Arrest and Extradition

A 22-year-old man accused of menacing pedestrians near City Hall while wearing a Halloween mask was arrested in Las Vegas, the U.S. Marshals Service said Tuesday night. Zymire Hughes was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service Nevada Violent Offender Task Force at about 8 p.m. and is being held at the Clark County Detention Center pending extradition to Pennsylvania.

The arrest came after police identified Hughes and issued an arrest warrant, according to multiple reports. The Philadelphia Inquirer noted that Hughes gained national attention when viral images circulated online showing him allegedly wearing a mask resembling a cracked porcelain doll with a baby face. Masks advertised for Halloween that look very similar to what Hughes allegedly wore are available for sale on both Amazon and eBay.

The Incident

Police say Hughes chased and threatened people in Center City Philadelphia during the early morning hours. Reports vary on the exact date and number of victims. CBS News and ABC7 Los Angeles place the incidents on Aug. 12, while ABC7 also references Aug. 15 in one account. The Philadelphia Inquirer and several other outlets say he harassed and scared more than a dozen people near City Hall that morning, with police saying he encountered as many as 15 or 16 people.

The incidents began around 5:01 a.m. near 10th and Chestnut streets, according to ABC7, and culminated near City Hall and SEPTA's Suburban Station shortly before 6 a.m. CBS News reports that the threats began around 5:18 a.m. at 15th and Chestnut, and that about two minutes later, Hughes entered a Dunkin' on the 1500 block of Chestnut Street, where he was refused service for wearing the mask.

Police said Hughes approached a woman who was jogging near City Hall and asked her, "Are you ready to die?" The woman ran away screaming for help and seriously injured her leg while trying to escape. Philadelphia Police Capt. Jason Smith said the injury would require extensive medical treatment.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said last week that Hughes is expected to face an aggravated assault charge in addition to other counts because one of the victims was hurt while trying to run away from him.

The Mask and Witness Accounts

The suspect wore a "distinctive Chucky doll-style Halloween mask," according to police, as reported by ABC7. Some outlets described the mask as a white baby doll style Halloween mask with black hair. The Philadelphia Inquirer noted the mask was similar to ones available for sale online.

A witness named Jameka, who asked not to use her last name, told ABC7 that she confronted the masked man. She said she saw him chasing someone and stepped up to draw him away. Jameka told ABC7 that after she tried to alert the jogger, the suspect turned his attention toward her, prompting her to scream for help. "He just seemed so disoriented about what his goals actually were," she said. "Like I had bags, he wasn't reaching for those. It didn't seem like he had a clear goal ... to actually do anything. So I was like, 'Okay, well, let's see if you can fight,' and he couldn't." Jameka kicked him in the chest, and he fled.

Another witness, Luanda Marinho, told CBS that the masked man approached her and a friend, asking, "Do you guys want to race me? I bet I am faster than you. Want to race me?" She said they are considering changing their running route because of the encounter, describing it as "some twisted game."

Investigation and Motive

Police believe Hughes may have been motivated by a desire for social media attention. Capt. Jason Smith said, "I believe that he was doing this purely for social media content – either A, for his own sick personal amusement, or B, he had plans of posting it online at some point, and possibly monetizing it." However, it remains unclear whether the encounters were part of a social media trend, as reported by BBC and others.

Investigators did not believe Hughes intended to physically harm those he harassed, given that he did not produce a weapon during any of the interactions, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Police said Hughes had ties to California and Nevada because of employment. Capt. Smith noted that Hughes had a tendency to travel to the West Coast, including the LA area and Las Vegas, for employment reasons. Authorities suspected he was heading to Los Angeles or Las Vegas after leaving his apartment with packed bags, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Charges

Hughes faces charges including terroristic threats, harassment, simple assault, reckless endangerment, and witness intimidation, according to multiple reports. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that investigators did not believe he intended to physically harm his victims.

District Attorney Larry Krasner was quoted by The Gateway Pundit as saying, "You think it's funny to scare people? Well, get ready to get scared by us because we got the handcuffs, we got the jail cell, we got the Philly jury that's going to tell you it's not funny at all."

Public Safety

Police had urged the public to call 911 immediately if they saw the suspect and not to approach him, as reported by Baltimore News and WJLA. The suspect was initially described as a thin, 5'8"-tall Black man between the ages of 16 and 20, according to TMZ, before being identified as Hughes.