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The man was spotted around 11 a.m. in a parking lot outside of
the UnitedHealthcare corporate campus in the Minneapolis suburb
of Minnetonka. City spokesman Andy Wittenborg said the man
contacted the FBI's field office in Minneapolis once he arrived,
and an FBI negotiator made contact with him by phone.
“While the investigation is still in its early stages, there is
currently no indication that the individual had specific
grievances against UnitedHealthcare,” Wittenborg said in a
statement.
City police and the FBI coordinated their response and had
steady contact with the man, successfully encouraging him to
peacefully surrender to authorities after about an hour with no
threat to the public, Wittenborg said. The man, who'd had
previous contacts with Minnetonka police, had showed up at a
security checkpoint where he was not supposed to be.
Wittenborg said the incident had nothing to do with the killing
of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was shot to death in
New York City on Dec. 4 as he was walking to an investor
conference in midtown Manhattan. The man accused of killing him,
Luigi Mangione, 26, pleaded not guilty in December to state
murder and terror charges.
News helicopter video of the aftermath showed over a dozen law
enforcement vehicles from multiple agencies at the scene, as
well as an ambulance that was standing by. There were no reports
of injuries.
The CEO’s killing and ensuing manhunt leading to Mangione’s
arrest rattled the business community, with some health insurers
hastily switching to remote work or online shareholder meetings.
It also galvanized health insurance critics — some of whom
rallied around Mangione as a stand-in for frustrations over
coverage denials and hefty medical bills.
Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson from
behind. Police say the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were
scrawled on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase commonly used to
describe insurer tactics to avoid paying claims.
Mangione also faces federal charges, and U.S. Attorney General
Pam Bondi said earlier this month she has directed federal
prosecutors to seek the death penalty.
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