Authorities in Pennsylvania said escaped convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante is armed with a .22 caliber rifle he stole from the garage of a house after confronting the resident of the home briefly.

The homeowner called police at 10:10 p.m. on Monday to report the confrontation with Cavalcante in which the escaped murderer stole the rifle and the homeowner fired multiple shots from a pistol at Cavalcante as he fled the scene. Police said at a press conference on Tuesday that authorities responded to the scene within “minutes” and conducted searches in the area overnight.

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“I think he is just trying to survive and avoid being captured right now,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said at a press conference on Tuesday.

“We have considered him dangerous right from the very start, it changes nothing. We have always considered him to be a risk, we just know absolutely know that he has a weapon,” he said in response to a follow-up question regarding if police would change their tactics.

(Associated Press)

Police said they are not calling for evacuations of houses in the area but are asking residents to lock their doors and “be vigilant.”

Cavalcante, 34, is a Brazilian national who was convicted in August of first-degree murder for the death of his former girlfriend Deborah Brandao and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole shortly after. He is also wanted in Brazil for different murder charges.

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Cavalcante has been at large for nearly two weeks after he escaped from Chester County Prison on Aug. 31 by “crab-walking” up a wall in the exercise yard.

Police have offered a reward of up to $25,000 for information about Cavalcante that could lead to his capture.