The saga of the “Barefoot Bandit” ended in the Bahamas yesterday the only way it could — with shackles on his ankles and no shoes on his feet.
After a 24-month odyssey worthy of a Hollywood movie, Colton Harris-Moore, 19, the nation’s most elusive teenager, was nabbed in a pre-dawn, action-packed water chase when authorities shot out the engine on his stolen boat.
Harris-Moore had been on the lam since escaping from a Washington state halfway house in 2008. Two years, eight states and five planes later, Harris-Moore has achieved Bonnie and Clyde-like fame, with a cult following on Facebook and several songs written in his honor.
Authorities said Harris-Moore broke the law nearly 70 times during his crime spree, which included stops in Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. In Indiana, he stole a plane and flew more than 1,000 miles to the islands off Florida’s coast, despite a lack of formal training.
Police picked up his trail in Eleuthera, a Bahamian island, after he crash-landed the plane 40 miles away on Great Abaco Island, where he was linked to a string of seven burglaries.
Cops in Eleuthera recovered a stolen, 44-foot powerboat from a marina. Police say that boat led them to believe the fugitive was nearby. Sightings were later reported elsewhere in Eleuthera, including at a bar in Governor’s Harbour, 50 miles to the south, where one witness said Harris-Moore bought drinks for a girl.
He was also accused of breaking into another lounge on the island, but no one is sure if he stole anything there.
“He was watching television,” said Denaldo Bain, that lounge’s manager. “He was just chilling.”
Commissioner Ellison Greenslade of the Royal Bahamas Police Force said Harris-Moore was carrying a handgun that he tried to throw away and that shots were fired during the water chase. He did not say who fired the shots.
Earlier, an official told The Associated Press that police shot out the engine of Harris-Moore’s boat.
“It was like something you might see in the movies,” Greenslade said.
Kenneth Strachan, the security director for Romora Bay Resort and Marina, said he saw a barefoot young man about 2 a.m. sprinting along the dock with a gun in his hand and a knapsack on his shoulder.
“They’re going to kill me,” the man told Strachan, according to a statement issued by the resort.
“At one point, the boy threw his computer in the water and put a gun to his head,” resort manager Anne Ward said in the statement. “He was going to kill himself. Police talked him out of it.”
Authorities put Harris-Moore in the resort’s work truck and took him to the Harbour Island police station, she said. The suspect was examined by a doctor and appeared to be in good health, according to Greenslade. He will be taken to court this week and arraigned on charges including theft and burglary in the Bahamas.
Greenslade said these charges will take priority over those pending against him in the United States. The two countries have an extradition treaty, and Harris-Moore is likely to be returned to face charges in several states.
After the teen’s arrest, a contingent of high-ranking officers traveled to the island and took him to Nassau, the country’s capital. Harris-Moore emerged from a plane wearing camouflage pants, a short-sleeved shirt and a bullet-proof vest.
The “Barefoot Bandit” wore no shoes, but was handcuffed and shackled at the ankles as he shuffled to a convoy of police cars and SUVs along with a swarm of armed officers. Even without shoes, the lanky, 6-foot-5 suspect towered over his handlers.
Harris-Moore got a taste of what he’ll receive when he gets back home. Taxi drivers, porters and curious passengers awaiting domestic flights peered over a nearby wall, shouting their support for the teen, who has become an international folk hero.
“We love you, Barefoot Bandit,” several shouted.
He ignored questions shouted by reporters.
Harris-Moore has been running since 2008, following his break from a juvenile halfway house in Renton, Wash., where he was sent after pleading guilty to three counts of burglary and being sentenced to three years.
He received his nickname because he didn’t wear shoes when he allegedly broke into houses.
Harris-Moore has been linked to a series of break-ins in Oregon and Washington, but authorities believe he recently made his way east. He was suspected of breaking into airports in South Dakota and Nebraska, and was also suspected in several car thefts. Officials said he had no cellphone, no credit cards and usually stole cash. They said he didn’t even have a driver’s license, or any sort of formal identification.
In December, Time magazine dubbed Harris-Moore “America’s Most Wanted Teenage Bandit,” and a Facebook site for him showed nearly 58,000 “fans” as of Sunday.
Some Facebook fans promoted T-shirts and tote bags with the words “Free Colton!” and “Let Colton Fly!”
Harris-Moore’s mother, Pamela Kohler, has told reporters that she wanted her son to turn himself in, but said she was “proud” he had actually taught himself to fly. Kohler has hired Courtney Love’s former entertainment attorney to help her negotiate a book deal.
Meanwhile, 20th Century Fox has purchased the rights for a film based on his exploits.
“I think it’s sad, very sad,” said Steve Dean, assistant special agent in charge for the FBI’s Seattle office. “People have been making him an idol and a hero when he’s hurt so many hardworking people, broken into homes, stolen property, ripped off businesses. It’s pretty pitiful.”