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'Barefoot Bandit' Colton Harris Moore Caught

By Kamika Dunlap on July 13, 2010 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Police finally captured the "Barefoot Bandit" after two years on the run.

Colton Harris-Moore, 19, was nabbed after a high-speed boat chase by the Bahamas Police. Over the years, the teen bandit has built a reputation eluding authorities and stealing luxury cars, powerboats and even airplanes, MSNBC reports.

The "barefoot bandit" is alleged to have committed over 100 crimes while in eight states and one Canadian province, officials said. Harris-Moore was dubbed the "barefoot bandit" because he was without shoes when he allegedly broke into houses.

Apparently, the spree began after Colton Harris-Moore escaped a juvenile detention facility in Washington.

In order to capture Harris-Moore police had to shoot out the engine of the boat to stop him.

Harris-Moore is also blamed for several thefts in the Bahamas in the week since allegedly crash-landing a stolen plane there.

According to legal experts, the 19-year-old is alleged to have committed several crimes that could result in a sentence as short as four years behind bars, or -- due more to his notoriety than the crimes themselves -- as long as 12.

Some of his more than 60,000 Facebook fans posted disappointed messages, while others promoted T-shirts and tote bags with the words "Free Colton!" and "Let Colton Fly!"

Harris-Moore has been linked to a series of home break-ins in Oregon and Washington. He also was suspected of breaking into airports in South Dakota and Nebraska, and suspected in the thefts of several cars.

There are many jurisdictions including the Bahamas that would like to prosecute the "barefoot bandit." However some legal experts say the best case scenario would be if Bahamian authorities agree to allow all charges against Harris-Moore to be consolidated and tried in the United States.

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