In less than a day and a half, it was all over.
Brooklyn residents spooked by the sudden and strange tinge of violence that occurred during the rush hour commute on the subway on Tuesday morning could rest just a little bit easier when, in the early afternoon on Wednesday, police apprehended their suspect without incident.
And, beyond “without incident”, it appears as though Frank James was actually trying to get caught.
The man suspected of shooting 10 people on a subway train in Brooklyn on Tuesday called in a tip to Crime Stoppers that led to his capture Wednesday, two law enforcement sources told CNN.
Frank James, 62, was arrested without incident by patrol officers in Manhattan’s East Village neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
James called in the tip and told authorities he was at a McDonald’s on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the sources confirmed. He essentially told police he saw his face on the news and knew he was wanted, the sources said.
And then:
He told the operator he would be inside the restaurant charging his phone but could not provide his phone number, a senior law enforcement source said. The call dropped moments later and was followed by a 911 call from another person who said they had spotted James, one of the two sources told CNN.
Patrol officers arrived at the McDonald’s but did not see him, the sources said. Just down the block, they came across a bystander who flagged James to them, the senior law enforcement source said. James was in custody by roughly 1:40 p.m ET, about an hour after he made his call.
James is believed to have fired his weapon into the crowded subway car at least 33 times.
Thankfully, no one was gravely injured in the incident.
