The diminutive killer who escaped from a Pennsylvania prison last month is considered “armed and extremely dangerous” after stealing a rifle — and authorities warn that he may not hesitate to murder again.

Danelo Cavalcante, 34, made off with a “.22-caliber rifle with scope and flashlight attached” late Monday from a garage in East Nantmeal Township, where the homeowner fired at him, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said at a press conference Tuesday.

The 5-foot-tall killer also took ammunition that “was with the firearm,” Bivens said.

“He is considered armed and extremely dangerous,” Bivens stressed. “We have always considered him to be a risk. We just now absolutely know that he has a weapon.

“He’s killed two people before,” the offiical said.

At least one school district closed Tuesday as around 500 officers scour the surrounding area for the convict, Bivens said.

Homeowners are also urged to secure all residences, outbuildings and vehicles, though there are no shelter-in-place plans yet, he noted.

Although the homeowner fired “several” shots at Cavalcante last night, the lawman said there is “no reason to believe that he is injured as the result of that shooting.”

“I think [Cavalcante] is just trying to survive and avoid being captured right now,” he explained.

“He knows where he is. … He has been in that area before.

“We will actively hunt until we find him.”

Everything to know about the hunt for prison escapee Danelo Cavalcante

Convicted killer and escaped fugitive Danelo Cavalcante was captured when a K9 officer sniffed him out in the Pennsylvania woods

Cavalcante, 34, infamously crab-walked up two walls at Chester County Prison to escape Aug. 31.

The 5-foot-tall killer was originally behind bars in the US for fatally stabbing his girlfriend in 2021.

Previously, in November 2017, Cavalcante allegedly confronted a friend in the middle of town in Brazil over money and gunned him down.

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He eventually made his way to the US using a fake identity, slaying his partner four years later in front of her young son and daughter.

A week after being sentenced to life in August, Cavalcante escaped.

Police said the diminutive perp was “armed and extremely dangerous” after he was spotted stealing a rifle out of a Pennsylvania homeowner’s garage.

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Although tactical teams were deployed in the main search area throughout the night, Bivens asked for the public’s patience as they slowly comb through the heavily wooded area.

“It’s not a matter of just charging into the woods and just knowing it’s that way [he went],” Bivens said, referring to Cavalcante as “a needle in a haystack.”

“Our law enforcement people have done an amazing job tracking him and locating him,” he said.

Cavalcante infamously crab-walked up the wall of Chester County Prison on Aug. 31, just one week after he was hit with a life sentence for fatally stabbing his former girlfriend.

The killer later showed up on chilling footage indicating that he changed his appearance by removing his facial hair.

Late Monday, hundreds of police and SWAT team members descended on East Nantmeal Township when a homeowner reported that someone matching Cavalcante’s description had broken into his home and barely gotten away through the garage, local outlets said.

Officials at the scene later said they also found a pair of boots that may belong to Cavalcante.

Cavalcante is also accused in Brazil of “double qualified homicide” in the 2017 slaying of Válter Júnior Moreira dos Reis over a debt the victim owed him for repairing a vehicle, prosecutors there have said.