Authorities have captured a suspect nearly two weeks after he was accused ofdonning a "Chucky doll"-style face mask to chase and terrorize people in the streets of Philadelphia.
The U.S. Marshals Service in Philadelphia said 22-year-old Zymire Hughes was found and arrested at an apartment complex in Las Vegas at about 8 p.m. local time on Aug. 25. He is being held in Nevada pending extradition back to Pennsylvania, authorities said.
Hughes was previously identified as the man seen chasing or approaching at least half a dozen people early the morning of Aug. 12 near Philadelphia City Hall, police said. Security camera footage released by police showed him wearing the mask while chasing after a 40-year-old woman who was out for a jog.
Philadelphia
Police Capt. Jason Smith said it was about 5:30 a.m. when the suspect ran up to "accost" people, "attempting to scare or antagonize them." In her attempt to get away, the woman stumbled and injured her leg, screaming for help the whole time, police said. At one point during the chase, the suspect got in front of the woman and appeared to film her with a cell phone in one hand, the other hand behind his back, asking her, "Are you ready to die?"
"Tonight the fear that one man brought to the Philadelphia community comes to an end. By hiding behind a Chucky-style Halloween mask, Hughes terrorized Philadelphia residents and believed he could evade law enforcement. He was wrong," Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert Clark said at a news conference after Hughes' arrest.
Clark said Hughes had family in Pennsylvania but authorities believed he had fled, with ties to California and Nevada. Clark said investigators determined he was a resident of Las Vegas since February, and had left Philadelphia on Aug. 19. After his identity was revealed on the news, Hughes hid at the apartment complex where he was arrested in southeast Las Vegas for the last five days, Clark said. Once he was caught, Clark said Hughes tried to get out of his handcuffs and had to be subdued.
Clark said Hughes will face charges in Pennsylvania of aggravated assault, making terroristic threats and other counts.
It wasn't immediately clear if Hughes had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. USA TODAY has reached out to the Clark County Public Defender's Office in Nevada, where he is being held as a fugitive from another state, and the Defender Association of Philadelphia.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man accused of terrorizing people in a Chucky-style mask caught
