Bucky Wimps Bigtime

Ralph "Bucky" Phillips gave up without committing "suicide by cop" or without actually have to face up to New York State troopers who were not unsuspecting and ready to be ambushed. In other words, he wimped out of all his big talk and gave up with a whimper.

Ralph "Bucky" Phillips walked out with his hands up, ending the state's largest manhunt for the 44-year-old career thief who broke out of a Buffalo-area jail in April, New York State Police Investigator Gary Colon said.

The arrest capped a frantic day of searching that included troopers firing at Phillips earlier in the day as he dodged authorities in a wooded area.

For hours, police had methodically moved closer to Phillips. Just before nightfall, 25 SWAT officers and 12 dogs swept through a field where he was thought to be hiding. He gave himself up around 8 p.m., police said.

"A few of my guys had spotted him in an open field, the helicopter zeroed in on him," said Lenny DePaul, commanding officer of the U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force.

He did not know what condition Phillips was in.

Phillips was being taken to a jail in Buffalo — the same one he broke out of — and was to be arraigned Saturday morning. He faces a charge of attempted murder in connection with the shooting of a state trooper on June 10.

I am very glad nobody else – even Phillips – was hurt in this. I am glad he showed exactly what he really was all this time. Phillips now gets to face trial on all the various crimes he is alleged to have committed while on his little spree. The jerk who escaped jail with less than one week to go on his sentence will now, almost certainly, never breath free air again. (And killing a police officer in New York is still a death penalty offense, last I heard.)

So add 'genius' to the term 'coward' when describing him.