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Luigi Mangione, UnitedHealthcare CEO's suspected killer, was seemingly carrying a backpack from Peak Design at the time of the shooting. The image of the alleged shooter wearing the backpack from the San Francisco-based company seen in the CCTV footage of the shooting went viral after it was released to the public.
In the wake of the video going viral, Peak Design's founder and CEO Peter Dering reached out to law enforcement to offer his help in tracking down the suspect. The CEO sat down with the New York Times on December 5, 2024, and explained what he did. He said that as soon as he saw the pictures of the shooter's bag, he "immediately" called NYPD's tipline.
“Of course, my instinct would be to do whatever is possible to help track this person down,” he told the NY Times.
Dering also explained that if police took his help, he would have checked with the company's "general counsel about what information he could release without violating the company's privacy guidelines." Meanwhile, rumors spread online that all Peak Design bags have traceable serial numbers. The rumors also claimed that Peter Dering reportedly shared these numbers with the investigators before Luigi Mangione’s arrest.
In an email clarification shared on December 14, 2024, Dering said that the company hadn't given police any information about their customers. He also clarified that they would "only do so under the order of a subpoena.” However, he and Peak Design are now facing backlash for seemingly “snitching” on Luigi Mangione.
People took to X to criticize Peak Design and its CEO for calling the police. Some said that those who had placed orders for the bags should "cancel them."
“If you bought a Peak Design bag in support of the CEO shooter be advised that the CEO OF PEAK DESIGN CALLED THE COPS AND TOLD THEM THAT EACH BAG HAS AN IDENTIFIABLE SERIAL NUMBER. Y'all cancel them orders.”
Others also took to the social media platform to agree with the user's tweets as some wondered how the CEO of Peak Design didn't "know how to read the room. Netizens also claimed that Dering was going into "Peak Damage control mode."
“They saw the jacket selling out everywhere and wanted the same vitality,” a person wrote.
“Peak Design in Peak D…amage control mode,’ one person wrote.
“So, the CEO of the “Peak Design”, The backpack that Luigi Mangione was wearing is the person who snitched on him because his backpacks have serial numbers on them! Peter Dering, Do you know you have 30 minutes?” wrote another.
“How does the CEO of Peak Design not know how to read the room & fumble-free marketing by being a snitch? You wanted to talk to the police that bad? #LuigiMangione #peakdesign,” a netizen asked.
“Peak Design CEO ratted out Luigi Mangione smh,” another netizen wrote.
“Wow Peak Design snitched on #LuigiMangione,” a user wrote.
"Apparently all CEOs gotta look out for each other," another user wrote.
Notably, as per Peter Dering’s email, only customers who voluntarily register their products for warranty purposes could be traced back to their bags. The company makes high-end bags and accessories primarily for photographers.
More about the Peak Design controversy surrounding Luigi Mangione
The day after Brian Thompson’s fatal shooting on December 4, Peak Design CEO Peter Dering spoke to the New York Times. He said that he received “about 10 texts” from individuals claiming that the alleged shooter's grey backpack was from the company’s ‘Everyday’ series. The pictures were made public by the NYPD.
The particular version seen in the photos was sold by Peak Design between 2016 and 2019. Meanwhile, its current model is described on the website as “an iconic, award-winning pack for everyday and photo carry.”
While Dering called the NYPD tip line, he was allegedly behind the “curve." The operator told him they had already received “hundreds” of calls identifying the backpack. However, his status at the company helped smooth things out.
As per Peter Dering’s email clarification, the serial numbers of the registered product, are “not unique or identifying” but rather “lot numbers used to track batch production units.” Unique serial numbers were allegedly given to V2 models, which was a later version of the shooter’s bag, which was the V1 model.
The statement, posted on the company's social media accounts and website, clarified that the numbers allow them to “track product issues” and “quarantine stock if a defect is found.” The email's final point explained that if a registered bag owner reports the bag as lost or stolen, they could opt for a registration erasure so that the bag can’t be traced back to the customer anymore.
“We take out customer privacy seriously. There is misinformation being shared on social media that has triggered many serious threats for the safety of not only me but our employees as well," Dering wrote.
He also asked people to "reconsider the facts" the company was giving them and requested that they "continue to instill trust in the Peak Design brand.
Luigi Mangione also reportedly wore a Tommy Hilfiger jacket, which he discarded alongside a Monopoly money stack in Central Park, NYC, while fleeing the crime scene. The suspect also wore a $225 sherpa-lined Levi’s hoodie, which became a marker during the five-day-long manhunt.
So far, neither Tommy Hilfiger nor Levi’s has commented on the matter. However, their sales have reportedly seen a surge, as per Vanity Fair.
On the morning of December 4, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan while on his way to an investor’s meeting.
Luigi Mangione, the suspected shooter, was taken into custody from a McDonald’s outlet in Altoona, Pennsylvania after a restaurant employee called 911 on December 9, 2024.
Luigi Mangione was identified as a “strong person of interest” in Brian Thompson’s killing at the time of his arrest. New York Police Department described it as a "pre-meditated, pre-planned, targeted attack."
Luigi Mangione is facing five felony charges in New York including a second-degree murder count, three counts of weapons possession, and one count of forgery.
