A luxury boat bandit was shot dead in an intense police encounter in Rhode Island after he allegedly tried to escape his fate.
Brendan Norris, 27, was a prime suspect in a reported theft, police said.
He allegedly stole a swanky 1968 Hinckley Bermuda 40 from New Jersey and anchored it to Rhode Island’s Newport Marina, the New York Post reported.
When he was spotted on the boat, named Pathfinder, by its owner, at around 9am on August 26, police hightailed towards the vessel to investigate.
Norris was working above the deck when he saw the police, according to bodycam video shared by Chief Ryan Duffy.
He saw the authorities and made a daring escape. Norris rushed inside the boat to hide below the deck.
‘Sir, stay on the deck,’ a policeman warned but Norris did not listen. A round of shots was fired after the first warning, which killed the suspect.
A police officer was also injured during this intense encounter that lasted 19 seconds, officials confirmed.
Brendan Norris, 27, was a prime suspect after a luxury boat was stolen from New Jersey
The police spotted the boat in Rhode Island’s Newport Marina and went to investigate
During the intense encounter, Norris fought back and was shot dead, police said
The police said that Norris fired at least one shot when two officers hopped on the boat.
The officer closer to the suspect was hit on his leg and face by shrapnel.
‘Shots fired, shots fired. One hit,’ an officer yelled into his radio in the video.
The officer went inside to check on Norris and found him dead. He was hit on his head, the police confirmed.
‘I’ve got a suspect down. I have my eyes on him,’ the officer said in the video.
The injured officer was hospitalized in stable condition but has not returned to work since, Duffy told WJAR.
‘The party armed himself with a firearm and shots were fired,’ Duffy said. ‘The suspect is deceased.’
Before stealing the boat, Norris was found lurking around Liberty Harbor Marina in Jersey City and was caught on security cameras
He was captured stealing the rare boat which belonged to Jim Bonomo and taking it away from the dock. He also disabled the transponder system, police said
Pathfinder was allegedly stolen by Norris during a late-night heist at the Liberty Harbor Marina in Jersey City on August 22.
Jim Bonomo, the owner of the boat, said he arrived at the dock with his wife on August 23 and found that the boat he had for ten years was missing.
He then contacted the police while his wife spread the word on social media.
‘I literally pulled up to the gate, and looked at my dock, and was like, “Where’s the boat?”‘ Bonomo told the outlet.
The search for Norris began after he was captured roaming around the marina on surveillance cameras.
Police said the suspect allegedly disabled the transponder system that helps track the vessel after he took the boat from the dock.
Norris had also scraped off the name of the boat from the stern.
Bonomo said he did not know the suspect and found out about the accident through social media. He added that he did not understand why things unfolded this way.
‘I don’t understand why something like that would happen from just stealing a boat,’ he said. ‘It’s a tragic end. I’m really sorry that that’s how it ended.’
