15 Real-Life Supervillains Brought To Justice In A Movie-Style Capture

Steve Bannon was intercepted on his yacht by the Coast Guard and arrested.
15 Real-Life Supervillains Brought To Justice In A Movie-Style Capture

We've heard stories of daring heists, daring escapes, and daring captures. We've seen movies, read books, and heard songs about the bad guys and the good guys. 

But nothing compares to the real-life stories of those who have been caught and the people who have brought them to justice. These tales of crime and capture are often thrilling, sometimes heartbreaking, and always inspiring. 

This list compiles some of the most remarkable stories of criminals being caught and brought to justice. From the Golden State Killer, to the mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, to the capture of Saddam Hussein, these stories demonstrate the power of detective work, intelligence gathering, and courage. We learn how the Postal Service police outsmarted Steve Bannon, how Mexican forces tracked down El Chapo's son, and how Serbian forces captured Slobodan Milosevic. We hear about the capture of Radovan Karadzic, Foday Sankoh, and Qasim Toori, and we learn about the capture of Pasquale Scotti, Gioacchino Gammino, and Rocco Morabito. Finally, we hear the story of Salvatore Lo Piccolo and his son, a story of a family affair, Mafia style. 

A family affair: Mafia style.

CRACKED SICILY'S TOP MOB BOSS Salvatore Lo Piccolo, thought to be the top Mafia boss in Sicily, was arrested in 2007 with his son and two other Mafia leaders. During the raid on a house outside Palermo, in which shots were fired, his son said I love you, Dad. CATTURANTE

Reuters 

Rocco's disguise game was no match for the law.

CRACKED ROCCO MORABITO Police caught mob boss Rocco Morabito after he enrolled his daughter in school with her real name and found him with a gun, 13 phones, and 150 passport-sized photos of himself in different disguises. He'd been living in Uruguay as Francisco Capeletto for 13 years.

BBC 

Pasquale Scotti really got shot up in 1983.

CRACKED PASQUALE SCOTTI Pasquale Scotti, a big-time mobster from Naples, was nabbed in '83 after a shootout where he was shot up pretty badly - he left the fight with several gunshot wounds (and went to jail).

DW 

History repeats itself.

CRACKED DAIRO ANTONIO USUGA The US and UK gave intel that helped Colombia find and capture a criminal boss, Daniel Usuga, in 2021. Не was hiding in a jungle with 8 layers of security, and 500 soldiers and special forces were part of the mission. 14 DIE ...

CBC 

A spiritual healer, a SIM card, and a pro-western reformer - the perfect recipe for capture.

CRACKED RADOVAN KARADŽIĆ Radovan Karadžić, a Serbian warlord, evaded capture for years by pretending to be... a spiritual healer in Serbia. His brother's mistake with an old SIM card led to his capture in 2008, but it was only when regime change happened in Serbia that Karadšić was caught.

The Guardian 

Suicide threats, negotiations, and surrender: a 26-hour drama.

CRACKED SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC Former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic was arrested after a 26-hour standoff with police, during which he threatened to kill himself, his wife and daughter. Negotiations with officials were ongoing to avoid bloodshed, and he eventually surrendered.

ABC / The Guardian 

Caught hunting for victims.

CRACKED WESLEY BROWNLEE 43-year-old Wesley Brownlee was arrested in Stockton, CA in 2022 for 6 murders. Police tracked his movements and found he was out to kill. When they stopped him, he had on dark clothes, a mask and a gun. Police think they stopped another killing.

ABC 

Cops outsmart Denaro with a double dose of detective work.

CRACKED ITALY'S MOST WANTED MAFIA BOSS Police combined traditional and modern techniques to catch Matteo Messina Denaro. They used phone-mapping and intercepted calls to find him, and ambushed him at a private clinic with over 100 officers. per

BBC / Gazettengr 

DNA finally caught up with the Golden State Killer after 40 years.

CRACKED THE GOLDEN STATE KILLER Joseph DeAngelo, a 74-year-old ex-cop, pleaded guilty to being the Golden State Killer, who committed assaults and murders in California 40 years prior. It took law enforcement decades to solve the crimes, which were linked through DNA they'd finally retrieved from his car door.

The Guardian 

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