August 9, 2025 • 25 mins
Dragnet - Old Time Radio Show - 251 The Big Student
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Ladies and gentlemen. The story you were about to hear
is true.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
The names have been changed to protect the innocent drag nets.
You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a robbery detail. A
hold up man has been hitting the banks in your city.
After two months of following down leads, you get a
(00:32):
possible identification your job.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Check it out.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
It was Thursday, July twenty fifth, was warm in Los Angeles.
We were working the day watch out a robbery detail.
My partner's Frank Smith, the boss atchiev. Detective's Sad Brown.
My name is Friday. We're on our way out from
the office and it was ten forty two am when
we got to eight ninety six du Wayne Street front door.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
I'll get it again. This is nobody home. Uh yeah,
you see in that window. No, can't see anybody moving
around in there.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Let's trying to back right, run this way?
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Uh huh Hey sure, pretty, isn't it. Joe? What's that
rose tree there? Bella Portugal? Sure pretty fun.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Fay's got one started out by the back fence. Isn't
that big, but we got roses on it already.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
What'd you call it? Oh? Those ballo Portugal rose Tree.
H I'll pick a couple for you. Bring him in
the office. Thanks, Frank, I don't know what i'd do
with him to you? Why do you give him?
Speaker 4 (01:36):
Then?
Speaker 1 (01:36):
And she'd like him? Yeah, I get it.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
See anybody know it looks like there's someone in the
launch here over.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
There, and don't they m Ms Clark?
Speaker 5 (01:49):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (01:49):
Who is it.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
You, Miss Viola Clark?
Speaker 3 (01:53):
That's right, police officers, Miss Clark.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
This is Frank Smith. My name is Friday. Well, how
do you do? How do you do? Man?
Speaker 3 (01:58):
What can I do for you?
Speaker 4 (01:59):
We'd like to ask you few questions about Louis. Yes, ma'am,
would you mind talking inside? I'd rather than the neighbors
didn't know all my business?
Speaker 1 (02:06):
All right, sir?
Speaker 4 (02:07):
We can talk in there without anybody hearing. Yes. Sure,
a beautiful morning.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Hot mm hmm.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
We're planning a little trip down to the desert this weekend.
Get some rest and little sun.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
That's mad.
Speaker 4 (02:19):
I was trying to get a tan before then. Looks funny,
thank you.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Just go on through the kitchen.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
We can talk in the dining room, all right, thank you.
Just feel funny going to a place where there's a
swimming pool and sitting there without a tan, don't you, Yes, ma'am,
well I do anyway, it makes me feel self conscious,
like I see.
Speaker 7 (02:38):
Man, Well, just go.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
On in and sit down. I'll get something cold to drink.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Gotside, Miss Clark, thank you?
Speaker 4 (02:43):
How about you, mister Smith? No, Matt, well, I'm going
to have something.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Bill.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
That's my husband brought me a case of that new
kind of drink you know, without me calories, yes, ma'am,
all kinds of flavors supposed to be for people who
are supposed to reduce. Of course I don't really need it,
just go bought it and all.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
To say, no thank you.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
Now what was it about Louis?
Speaker 1 (03:06):
He's your brother? Is that right? Well?
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Yes, actually he's my half brother. You see, his father
died and our mother remarried. I see, he's my half friend.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
I want to see him last.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
Oh well, let's see. I guess it was before the trouble.
I hadn't make it about ten years ago.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Mm hm. You heard anything from him since?
Speaker 4 (03:19):
For a couple of times, different people have told me
they saw though we always said it best.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
But you haven't talked to him.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
Well, no, not in ten years. Would you excuse me
a minute? I forgot the bottle of When Louie got
into trouble, we sort of stopped seeing each other. I
tried to write to him when he had a prison
little talkee talk letter, but they just seemed to separate
him more.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Was that again, ma'am? I didn't hear you.
