him like a trophy for a photo after his capture

Escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante was subdued by K-9s before being captured by police officers Wednesday morning. This ended a two-week manhunt that terrified a Pennsylvania community.

The 34-year-old was serving a life sentence for the murder of his ex-girlfriend in the Chester County Jail, 30 miles west of Philadelphia, when he escaped on Aug. 31 by climbing over a wall like a spider.

After capturing a bloodied Cavalcante, the search party’s SWAT officers paraded him like a trophy and posed with a photo of him around 8 a.m. EST.

The Brazilian, who is in the U.S. illegally, was arrested in a wooded area near South Coventry Township, within the updated perimeter that police established this week. He was reportedly hiding with the rifle he stole on Monday when he was found under a pile of logs.

The killer’s capture, which took about five minutes, brings relief to worried residents of southeastern Pennsylvania who spent sleepless nights as he hid in the woods, broke into suburban homes for food, changed his appearance and was shot at one from a stolen gun fled garage.

Escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante was captured, police said Wednesday morning

Police pose with murderer Danelo Cavalcante after his capture on Wednesday

Cavalcante was serving a life sentence for the murder of his ex-girlfriend in the Chester County Jail, 30 miles west of Philadelphia, when he escaped on August 31.

Authorities used thermal images from an aircraft to pinpoint a possible location and then used ground troops to capture Cavalcante, state police Lt. Col. George Bivens said Wednesday.

About 25 officers managed to surprise him as they surrounded him, but Cavalcante tried to escape again by crawling through the tall grass with the rifle. The officers then released a police dog to catch the murderer.

Cavalcante was bitten and treated for the injury at the scene, Bivens said.

After his arrest around 8 a.m. EST, state police were seen posing with the Brazilian native. State police will release arrest details at 9:30 a.m.

When asked about officers who took photos with the convict, Bevins said, “These men and women worked amazingly hard under very difficult circumstances… It doesn’t bother me at all that they took a photo with him.”

Pocopson Parish residents were told to remain vigilant and stay indoors while more than 500 agents actively searched for Cavalcante, who somehow managed to escape the initial search area around the prison.

The Brazilian native was seen being placed into an armored police vehicle on a street in Pennsylvania

Police officers gather as the search for escaped convict Danelo Cavalcante continues Tuesday

Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said she referred to the family of Cavalcante’s victim Deborah Brandao as a son when the killer was found.

In a statement, Chester County commissioners told DailyMail.com: “The capture of Cavalcante ends the nightmare of the last two weeks, and we thank every single law enforcement officer at the county, state and federal level who was out in all weather conditions.” Night – as well as everyone in the Operations Center, our County Department of Emergency Services and the County Sheriff’s Office – for their immense efforts.

The killer was last seen breaking into the garage of a house in East Nantmeal on Monday evening – 20 miles from the search area, police had spent days searching last week. The homeowner was at home and shot him several times, but police said there was no evidence the convict was hit.

It was the first reported sighting since Saturday, when Cavalcante stole a van and attempted to contact former colleagues before abandoning the vehicle in a field.

Police had focused their search on the area near the prison, where he had been spotted several times last week. But on Saturday, a clean-shaven Cavalcante was spotted outside the home of a former colleague through a Ring doorbell camera in East Pikeland Township before being spotted outside the home of another former colleague in nearby Phoenixville.

Police updated the search area after Cavalcante was spotted outside the original search area over the weekend

“Chester County Jail officials have made some immediate changes to increase security at the jail, have hired security contractors to make permanent changes to the exercise yards, and are reviewing and, where necessary, procedures for both security measures and communication with The residents live near the prison.’

On Sunday, police found a stolen 2020 Ford Transit van Cavalcante in a field behind a barn in East Nantmeal Township – outside the previous search area. Cavalcante got it from West Chester-based Baily’s Dairy, near the prison.

Cavalcante’s sister, who has overstay status, was detained by ICE and placed in deportation proceedings after she chose not to cooperate with the investigation, Bivens said Tuesday.

On August 31, Cavalcante was seen on a surveillance camera outside the prison looking into the camera before running between two walls, scaling a fence and jumping over barbed wire during the daring escape in broad daylight.

Last week, the prison guard who neither saw nor reported the escape was fired. Prison officials told CNN the correctional officer was an 18-year prison veteran.

Police focused on Cavalcante after an aircraft pointed out a heat source in a wooded area within the search area, State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said Wednesday

The manhunt for fugitive murderer Cavalcante expanded after several sightings over the weekend. He is seen in front of a former colleague’s house

Before this weekend, the “extremely dangerous” killer had been repeatedly spotted in the 759 square mile search area surrounding the prison.

Cavalcante is also wanted in a murder case in his home country of Brazil. He managed to escape the country in 2017 after killing a student at a food truck stand.

He shot Walter Junior on November 5, 2017 in Figuéiropolis, Tocantins, and two months later managed to get past the authorities at Brasília International Airport – President Juscelino Kubitschek.

Evaldo Feitosa told Brazilian news agency G1 that he spoke to Cavalcante and approached Junior at a corner table.

He remembered them talking before he heard several shots fired and someone shouting, “Man, that guy killed his friend.”

TV Globo also reported that the murder involved money Junior owed Calvacante.