ORLANDO, Fla. – The man accused of killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend and an Orlando police officer has been taken to jail after a massive nine-day manhunt, according to the Orlando Police Department.
Police took Markeith Loyd from Orlando Police headquarters to Orlando Regional Medical Center at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday after police ordered him to surrender just before 7 p.m. Tuesday at a house on 1157 Lescot Lane in Carver Shores. Loyd was taken from ORMC to the Orange County Jail around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, after being treated at the hospital for more than 20 hours.
News of Loyd's arrest was announced on Twitter Tuesday night by Orlando police. A search for Loyd, 41, has been underway in Central Florida since Lt. Debra Clayton was fatally shot while trying to approach Loyd outside an Orlando Walmart the morning of Jan. 9.
Timeline: How the manhunt and capture of Markeith Loyd unfolded
Loyd crawled out of the house covered in body armor and armed with two guns, Orlando Police Chief John Mina said during a news conference Tuesday night.
Mina said Loyd initially tried to escape out the back through a sliding glass door, but came out through the front door and dropped the firearms on the ground.
One of the guns had a 100-round capacity, Mina said.
Loyd resisted arrest but no law enforcement officers were injured during his capture. Mina said Loyd is being treated for facial injuries, which he described as "minor."
No one else was inside the home when Loyd was taken into custody. The house was abandoned, and Mina does not know how long Loyd had been hiding inside.
Though the house was abandoned, it does have ties to some of Loyd's known associates, Mina said.
“There will be more arrests as the investigation continues,” Mina said. “We know that people did help him out and assisted him.”
Mina said that police used Clayton's handcuffs to arrest Loyd.
"That's a tradition in law enforcement that goes back many, many years," Mina said. "Debra Clayton risked her life for this community that she loves so dearly and to put her handcuffs on the bad guy that she was trying to catch when she was killed is just significant, meaningful to her family... as well as the law enforcement community."
Clayton's husband was "relieved and happy" to hear news of the arrest, but was also upset to hear that the arrest was made right around the corner from Clayton's mother house.
"Seth (Clayton) wants to thank OPD and all law enforcement agencies that assisted in the capture of Markeith Loyd and that he is confident that justice will be served," Clayton family spokesperson, Jay Carr told News 6.
Video recorded outside the Orlando Police Department headquarters shows Loyd with a bloody face and swollen eyes.
"They beat me up," Loyd repeated three times to reporters outside.
That same video shows Mina smiling at reporters as he walks into the building.
Loyd has been wanted since he was named as a suspect in the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon, 24, in Pine Hills on Dec. 13.
While assisting in the manhunt for Loyd, Orange County Deputy Norman Lewis was fatally struck by a vehicle while on his service motorcycle. His family told News 6 "Thank you, Jesus" when they heard about the arrest.
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings called Loyd a "maniac" and said he will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm, two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm and one count of attempted murder. Additional charges are likely.
A $125,000 reward was offered for information leading to Loyd's arrest. More than 1,400 Crimeline tips have been called in since Clayton was gunned down. The U.S. Marshals Service announced Tuesday that Loyd had been added to the 15 Most Wanted list.
In addition to the national interest the agency brings, the U.S. Marshals Service added $25,000 Tuesday to the already $100,000 reward offered for information leading to Loyd's arrest.
Sources told News 6 that no one will be rewarded the Crimeline money because the arrest was due to law enforcement investigative tactics.
Citing the city, county, state and national law enforcement involved in Loyd’s capture, Orange County Commissioner Regina Hill said she is “forever grateful for them bringing this cold-blooded killer to justice.”
Three people have been accused and arrested for allegedly helping Loyd avoid capture after Dixon's murder in Pine Hills. One of those people, Zarghee Mayan, told detectives that Loyd has been wearing a bulletproof vest since the December shooting.
The arrest happened a few hours after Mina held a news conference Tuesday afternoon saying that Loyd may have shaved his head to change his appearance. With that announcement, officials released a digitally altered photograph of Loyd without his hair.
During the course of the nine-day manhunt, Mina repeatedly told reporters that Loyd would be taken into custody no matter what.
"We just need that right piece of information to bring him in," Mina said.
Law enforcement officials were hoping to arrest Loyd before the funerals for Clayton and Lewis, which were held at First Baptist Orlando on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Hundreds of mourners gathered on both days to honor the fallen officers.
Check back for more details on this breaking news story.
Sign up for ClickOrlando breaking news alerts and email newsletters
More News 6 team coverage:
Timeline: How the hunt for Markeith Loyd unfolded
Massive manhunt for suspected Orlando cop killer enters Day 2
Friends mourn loss of deputy killed searching for suspected cop killer
What we know about fallen Orlando police Master Sgt. Debra Clayton
Witness describes moments after OPD officer was fatally shot
Shooter in pregnant woman's death has extensive criminal history
Photos: Orlando officer slain, Orange County deputy dies, manhunt