Speaker 4 (03:41):
I said that. I tried to write to him when
he was in prison, sort.
Speaker 8 (03:44):
Of a you know, a talkie talk.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Letter, but well, they just seemed to separate this more.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
I see. Did you see him when he was in prison? Oh?
Speaker 4 (03:51):
No, it was during the war and I was pretty busy.
Speaker 5 (03:53):
With other things.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Uh huh.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
Though my husband was overseas and I was writing to him,
sending little things. Just never see to get around to
see Louis. I oh, I thought about it, but just
never quite seemed to get to it. It's a new
flavor pine apple pie. I kind of dang you You
sure you don't want any? No?
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Thank you?
Speaker 4 (04:14):
Ooh it's good. I've got some little crackers low Cowery.
Would you like some of them?
Speaker 1 (04:20):
No, ma'am, thank you.
Speaker 5 (04:21):
Well.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
When Louis got out of jail, I heard he went
back East Salt Lake. I think got a job with
a paint store. Back there did pretty good. Something happened
though he quit or good fired or something. Anyway, he
came out here again.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Do you have any idea where your brother might be staying.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
No?
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Last I heard it was in some Prini's room down
on Pico.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Would you have the address?
Speaker 4 (04:38):
I'm afraid not.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Do you have any idea where we might be able
to get it?
Speaker 4 (04:42):
Not the least. What's he done this time?
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Well, it'll be better if we talk to him about it, ma'am.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
It seems to me, I'm his sister. You should be
able to tell me. I'm certainly going to cooperate with you.
I think be better if we talk to him, though,
that's why you're gonna handle it. Is not much I
can do.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Did your brother have any hobbies, anything that he might
try to work at?
Speaker 4 (04:59):
No, well, not that I can remember. Well, when he
was a kid, I think he used to collect stamps,
but then I guess every boy does that mostly though
he used to read a lot, always had his nose
in a book, had a big collection of those books
you could buy in the five and dine, you know,
the little thick ones.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Yeah, I kind of what you mean.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
I guess he had just about everyone that was ever published.
There was a big thing with the kids in the neighborhood. Well,
Louis had about one hundred, all different stories. He built
a case for them out in the garage out of
apple boxes. I remember that up in the garage.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Yes, ma'am had a library.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Going, little cards and everything. Charged the kids two cents
to read the book. Real going business.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Oh.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
He was a funny kid, always trying to figure out
how to get somebody else to do the work for him.
He say that if he had his way, he'd get
what he wanted without really working for it. Wonder if
being in jail made him change, if he still feels
like that that he can live the easy way, I still.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Try eleven thirty one am when we left the house
and continued checking out the friends and relatives of the suspect,
Lewis wrote. According to his book, he'd been arrested for
the first time ten years previously on charges of four
point fifty nine burglary five counts. He'd been sentenced to
(06:12):
San Quentin. He'd been released four years previously. On June eleventh,
he walked into a bank at the corner of Reservoir
on Montana Streets, and robbed the place of eleven hundred
and eighty dollars. He'd hit again on June nineteenth, July twelfth,
and July twenty third. In each instance, the victims were
shown mud books, but they were unable to make a
positive identification. On July twenty fourth, we talked to a
(06:33):
cab driver who had driven the suspect away from the
latest hold up. He was able to give us an
identification of the suspect, but when we checked the area
where Road had left the cab, we were unable to
come up with additional information. The other victims were shown
Wrote's picture and all of them made a positive identification.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Locals and apvs.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Were gotten out on him in all places he was
known to frequent were checked. Still we couldn't take him
into custody. Two days passed while we looked for the suspect.
On Friday, July twenty six, the bank located on Hollywood
Boulevard was held up for eighteen hundred dollars. The suspect
matched the description of Rope from one of the people
in the vicinity. We got the number of the cab
the suspect was supposed to have taken. We got in
(07:11):
touch with the traffic manager of the cab company and
got the name and stand number of the driver.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Nine twenty pm, Frank and I drove about to see
him Cornor Hollywood, Lumba, Linda. That's right bank near there.
