22-Year-Old Arrested in Las Vegas for Masked Threats Near Philadelphia City Hall

U.S. Marshals reported that Zymire Hughes, 22, was taken into custody Tuesday night at an apartment complex in southeast Las Vegas. He is being held at the Clark County Detention Center pending extradition to Philadelphia, where prosecutors have charged him with aggravated assault, terroristic threats and related offenses.

Authorities say Hughes, a Las Vegas resident since February, traveled from Philadelphia to Trenton-Mercer Airport on Aug. 19, then to Orlando and finally to Las Vegas. Police allege that on Aug. 12 he roamed the area around City Hall in Center City for about 15 minutes, confronting at least six individuals while wearing a Chucky-style Halloween mask. Witnesses reported he asked a woman, "Are you ready to die?" and chased a man on 15th Street before fleeing the scene.

"By hiding behind a Chucky-style Halloween mask, Hughes terrorized Philadelphia residents and believed he could evade law enforcement. He was wrong," said Robert Clark, supervisory deputy U.S. marshal for the Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force.

Police noted that Hughes entered a Dunkin' shop but was denied service because of the mask, and later was seen on surveillance footage running toward pedestrians near Penn Square. He reportedly used a cellphone with its light on, possibly recording the incidents, before escaping to Suburban Station. The U.S. Marshal Service said his arrest underscores the agency's ability to track suspects regardless of attempts to conceal their identity.