"We give you the greatest perp walk since Hannibal Lecter" — Internet reacts as Luigi Mangione receives massive police escort in NY

Luigi Mangione, accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was seen arriving in New York City surrounded by heavy police presence, including the FBI-NYPD task force. Mayor Eric Adams acknowledged this on social media.

Mangione, 26, attended three court hearings and was transported in various vehicles, including a plane and helicopter, with cameras tracking him. Videos of his arrival at a Manhattan heliport, surrounded by armed officers, have gone viral.

As videos of the lengthy walk went viral online, Carole Lieberman, a forensic psychologist, claimed that Luigi Mangione’s walk held a “mixture of his emotions.” The psychologist explained to The Daily Beast on December 19:

“On the one hand, he’s not a happy camper being under the control of all these law enforcement officers. But, on the other hand, his smirk reveals that he’s happy and proud of himself to have necessitated so many officers to escort him.”

New York-based body expert Fred Cuellar analyzed Luigi Mangione’s body language and described him as looking “confident” and “defiant,” according to The Daily Beast on December 19.

"His posture is often associated with attempting to project strength and control, refusing to appear defeated or ashamed. His looking around demonstrated that he is actively assessing his surroundings, potentially searching for familiar faces or media attention, showing alertness or engagement with the situation," he said.

Netizens have since taken to social media to react to the viral video with one netizen commenting:

"Prosecutors: We don’t want to turn Luigi Mangione into some kind of martyr. That’s why we’re charging him with terrorism. The NYPD and Mayor Eric Adams: Hold our beer. We give you the greatest perp walk since Hannibal Lecter was wheeled out of an airplane strapped to a handtruck," wrote one user.

Several others were also shocked by the viral video and compared Luigi Mangione to comic characters like Superman and the Joker, among others. Comments online read:

“He is being treated like a celebrity,” an X user said.

“Luigi is the People’s prince,” a platform user said.

“NYC trying their hardest to replicate a scene that would come out of Gotham City,” another netizen commented.

According to CNN, Luigi Mangione has been indicted on 11 charges in New York City, including first-degree murder as an act of terrorism. He also faces other charges in Pennsylvania in connection to false identity and a 3D-printed firearm. Meanwhile, other comments read:

“What the hell is this? Some kind of a show,” an X user said.

“Making him walk on a trail of banana peal’s wasn’t very professional of them,” a platform user said.

“This is so dramatic. They milking tf outta this,” another netizen said.

Luigi Mangione was extradited from Pennsylvania after being caught in a McDonald’s Altoona branch on December 9. Some other comments read:

“Hes not superman,” an X user said.

“What an oddly staged video,” a platform user said.

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“Those who bring illegal guns to our city will face justice”: Mayor Adams releases statement as Luigi Mangione video goes viral online

On December 20, Mayor Eric Adams took to his X account to share a series of videos of Luigi Mangione being escorted in the city. He also wrote in his tweet:

“Luigi Mangione was brought back to New York City to answer to the charges in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Those who bring illegal guns to our city will face justice. I want to thank all the individuals and law enforcement who helped bring this suspect into custody. The NYPD stops at nothing to catch criminals.”

CNN revealed that four federal charges, including two counts of stalking, a count of murder through the use of a firearm, and a firearms offense, were unsealed in New York. Mangione could face the death penalty if he is found guilty of the federal murder charge. However, the punishment had not been confirmed by officials at the time of writing this article.

He is now being held in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, where rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs is also being held on s*x trafficking and racketeering charges.