What time was it supposed to be? Well, the way
we got at about five tonight. That's right, I'd already
called it. Are you sure it was me? Well, we
got the number of your cab.
Speaker 5 (07:29):
I'll be pretty busy there. Let me check the way though.
Check over here, Yeah, yeah, here it is long on
Hollywood words dropped the fair off two.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Thousand block on Sunset. That'd be near Echo Park. Yeah.
Can you tell us anything about the man?
Speaker 5 (07:45):
No, Like I told you, I've been pretty busy tonight
was pretty important.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Oh what kind of things you want to know? Well?
What do you say to you when he got into
the cab? Oh, not much, seems to me.
Speaker 5 (07:53):
Just told me to drive right down Sunset and then
he'd tell me where to let him known.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Was there anything about him that stood out an accent,
maybe star birthmark.
Speaker 5 (08:01):
It doesn't seem to me that there was. I could
only get a glimpse of him in the rear view mirror.
He was kind of sitting off the one side, kind
of hard to see.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
You don't remember anything about him, No, nothing to help
you say. Where he was going, well, not that I remember.
Speaker 5 (08:12):
Just told me to drive right down Sunset until he
told me to stop.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
When he got out of the cabbinge to see where
he went.
Speaker 5 (08:17):
I didn't notice. He said something about getting a drink
and asked me if I could name a good bar
for him, did you I couldn't. I don't know the
neighborhood very well. I told him they were all probably
pretty good. So he seemed drunk to me, probably had
more than a couple. I can't tell you how many.
You know, some guys can hold more than those without
showing it. Well, he was like, how to tell how
many he'd lifted? Say something might help. I just thought
of it. You know, What's that He had a kind
(08:38):
of a mole on his face right by his mouth.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
On which side do you remember? Well, let me think, No,
I was looking at him in the mirror. He was
on his left side. Mirror shows things on the side
that there. Yeah, yeah, i'd be on his left side.
Speaker 5 (08:50):
Yeah. Always get mixed up like that, you know, you
know when you look at the mirror. If you've got
something on the right side of your face, it's on
the left side of the mirror. Well, I was looking
at him, so i'd be on the same side as
I saw it. Yes, there was a left side right here,
right by the upper lift. Not real big, so as
you noticed it right off.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Yeah, I forgot about it until just now when they
paid the cab bill.
Speaker 5 (09:07):
What do you use you mean the size billy gaming?
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Yeah, A twenty.
Speaker 5 (09:11):
I think I got it right here real knew, Yeah, yeah,
here it is. He had a whole fist full of
bills just like this, all brand new. I asked him
he was going on a trip. You know, people draw
a lot of money out when they're going to take
a trip.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
I figured maybe that's what he was gonna do. What'd
he say?
Speaker 5 (09:25):
Well, he said he wasn't said he just made a
withdrawal from the bank. But he said he wasn't going away.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Well he's wrong there, huh.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
As soon as we find him, he is the cab
driver identified roads mug shot. At a ten oh eight pm,
Frank and I drove over to the two thousand block
on Sunset Boulevard. We checked at several bars, but we
were unable to find the suspect. One of the bartenders
said he thought that a man answering wrote's description might
(09:52):
have been in, but he couldn't be sure. In each
of the places, we left our card, and we asked
the owner or the bartender to notify us if the
suspect should come in m twelve, twenty six am. Frank
and I check back into the office.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
You wanna check the book. I'll sign us out, all right? Anything?
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Yeah, you got a message here for Fay. Yeah, he
wants you to stop by the drugster and pick up
a refilled prescription for the baby, or says she's already
called him.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
You just have to pick it up. Oh, well, I
blows the coffee, and well, I.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
Ought to get home anywhere and I could get a
good night's sleep, all right, See in the morning, old buddy,
A right, you gonna have breakfast at home?
