Man arrested in Las Vegas after multi-state manhunt for Philadelphia mask assault suspect
Zymire Hughes, 22, was taken into custody in Las Vegas and is awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania on aggravated assault charges linked to incidents in downtown Philadelphia.
The U.S. Marshals Service arrested 22-year-old Zymire Hughes in Las Vegas after a multi-state search that began in Philadelphia. Hughes is being held at the Clark County Detention Center pending extradition to Pennsylvania.
Federal authorities said Hughes left the Philadelphia area on Aug. 19, traveling from Trenton-Mercer Airport to Orlando before arriving in Las Vegas. He had been residing in Las Vegas since February and maintained employment ties in Nevada and California, according to local reports. Investigators said he moved between locations to evade capture and spent five days in a southeast Las Vegas apartment complex, where surveillance footage helped locate him.
During the arrest, Hughes reportedly questioned officers and resisted before deputies subdued him. "Nothing was recovered upon arrest, and he did not make any statements about his motive," the Marshals office said.
Philadelphia police were searching for Hughes in connection with a series of confrontations near City Hall on Aug. 12. Authorities allege he approached, chased and threatened multiple people while wearing a cracked doll-style mask and recording the encounters on a cellphone. In one incident, a 40-year-old jogger was asked, "Are you ready to die?" and later required extensive treatment for a leg injury.
Hugers faces an active aggravated assault warrant and additional felony and misdemeanor assault charges. He was also on probation for an unrelated case in Montgomery County. District Attorney Larry Krasner warned the suspect that authorities were closing in, adding at a news conference, "If Zymire Hughes was trying to scare people, make them run — who’s scared now? Who’s running now?"