Fugitive Caught in Yosemite After 12-Day Manhunt
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YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK — A 12-day manhunt in Yosemite ended Wednesday when rangers captured a fugitive suspected of assaulting a female park ranger.
Phil Lund, 56, of San Francisco was caught in Tenaya Canyon, a remote area five miles east of Yosemite Valley, said park spokeswoman Lisa Dapprich.
Lund, a parolee once sentenced to 13 years in prison for a sexual assault, had previously worked for a park concessionaire.
He allegedly pulled a stun gun on a National Park Service worker Oct. 13 after she agreed to give him a ride in her car. He also allegedly tried to handcuff her, but she escaped.
Authorities put up roadblocks and checkpoints around the park, creating a massive traffic backup for several days.
On Tuesday, a visitor told rangers she had spotted someone fitting Lund’s description in Tenaya Canyon. Rangers began searching the area at dawn Wednesday, and Lund was taken into custody about noon.
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