"We've got him! Markeith Loyd in OPD Custody," the OPD tweeted at 7 p.m. "Details to come."
Loyd, 41, has been wanted since Dec. 13, when Orlando PD investigators say he fatally shot his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon, 24, and injured her brother when he rushed to help her. Orlando Police Lt. Debra Clayton was trying to capture him Jan. 9 when she was gunned down in cold blood, allegedly by Loyd at a Wal-Mart.
Orlando Police Chief John Mina said on Twitter that Loyd was captured and was wearing Clayton's handcuffs. Mina announced the apprehension of Loyd within a few hours of few hours of the alleged killer's name being added to the U.S. Marshals Office's top 15 most-wanted fugitives list.
Loyd yelled out, "They beat me up! They beat me up!" as Orange County Sheriff's deputies and police escorted him from a patrol vehicle the Orange County Jail in what is known as the "Perp walk." Loyd's face was described by Orlando Sentinel as bloodied with two swollen eyes as he was escorted into the jail facility. And while this was going on, Mina could not help but flash a winning smile for the media cameras.
Just hours earlier, Mina didn't mince words as to what was at stake with this situation in its 13th day: "This is a man who gunned down a pregnant woman and a police officer who was doing her job to protect our community," adding, "I think every law enforcement officer in Central Florida is actively looking for him."
Just hours earlier for Markeith Loyd's apprehension, Orlando Police Chief Mina didn't mince words as to what was at stake with this situation in its 13th day: "This is a man who gunned down a pregnant woman and a police officer who was doing her job to protect our community," adding, "I think every law enforcement officer in Central Florida is actively looking for him." Orange County Sheriff Office deputy First Class Norman Lewis also was killed in a traffic accident Jan. 9 during the search for Loyd.