Speaker 8 (10:28):
Mm.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
I don't know if he was up half the night
where the kids might be better if i'd let her sleep.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Well, I'll want you to meet me at that dairy place.
Good deal about seven?
Speaker 3 (10:34):
Huh, that'll be fine with me, all right, go on ahead,
I'll get the lights set.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
No hold, on I'll get it robbery Friday, Yes, sir,
now say we're the ones. How long ago was that?
I see bright Away?
Speaker 3 (10:53):
What do you got, Bob on Sunset? Yeah, suspect's there now,
tearing the place up. We left the city Hall and
we drove over to the bar on Sunset Boulevard. For
the time we'd gotten there, a police unit had arrived
and the disturbance was under control. The suspect had left
the scene, and the broadcast was put out to all
cars in the area, carrying his description and the description
(11:16):
of the clothing he was wearing.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
When we walked into the bar, the bartender.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
Was sitting at one of the tables in the back
of the place, holding a stake to his left eye.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
The place itself was a mess.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Barstools were scattered over the floor, tables were upended, the
back bar was smashed, and the mirror that ran along
the length of.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
The bar itself was broken.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Frank and I checked with the officers from the unit,
and then we went back to talk to the bartender.
Speaker 5 (11:39):
Why don't you guys tell me about him, sir? Why
don't you tell me who he was?
Speaker 1 (11:42):
I didn't know. Look at this place. Look what he
did what started the fight? Did you recognize him when
he came in?
Speaker 5 (11:47):
All right?
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Off, he sat on order to drink.
Speaker 5 (11:49):
Next thing, I know, the places coming down around.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
Me, and once you know he was the man we
were looking for.
Speaker 5 (11:53):
After he belted the fellow next to him, that's when
I knew called you right away. He should have told
me he was rough.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
He should have told me, and we told you not
to try to take him yourself, But.
Speaker 5 (12:01):
You didn't make a point of it. I just thought
it was something you told everybody.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Can you tell us what he said when he came in.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
You were having a nice night, pretty good business, sitting
there watching the fights on the television. Nice and quiet,
pouring good. Looked like a good knight for the two. Yeah,
door swings open and the incomes. This guy, I didn't
pay any attention to him, walked over and sat at
the bar right there in the middle, sat at the bar,
or at the high ball. He had a couple. I
should have known right then. It'd been in this business
anytime at all. You should be able to spot the ones.
(12:27):
They're like, they cause trouble. What he asked for in
the drink, bourbon and ginger, I mixed the collected for it,
and then went back and watching the fight. I had
a little bit on it. I'd always take the white
corner with one of the regulars, you know, a couple
of bucks. I'm standing there watching the fight. All of
a sudden there's one going on in the room. This
new guy in the fella next to him going out
that hot and.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Heavy, fine going just doing he good.
Speaker 5 (12:48):
You know what's a hold a steak on a black
eye supposed to take a swelling?
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Then? I wouldn't know, sir, sure, hope.
Speaker 5 (12:54):
So I laid a bottle on my cheek, beeple like
he brooks him.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
He want called doctor foy, No, I'll check one.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
And later other cops asked me the same thing. I'm
already so would you like to go ahead of the story, please?
Not much more to tell, but it just seemed to explode.
I jumped over the bar. I got a billy club
in the back, grabbed that and jumped over the bar
and tried to get the two guys apart. They were
throwing everything they could lay their hands on at each other. Well,
look at the place better? If I just put a
lock on the door and open up someplace else, it'd
be easier.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Just to be sure.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
Would you take a look at these he's just the
man who caused the fight, and then I can't see them.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
Good, Yeah, that's him.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
You're pretty sure. Yeah, Louis wrote, that's Fue. This afternoon
we talked to you. You said you didn't know him.
