U.S. Marshals Arrest Norfolk Shooting Suspect

Norfolk, VA – United States Marshal Robert W. Mathieson announces the capture of Anthony Worlds, who was wanted by the Norfolk Police Department for a shooting that occurred less than a week ago. Worlds had outstanding warrants for malicious wounding and use of a firearm in commission of a felony.

At around 4:30am on May 23rd, Worlds and another male got into an argument after leaving a birthday party. It is alleged that Worlds then pulled out a handgun and shot the man in his lower torso. The victim was taken to the hospital and survived. Norfolk Police Department quickly identified Worlds as the suspect and obtained warrants for his arrest.

On May 27th, Norfolk detectives developed information that Worlds may be staying in a hotel near the intersection of East Little Creek Road and Shore Drive. The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force set up surveillance in the area and were able to identify the room that Worlds was staying in at the Rodeway Inn.

Around 5:30pm, members of the task force knocked on Worlds’ room at the Rodeway Inn and ordered him to open the door. Worlds immediately went to the back of his second-floor hotel room and smashed the window out, and started to pull his body through the window frame. Worlds then saw members of the task force pre-positioned on the ground directly beneath his hotel window, and as U.S. Marshal Bobby Mathieson stated, “realized he had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.”

The task force members inside the hotel—who were accompanied by a Norfolk canine unit—were able to convince Worlds to open his door and surrender after several tense minutes of negotiating. Worlds is currently being held at Norfolk City Jail.

The U.S. Marshals-led Fugitive Task Force consists of law enforcement officers from the U.S. Marshals, Chesapeake Sheriff’s Department, Newport News Police Department, Portsmouth Police Department and Norfolk Police Department. The main objective of the task force is to seek out and arrest violent offenders with outstanding federal and state warrants.

The U.S. Marshals Service, America’s oldest federal law enforcement agency, arrested more than 33,700 federal fugitives, 71,000 state and local fugitives and 11,600 sex offenders in 2014. Our investigative network and capabilities allow for the unique ability to track and apprehend any fugitive who attempts to evade police capture, anywhere in the country.