When Luigi Mangione made his initial court appearance Tuesday in Pennsylvania after a nationwide manhunt finally ended a day earlier … and along with his outburst at the cameras, came some trolling from onlookers.
Here’s the deal … Mangione was apprehended Monday at a Pennsylvania Mickey D’s … and hours later, the Manhattan D.A. charged him with murder in the brazen December 4 fatal shooting of Brian Thompson.
After his brief extradition hearing Tuesday … Mangione was led out of the Blair County courthouse by police where a group of reporters and others screamed questions at him … along with a very specifical taunt.
Someone in the crowd shouted out … “Hey, Luigi! It’s a me, Mario!” … which of course is the famous phrase used by the video game character, very popular in the mid-’90s thanks to the Nintendo 64.
Mario Bros. memes flooded social media shortly after the suspect was named … as supporters celebrated what they believed to be a heroic act.
Mangione has been charged with second-degree murder in New York in connection with the Dec. 4 shooting of insurance executive Brian Thompson. He also faces gun and forgery charges in Pennsylvania. He’s currently fighting his extradition to New York.
Monday morning … Mangione was busted in Altoona, Pennsylvania as he sat inside a McDonald’s restaurant. A customer recognized Mangione from widely circulated wanted posters following Thompson’s murder, and told an employee … who then contacted local police. Officers responded and cuffed the suspect.
Authorities recovered the alleged pistol Mangione used in the murder and a 3-page manifesto he’d written railing against corporate America and the healthcare industry, according to police.