Speaker 5 (13:33):
He didn't make much of an impression. Then when I
saw him in person, I remembered, well, he was in
here earlier. Then, yeah, the same guy.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Did you hear him say anything at all? It might
help us find him.
Speaker 5 (13:42):
No, but you got to talk to the guy he
had to fight with, you know, he went to school
with Rope.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
We got the name of the man the suspect had
the fight with.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
We drove over to.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
His home and talked to him. He explained that he'd
been enrolled in a night class with Rope. Went on
to say that they'd met at school when both of
them were studying criminology at one of the colleges in
the area. We got what information we could about wrote
and then Frank and I went.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
Back to the office.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
We tried to contact the school, but we were not
able to reach anyone who.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
Could check the registration records for us.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
The next morning, we called the head registrar and asked
her to check the records and the college night extension courses.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
For a Louis wrote.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Thirty minutes later, she called back with the suspect's address.
Frank and I left the office and drove out to
the place, a two story boarding house out on Adams Boulevard.
Wrote A moved, but he'd left the forwarding address. We
drove over there and found that he was still registered.
We got the number of the room. We went upstairs.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Frank stood on one side of the door when I
took the other with the man, yeah he, Louis wrote, Yeah,
what do you want? Police officers? You're under arrest for
what suspision? Robert? How'd you get to me? We did?
(14:57):
I'm got cookee. No, you tell us where it is.
We'll get it for you. A closet over there, I'll
get it.
Speaker 5 (15:03):
There's a bottle aspirin in the pocket there to make
sure you don't drop it hangover.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
I got I'm gonna need somethence.
Speaker 5 (15:09):
Yeah, I don't think I ever have a headache like
this one terrible an you.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
Better good use to it. Huh, they're gonna get worse.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
A show up was arranged and all of the victims
of the hold ups were present. They all gave positive
identifications of Lewis Road as the man who had held
him up. A complaint was issued for the District Attorney's office,
and on the following Friday, August second, a preliminary hearing
was held in Division thirty four Municipal Court. Wrote was
bound over for the charges filed against him. September second,
at ten am, the suspect fled guilty to robbery in
(15:44):
the first degree two counts. Wrote asked for immediate sentence,
and the judge complied with a request. He was sent
to San Quentin, where he went through the clinic. On
recommendation of the authorities at the prison, the board ordered
him sent to the penitentiary at Chino, California. Seven months
had passed since his arrest. What we heard, Wrote was
a model prisoner. During that time, we cleaned up a
string of loan company hold up. Some Frank's children had
(16:06):
gone through the chicken pox and several types of virus.
On Sunday, February twenty third, Frank and I were in
the office trying to catch up on the detail work
you've got the LA number on Lawrence Pichetti. Yeah, they
are one six eight nine four seven six eight nine
(16:27):
four seven.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
For sure, meanly. Yeah, it's terrible what he did that
kid oh Man.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
Robbery Friday, Yes, Savage mm hm. When it happened, well,
you know I did it.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
All right. We'll checking over right away.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
No, no, send it down with right by teletype in Fuccino.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Yeah, wrote just broke out of jail.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
Immediate watch was put out on all the places Rope
was known to frequent. All officers in the field were
supplied with descriptions and pictures of the suspect from the
story as we got it from the prison officials.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
We were able to piece together the method of roads escape.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
Several months before he'd started on the bank robberies, he'd
got and work as a day laborer up at Chino.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
He'd managed to.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
Bury a gun and several hundred dollars in a watertight
container in the prison grounds on his arrival at the prison.
He'd waited for the right moment, and then he dug
up the weapon and the money and made a break.
He picked Sunday, a day when the prison grounds were
crowded with visitors, Fortunately, there'd been no one hurt when
rod had escaped.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
However, we knew he was armed.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
He was to be considered dangerous. Two days after his escape,
a man answering his description held up a grocery store.
From the clerk, we obtained a positive identification of Rope.
