Police have been trying to capture Troy Knapp since 2005

Apr 3, 2013 14:30 GMT  ·  By

A man suspected of burglarizing dozens of cabins and hiding out in Utah’s mountainous region has been arrested on Tuesday, reports say.

Police in the area have been looking for survivalist Troy Knapp, also known as Utah’s "Mountain Man" for years. The Emery County Sheriff’s office tracked him down after he chatted up some antler hunters on Friday.

Sheriff Danny Perkins of Garfield County described that Knapp had eluded them since 2005. They dub him responsible of over 20 burglaries in the area.

"We’ve been worried about what Mr. Knapp is capable of doing. [...] It’s a public safety issue. It’s a relief that he’s in custody," he says.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Knapp gave himself in following a joint operation in which 12 agencies were involved. 40 officers took part in the mission to seize him.

The Ferron Mountain, Utah spotting on Friday was reported and a massive manhunt followed, during which helicopters and ground crews were deployed.

Officials caught up to him at an altitude of 9,000 feet (2,743 meters), near a cabin where Knapp was staying. The building belongs to Ron Bartholomew, who has only found out about it being occupied on TV.

Sevier County Sheriff Nathan Curtis described that helicopters arrived at the scene at around 10:10 a.m. on Tuesday.

While the suspect tried to turn them away by firing at one of the choppers, no injuries have been reported after the incident.

He tried to make a run for it down the mountain but met a team of officers who were making their way to the cabin.

Sheriff Greg Funk of Sevier shot at the fugitive after being threatened with a weapon, at which point Knapp surrendered himself.

"Boy you really snuck up on me," he jokingly noted as he was being taken into custody.