Man Wanted in Schuylkill River Stabbings Arrested in Virginia

[UPDATE, 6:00 p.m.] According to a statement from the U.S. Marshals Service, “career criminal” was arrested Tuesday evening at a motel in Ashland, Virginia. The break in the case is said to be the result of information gathered by the U.S. Marshals in Eastern Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Police Department homicide unit which pointed to Ashland.

According to a statement from law enforcement, Le was spotted on Tuesday entering a room at the Motel 6. Deputies knocked on the door and found Le’s wife and three children; after removing them, they discovered Le attempting to escape through the ceiling of the locked bathroom. A brief standoff ended in Le’s surrender.

“Tam Le’s apprehension is both significant and rewarding for the City of Philadelphia,” said David B. Webb, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “Thanks to the tenacity of our deputies and their commitment to this case, this violent fugitive will finally answer for his crimes.” Le is being held in jail in Hanover, Virginia, where he’s awaiting extradition.

[ORIGINAL, 12:47 p.m.] Tam Minh Le, the man police say killed two men and stabbed another before dumping their bodies in the Schuylkill last August, has reportedly been arrested in Virginia.

“The U.S. Marshal’s office says 43-year-old Tam Minh Le was captured on Tuesday in Ashland, Virginia,” CBS Philly reports: “Le, along with members of the BTK gang, reportedly stabbed the three victims and dumped their bodies into the river in August. The men were tied to weighted canisters and their throats were slit. One of the victims survived the attack and identified Le as the assailant. Police had been searching for him ever since.”

Le had been placed on the U.S. Marshals’ “15 Most Wanted” list in mid-December. A reward of $25,000 had been offered for his capture.