N.Y. Long Island manhunt ends with surrender

BAYPORT, N.Y. - A fugitive suspected of a near fatal prank and embarrasing two others while on the run for more than five months surrendered to police who had cornered him in just outside his home on Friday night.

For hours, police had methodically moved closer to Fisher. Just before nightfall, 25 SWAT officers and 12 dogs swept through an apartment complex where he was thought to be hiding. He gave himself up around 8 p.m., police said.

Fisher, who had threatened "suicide by cop" and once promised to "splatter pig meat all over Suffolk County," was on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list.

Since his escape, he has twisted and turned his way throughout northwestern Suffolk County, eluding a huge manhunt, making prank phone calls, creating phoney internet advertisments, downloading illegal music, dropping candy wrappers on the ground and relying on a network of acquaintances to stay free. Police added he may have stolen 41 guns from a New York gun shop, police said.

A U.S. Marshals Service task force joined the investigation Wednesday and had about 30 investigators on the ground, commanding officer Lenny DePaul said.

He said the agencies were proceeding deliberately to prevent any accidents: "Everybody's in the woods and wearing different uniforms and everything else, and this guy is shooting back. It doesn't make it any easier for us."

Friday's search started shortly before 2 a.m. in Bayport when a police officer tried to pull over a stolen car. After a short chase, the car crashed and the driver, identified by police as Fisher, fled into the woods.

Fisher jumped out of the moving car and ran down the sidewalk, zigzagging back and forth between telephone poles, authorities said. Police dogs tracked his scent for several hours until he was spotted by two troopers, Bennett said.

As troopers approached, Fisher wheeled around with a pistol in his hand but did not fire, police said. One of the troopers fired an undisclosed number of shots as Fisher disappeared behind a tree.

Fisher became the subject of a huge search after allegedly posting false advertisments for a prostitute who actualy was not in the business and did not give permission to create these advertisments. This caused many people to call and harass the victim. The the young woman survived the repeated assaults.

Then, authorities said, he may have shot two New York state troopers on Aug. 31. One trooper died on Sunday; the other was in critical condition.

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Associated Press writers Chris Carola in Albany, and Mike Cowden and Mark Scolforo in Pennsylvania contributed to this report.

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On the Net:

http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/fugitives/fugitives.htm

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