A Philadelphia man accused of terrorizing pedestrians while wearing a "Chucky"-style mask has been arrested in Las Vegas, the U.S. Marshals Service announced. Zymire Hughes, 22, was taken into custody Tuesday by the U.S. Marshals Service’s Philadelphia office and the Nevada Violent Offender Task Force.
Hughes is currently being held at the Clark County Detention Center pending extradition to Pennsylvania. According to authorities cited by FOX5 Vegas, Hughes fled the Philadelphia area on August 19, traveling from Trenton-Mercer Airport in New Jersey to Orlando, Florida, before continuing to Las Vegas.
Marshals stated that Hughes had been residing in Las Vegas since February and had established work connections in Nevada and California. Investigators believe he moved between locations to avoid apprehension and spent five days hiding in a southeast Las Vegas apartment complex. Task force officers located Hughes using surveillance footage from the complex. He reportedly questioned the arrest and resisted officers before being subdued.
The U.S. Marshals office reported that nothing was recovered upon arrest, and Hughes made no statements regarding his motive. The agency did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.
Philadelphia police had been searching for Hughes in connection with several confrontations that occurred in the early morning hours of August 12 near City Hall. Authorities allege that Hughes approached, chased, and threatened multiple individuals while wearing a cracked doll-style mask and recording the incidents with a cellphone.
In one alleged incident, police stated Hughes asked a 40-year-old female jogger, "Are you ready to die?" while concealing his hand behind his back as if he were armed. The woman fled and sustained a leg injury that required extensive treatment.
Hughes was reportedly wanted on an active aggravated assault warrant. Philadelphia officials had previously stated he faced felony and misdemeanor assault charges and was already on probation in an unrelated Montgomery County case. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner had publicly warned Hughes that authorities were closing in on his whereabouts.