compiled by Patrick H. Moore
David Lohr of the Huffington Post reports that notorious Pennsylvania cop-killer Eric Frein, after making like Houdini for the past 48 days, and leading authorities on what will go down in history as one of our most expensive and frustrating manhunts ever, is now in police custody.
Pennsylvania State Police spokeswoman Connie Devens stated in an email Thursday evening:
“I can confirm that we have taken Eric Frein into custody. No further information will be released or confirmed at this time.”
The 31-year-old Frein, a self-styled military enthusiast and survivalist with an extreme animus toward law enforcement, ambushed two innocent state troopers during a shift change at the Blooming Grove barracks on September 12th. Cpl. Bryon Dickson was killed in the attack while trooper Alex Douglass was seriously wounded and is still undergoing rehabilitation therapy as of this date.
Frein, who has extensive training as a marksman and knows the Pennsylvania Poconos Mountains like Beethoven knew the keyboard, appears to have shot the officers with the greatest of ease, a suggestion he supports in a handwritten note law enforcement found at one of his campsites near Canadensis. Law enforcement, however, responded to the attack with near astonishing speed, which put the kibosh on the alleged killer’s initial escape plans. Frein writes:
“Got a shot around 11 p.m. and took it. He dropped. I was surprised at how quick. I took a follow-up shot on his head, neck area. He was still and quiet after that. Another cop approached the one I just shot. As he went to kneel, I took a shot at him and he jumped in the door. His legs were visible and still. I ran back to the jeep. I made it maybe half-a-mile from the GL (game land) road and hit a road block. I didn’t expect one so soon — it was only 15 to 20 minutes. I did a k-turn a quarter mile from them and pulled into a development I knew had unfinished access roads. Hearing helos (helicopters), I just used my marker lights, missed the trail around a run off pool and drove straight into it. Disaster. Made half-attempt to stash AK and ran.”
Except for his occasional grammatical faux pas, Frein’s literary style is excellent — clear, crisp, economical, hard-boiled and detailed. It seems to leap right off the page. The man clearly missed his bet. He could be making good money writing survivalist thrillers and self-publishing them on Amazon. Instead, he choose to be a “a man of action”, and an evil one at that, gunning down innocent people purely to feed his inexplicable hatred of the men in blue.
It seems clear that based on his journal entries, Frein anticipated that people would want to read about his exploits. We can only assume that he penned his journal entries while lolling around camp between escapes.
The arrest was reportedly made inside an abandoned airport hangar at the Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport. No shots were fired during the arrest, according to FOX News.
Here is a truncated timeline of some of the key events that occurred during the epic manhunt as provided by Rachel Blidner of the New York Daily News:
9-12: The shootings occur on Sept 12.
9-15: Three days later the police find Frein’s 2001 Jeep Cherokee partly submerged in a lake, complete with shell casings matching those found at the shooting scene, camouflage face paint, empty rifle cases and military gear.
9-18: Frein is added to the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted List”.
9-20: Gunfire is exchanged near the home of Frein’s parents. Residents are cautioned to stay inside and lock all doors.
9-21: Frein’s Ak-47-style weapon and ammunition are recovered.
9-23: A video of a Vietnam War reenactment surfaces with the hubris-laden Frein bragging about his military history and expertise.
9-24: Frein is spotted but eludes capture. His journals and soiled diapers are found.
9-29: Police recover two pipe bombs and handwritten notes describing the attacks in the woods of Pike and Monroe Counties.
10-2: Two state troopers are injured after falling out of a tree while on a search party.
10-4: Frein’s sister Tiffany tells him to turn himself in.
10-9: Barrett Township cancels Halloween ahead of time by banning trick-or-treating and postponing the 50th annual Halloween parade.
10-16: Surviving state trooper Alex Douglass is released from the hospital and enter a rehab facility.
10-27: Police deploy a $180,000 surveillance balloon equipped with cameras. The mission fails due to weather problems. (It seems clear from this that by this point,the authorities were beginning to get desperate).
10-30: Bingo! Frein is captured Thursday afternoon at the abandoned airport hangar.
The Pennsylvania authorities should be given great credit for remaining patient throughout this ordeal, despite the immense pressure they were under, and ultimately managing to take Frein into custody without injuring or killing him. Had they exchanged fire and killed him, it would have only served the fan the flames of hatred that convulse the souls of many survivalists and militiamen. Based on the clean capture, Frein will have his day in court and justice will be served when he is convicted of first-degree murder with a lying-in-wait enhancement.
Click here to view our earlier Eric Frein post: