Actor Recalls Role in Luster Capture

L O S   A N G E L E S, Calif., June 30, 2003 -- — During the capture of Max Factor heir Andrew Luster, actor Boris Krutonog's real life began to look a lot like one of the movies he's acted in.

Krutonog accompanied his bounty hunting friend, Duane "Dog" Chapman in his dramatic capture of Luster nearly two weeks ago.

The 41-year-old actor who appears in the recently released movie The Italian Job, was thrilled about his release from the Mexican jail cell he shared with Chapman and the rest of the bounty hunter's crew.

'Worst Four Nights'

On ABCNEWS' Good Morning America Krutonog described his time behind bars as, "The worst four nights of my life."

"I'll tell you, having Dog [Chapman] around really helped. He made the experience bearable," he said.

Krutonog joined Chapman in his hunt for Luster, a 39-year-old convicted rapist, as part of the documentary film crew shooting the capture.

The Russian-born actor said never expected that he and the rest of Chapman's team would end up in a Mexican prison after Luster was found.

Luster, an heir to the Max Factor family fortune, jumped bail and fled during his trial in January. The great-grandson of cosmetics mogul Max Factor, Luster was convicted of multiple counts of rape, poisoning and drug possession involving three women.

When Chapman's team found Luster in the Mexican beach resort city of Puerto Vallarta during the early morning hours of June 18, they were hauled into jail with the former fugitive.

"The five of us, we cried and hoped and prayed, and suffered all together," Kruntonog said. "I'll tell you, we had no idea what was going to happen to us," he said.

Luster was captured by Chapman, his brother Timothy and his son Leland, while Krutonog and two other film crew members recorded the incident.

Then they were all handcuffed and loaded into the back of a police truck along with Luster. Although bounty hunters enjoy police-like powers in the United States, under Mexican law, arrests by bounty hunters are considered kidnappings.

Ironic Arrest Scene

"It was a little ironic, I thought. There we were, handcuffed to each other and to the truck and I was just happy Luster was not handcuffed to us," Krutonog said."He [Luster] didn't really say anything. He was very removed, there was a blank stare to him … not an ounce of regret or fear or anything at all."

While Krutonog was released by a Mexican judge after four nights, Chapman, his brother and his son are still being held in Mexico.

They were ordered to stand trial Thursday on charges of illegally capturing Luster. The Mexican judge ruled there was sufficient evidence to charge the three with criminal association and deprivation of liberty. They could each face up to eight years in prison if convicted of both counts, but they might be able to avoid jail time by paying hefty fines.

The Chapmans must remain in Mexico and check in with the court every week and their case will be handed over to a judge in Guadalajara, a process expected to take several weeks.

Krutonog, who has also appeared in Thirteen Days and Air Force One, was released because the judge ruled his role was as a member of the media and not as a bounty hunter. The actor, who says he's been friends with Chapman, videotaped Luster's dramatic taco stand take-down before he was hauled off to jail.

Chapman found Luster after he received a tip from resort owners who had rented out one of their villas to the former fugitive. They later recognized Luster when their friends sent them a link to the FBI's Web site, where Luster was listed under the most wanted section.

Luster is now back in California serving a 124-year sentence.