Colton Harris-Moore Exclusive Crash Photos: Bahamas Steps Up Hunt For "The Barefoot Bandit"

By: Edecio Martinez
Topics: Photos

Plane allegedly crash-landed by Colton Harris-Moore in the Bahamas (CBS)

MARSH HARBOUR, Bahamas (CBS/WISH/AP) Police armed with shotguns fanned out with German shepherds as the search for Colton Harris-Moore entered its sixth day on Great Abaco Island, a sparsely populated island in the Bahamas where police believe he has been hiding out since ditching a stolen plane offshore.

PICTURES: Barefoot Bandit on the Run

CBS News' 48 Hours | Mystery obtained exclusive photos of the single-engine airplane the young fugitive is suspected of stealing from an Indiana airport and crashing in the Bahamas.

Plane allegedly crash-landed by Colton Harris-Moore in the Bahamas (CBS)

Authorities suspect the teen dubbed "The Barefoot Bandit" has been hiding in thick groves of trees and emerging at night to break into homes and shops and steal provisions.

PICTURES: Barefoot Bandit on the Run

"We are intensifying our search and we are going to be relentless until we catch him," Assistant Police Commissioner Glenn Miller said.

As Harris-Moore continues to evade the island-wide dragnet, some of Abaco's 16,000 residents have expressed the same admiration that Harris-Moore has won in corners of the United States during his two-year run from the law.

Plane allegedly crash-landed by Colton Harris-Moore in the Bahamas (CBS)

Since escaping from a halfway house in Washington State, he has become a folk hero of sorts, with escapes allegedly involving stolen cars, boats and airplanes.

PICTURES: Barefoot Bandit on the Run

"I tip my hat to the fellow," said Clayton Sands, a 54-year-old Bahamian who has been following every twist in the case. "For him to duck and dodge the police in two countries at 19, that's impressive."

Wanted posters featuring the blue-eyed, 6-foot-5-inch teen have been plastered across this one-stoplight sailing town, where tourists and locals debated prospects for the fugitive's capture. A playful video circulating among islanders showed a footprint etched in the parking lot outside a Marsh Harbour government building.

"I don't think they're going to get him," said Andrew Gates, a 42-year-old heavy-equipment operator. "He's a smart guy."

Complete "Barefoot Bandit" Coverage on Crimesider.

7 Photos

Barefoot Bandit on the Run

Add a Comment


by nwonderofitall July 9, 2010 6:18 PM EDT: He is not a smart boy he is a lucky one and just like we all know his luck will run out soon enough. You can't live your life on the run exspecially a 19 year old boy he is going to seek out company at some point and that will be the end of him... I am looking forward to reading about that day.
And the mother is just as much of a wack job as he is by the sounds of all her interviews.; Reply to this comment


by mlmae July 9, 2010 2:17 PM EDT: He's no hero. He's a spoiled little brat-turned-criminal. Nothing to see here but a pathetic man-child. Have you read that his mother is already shopping around Hollywood with the rights to his story? She, apparently, is proud of him and his inability to be a productive member of society.; Reply to this comment