Bounty Hunter Tracks Max Factor Heir to Mexico

The heir to the Max Factor cosmetics empire and fugitive convicted rapist, Andrew Luster, has been captured by a bounty hunter in Mexico. Luster and the bounty hunter, Duane "Dog" Chapman, were being held yesterday in Mexico after six people were seized in a street brawl following a car chase.

The 39-year-old great-grandson of Max Factor was grabbed at night in Puerto Vallarta, a Pacific coast resort popular with American tourists. "According to witnesses [the bounty hunters] used a spray with an irritant, maybe teargas, to subdue him. They handcuffed him and bundled him into a truck," a police spokesman said.

Mr Chapman, who calls him self "Dog the bounty hunter" and is based in Honolulu, arrived in Mexico a few days ago with two of his sons and two crew members from the US television show America's Most Wanted.

"They got a tip-off last week," Beth Smith, Mr Chapman's wife and business partner, told the Guardian yesterday. "We have no idea why Duane is being held but we think they probably just put them all inside until they could figure out who was who."

Mr Chapman, 46, a former biker, ex-convict, born-again Christian and father of 12, had appealed for information about Luster on his website, dogthebountyhunter.com.

His slogan is "born on a mountain, raised in a cave, arresting fugitives is all I crave" and he claims to have tracked down 6,000 people, mainly bail jumpers.

The normal fee for a bounty hunter, or "bail enforcement agent" as they are officially called, is between 15% and 20% of the bail, which in Luster's case was $1m. Ms Smith said the fee on this occasion should be around $150,000 (£89,000), "plus expenses". She said Mr Chapman had an arrest warrant so there were no grounds for the Mexican authorities to hold him.

But the Mexican authorities could charge Mr Chapman, as bounty hunting is considered illegal kidnapping under Mexican law.

Luster vanished during his trial for a series of rapes in which he was alleged to have drugged his victims into unconsciousness and then filmed himself having sex with them.

He was convicted in his absence in January and sentenced to 124 years. Luster's lawyer, Roger Diamond, said he was awaiting confirmation of his identity. The capture, he added, would aid his pending appeal, which could not be held in his absence and he was about to forfeit his right to appeal had he remained on the run.

At his trial Luster claimed the women had been pretending to be unconscious for the purpose of making a pornographic film. But before the verdict he fled after bail restrictions were relaxed.

The FBI was yesterday seeking his extradition.