COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Serial shooting suspect Charles A. McCoy Jr. was apprehended Wednesday morning in Las Vegas, but it is unclear when he will be returned to Ohio to face charges, according to authorities. McCoy, 28 (pictured, below), was taken into custody and arrested unharmed at the Budget Suites Motel in Las Vegas, located off the Las Vegas Strip, according to authories.

He was taken to an FBI field office in that city shortly after 6 a.m. Eastern time and was booked on fugitive charges. Las Vegas law enforcement officials said McCoy did not say much as they took him into custody. They said he was in Las Vegas for about a day and that he had gambled at the Stardust Hotel. They said he was not armed at the time of the arrest. "My advice would be that if you're a fugitive, and you think you can hide in Las Vegas, don't come," said Chief Mike Mayberry of the Henderson, Nev., Police Department. Law enforcement officials said the first tip that McCoy was in their city came at about 4 p.m. Pacific time.

Conrad Malsom of Las Vegas said that he told authorities he was sharing a large pizza at the Stardust Hotel with some friends and offered the rest to a man whom he said he immediately recognized. "When he returned and accepted the pizza, I knew instantly who I was talking to and giving the pizza to, because I had looked at the USA Today and maybe took a second or third look at that picture, which they had on the front page," Malsom said. Malsom, 60, claimed that after McCoy left the motel, he called authorities and gave them a drinking glass and matchbooks that McCoy allegedly had used. He said McCoy told him his name was "Mike."

The witness said that later he drove by the motel and saw the green Geo Metro that McCoy was driving parked in the Budget Suites' lot. Las Vegas NBC affiliate KVBC-TV reported that once they received a tip, authorities rented a room inside the nearby Budget Suites. The car was not parked in the lot at that time. Police and the FBI conducted surveillance on McCoy's room for about 20 minutes. When McCoy returned to the motel in his green Geo Metro, authorities arrested him without incident, KVBC reported. Sources said that a 9 mm handgun was located in the hotel room.

According to authorities, McCoy had registered at the motel under his own name. "I think he probably wanted to be caught," said Evan Rosenthal of the Las Vegas metro police. "Why else would you register under your own name and use your own copy of your driver's license to register with Budget Suites? It's just asking to be found by the police." The Geo Metro was later loaded onto a flat-bed truck and was taken to authorities. Authorities were waiting for search warrants before entering McCoy's car and motel room. McCoy was described as armed and dangerous, according to authorities.

He was charged Monday night with felonious assault out of a shooting incident Dec. 15 on Brown Road in South Columbus. The task force investigating the serial shootings said Monday that McCoy was their prime suspect in the shootings that have taken place in Central Ohio over the last 10 months. The task force has scheduled a 3:30 p.m. news conference to discuss McCoy's arrest. The son of shooting victim Gail Knisley, Brent Knisley, will make a brief statement, according to the task force. "The arrest of McCoy in no way brings to a close the investigation into these shooting incidents," according to a statement released by the task force. "Much work is left to do by investigators and we remain confident that we are on task and will bring these cases to a successful conclusion."

McCoy's mother, Ardith McCoy, told police that she last saw her son last Friday at 4 p.m., according to the missing persons report she filed early Monday. The report said that McCoy was upset over a possible move and he left home to go to Gameworks at Easton Town Center. She told police that her son withdrew approximately $600 from his bank account and he had not been seen since.

According to authorities, one of the reasons why she filed the missing persons report was because he has a history of mental illness. An alert that went to law enforcement officers nationwide said McCoy has had mental health issues in the past and is not on medication. The alert also said McCoy is believed to have suicidal or homicidal tendencies. McCoy, 28, lived within miles of where most of the shootings occurred. He is described as white, 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 185 pounds. He has brown hair and green eyes.

According to authorities, McCoy could appear in front of a judge on either Wednesday or Thursday. At that point, he will have the choice to either waive or fight extradition to Ohio. If he chooses to waive extradition, McCoy could be back in Columbus on either Thursday or Friday.

Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien said McCoy's mental health will likely be brought into question. Another factor that will be brought into question, he said, will be McCoy's state of mind when he reportedly left Ohio last week. McCoy attended Grove City High School and graduated from there in 1994. According to South-Western City Schools, he played football in 1993 and 1994 and was a wrestler.

Investigators said McCoy bought a 9 mm Beretta handgun Friday afternoon from Vance's gun shop on Cleveland Avenue. Sources said that McCoy's application was cleared immediately through the National Instant Check System because he had no prior felony convictions.

The serial shootings at vehicles and buildings scattered along or near Central Ohio highways began in May, though most have occurred since mid-October. Twenty-four shootings have been linked. Nine of them have been linked by ballistic evidence. Witnesses to the last shooting on Feb. 14 reported seeing a shot fired from an overpass by a clean-shaven white male in his 30s with dark hair, wearing a hat and sunglasses and driving a small black sedan.

The shooting incident McCoy was charged with Monday night occurred Dec. 15 at 901 Brown Road. Two shots were fired from a 9 mm handgun into an occupied home. Read McCoy's Arrest WarrantA reward for information that leads to the arrest and indictment of the shooter or shooters responsible for Knisley's death on Nov. 25 stands at $60,000. Anyone with information is asked to call (614) 462-4646.

UPDATED Interactive Map: Columbus Area Shootings
Timeline of Serial Highway Shootings

Telephone Tip Line: (614) 462-4646
Send Tips: Franklin County Sheriff's Office, P.O. Box. 360562, Columbus, OH 43236-0562