Chasing the Barefoot Bandit

'Barefoot Bandit'

Once on the run, Harris-Moore was dubbed the "Barefoot Bandit" because he committed a few of his crimes shoeless, and left behind chalk footprints at the scene of one. He was soon accused of stealing speedboats to travel to nearby islands to rob empty homes. In November 2008, Harris-Moore hot-wired a Cessna and crash-landed it 300 miles away, on an Indian reservation. Though it is uncertain how or where he learned to fly, Harris-Moore is thought to have stolen at least five planes and crash-landed all of them, unscathed. 

During his two years on the run across multiple states, Harris-Moore is suspected of committing more than 100 burglaries, stealing everything from powerboats to cash to cars. He also inspired Facebook tribute pages and pro-"Barefoot Bandit" T-shirts for his stunning ability to elude police, and became a bona fide anti-hero sensation. 

Harris-Moore's life on the run came to an end shortly after he again crash-landed a stolen plane, this time in the Bahamas; he was captured on a stolen motorboat in the Bahamas, on July 11, 2010. When police fired shots at the boat's engine, Harris-Moore threw a laptop into the water and held a gun to his head. Police officers talked him out of pulling the trigger.

Sentencing & Aftermath

In January 2012, Harris-Moore was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for his crimes. In 2016, his mother died from cancer and that August it was reported that Harris-Moore would be released to a half-way house.  The film rights for a biopic of Harris-Moore based on a biography by author Bob Friel were sold to 20th Century Fox in 2011. As part of the deal he would relinquish his right to profits from the project.