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A man accused of terrorizing people across Philadelphia while wearing a creepy Halloween mask has been arrested in Las Vegas after allegedly fleeing the city.
Zymire Hughes was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service Nevada Violent Offender Task Force at around 8PM in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
He is now being held at the Clark County Detention Center while awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania.
“Tonight, the fear that one man brought to the Philadelphia community comes to an end,” Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert Clark said.
Investigators said Hughes left Philadelphia last week, flying from Trenton-Mercer Airport to Orlando before traveling onward to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
Authorities then traced him to an apartment in southeast Las Vegas, where they believe he had been staying for around five days.
“We've actually worked on this since last Friday. They worked through the weekend. And we just tried to narrow things down to a point today where everything came together,” Clark explained.
Police accuse Hughes of chasing and intimidating people in Philadelphia's Center City during the early hours of August 15. Investigators believe he may have been motivated by a desire to gain attention on social media.
According to Philadelphia Police Captain Jason Smith, Hughes may have encountered as many as 15 or 16 people during the alleged spree.
In several of the incidents, Hughes was reportedly wearing a “distinctive Chucky doll-style Halloween mask” as he approached members of the public.
The first reported incident occurred at around 5:01AM near 10th and Chestnut streets.
One particularly disturbing encounter allegedly involved a woman jogging close to City Hall. Hughes is accused of approaching her and asking: “Are you ready to die?”
The woman reportedly fled while screaming for help and suffered a serious leg injury during her attempt to escape.
“It's going to require extensive medical treatment, from what I understand, in order to treat the injuries that she has sustained,” Smith claimed.
Surveillance footage later showed Hughes entering SEPTA's Suburban Station at around 5:35AM. Police reportedly confronted him and asked him to remove his mask, but investigators believe he attempted to conceal his identity while moving through the station.
Authorities allege he continued to frighten people before managing to evade officers.
Police believe Hughes boarded a Route 33 bus at approximately 5:59AM and traveled to an apartment near 23rd and Venango streets.
Investigators said Hughes has connections to both California and Las Vegas through his employment, while members of his family live in Philadelphia.
He had reportedly been living in Las Vegas since February, initially staying with a girlfriend before moving into another apartment after his photograph began circulating publicly.
When marshals eventually caught up with him, officials said Hughes appeared confused about why he was being arrested.
“He actually tried to get out of the handcuffs and had to be subdued,” Clark said.
Hughes is facing a number of charges, including terroristic threats, harassment, simple assault and intimidation.