The next day he hit again. This time he beat
one of the clerks in the store when the man
refused to open the cash register. Additional information was forwarded
to all law enforcement agencies throughout the area.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
Roade's picture was.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Carried on the police television show, and the daily newspapers
co operated and carried his likeness and description. Calls began
to come into the complaint board from people who thought
they'd seen the suspect.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
In each instance, the.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Information was checked out and several of the reports appeared authentic.
On Wednesday, March fourth, we got a call from Calvin Niles,
the bartender who had given us the original information on
Rope back and I drove about see him, and.
Speaker 5 (18:19):
I tried to hold him here, tried my dinis, but
he wouldn't go for it.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
He talked to him at all.
Speaker 5 (18:24):
Yeah, I had a couple of words what about mainly
about the fight he had before he got him. You know,
when he broke up the place and talked about that,
he said he was sorry about it, told me the
other fella caused it. He said he'd liked to be
able to pay for it, but he didn't have the money.
I thought he was going to hit me up for
a loan. Where he acted, and though I'm not sure
he wanted to make a touch, he.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Said anything at all about where he was staying. Not
a word. Didn't give you any indication. Note was he
driving a car?
Speaker 5 (18:47):
Nothing I could see when he walked out. I went
over to the door to see if I could spot anything,
but by the time I got out from behind the bar.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
He disappeared for a cab stand around here, a couple
of blocks up the street.
Speaker 5 (18:56):
I think he might have taken the text.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
We'll check it.
Speaker 5 (18:58):
I don't think he could have gotten that front on
the time it took me to get to the door.
I can see that far and I didn't see him.
I don't think he took a taxi.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Did he come in alone?
Speaker 5 (19:06):
As far as I could tell it, came in, sat
out order to the high ball, drank it up and
let I don't think he was here more than five minutes.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
Also, But you're pretty sure there wasn't anybody with him.
Speaker 5 (19:14):
Yeah, I hadn't been out of seen him.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Did he look like he was going to meet anybody here?
Not especially give you any reason for coming in?
Speaker 5 (19:20):
Not right out?
Speaker 1 (19:20):
He didn't. What I mean, lucky I did it?
Speaker 5 (19:22):
Now, I guess I didn't plan it that way?
Speaker 1 (19:24):
What was that? I told you?
Speaker 5 (19:25):
I thought he wanted to make a touch, you know.
I told him I just taking the money to the bank,
dropped it in the night depository. He said, I'd cleaned
the place out.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
He left right after that. Yeah, finished up his drink
and walked out.
Speaker 5 (19:36):
Sure got a lot of nerve if you ask me,
what do you mean he comes in the place once,
breaks it up, then comes back to try to hold
it up.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Well, you're not sure about that.
Speaker 5 (19:43):
As far as I'm concerned, that's what he came in for.
Can you give a description of what he was wearing?
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Uh?
Speaker 5 (19:48):
Playing blue suit? Looked like it was Gabardine two button,
how about a half?
Speaker 1 (19:53):
No, he wasn't wearingyone.
Speaker 5 (19:53):
He had on a white shirt, black knit tie, you know,
the narrow kind, one of those little stick pins shaped
like a little lady, you know, the kind of mean Yes,
one of those.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
All right, mister Niles Beanning More comes up. We'd appreciate
a call from you, get it. I'll tell you one thing, Sergeant,
what's that?
Speaker 5 (20:08):
After that fight, I did just about everything I could
to help business, help pay for the damage. This is
one customer I want to lose. For the next two days.
Speaker 3 (20:20):
The search for the suspect went on, roaming Houses where
he might have been staying were checked, Friends and relatives
were interrogated. Al Gaton down in San Diego was notified,
and he alerted the authorities at the border. In the event,
Rope tried to escape into Mexico. In the meantime, a
rolling stakeout was set up in the area where the
thief had been hitting. Two more days passed without activity.
On Monday, March ninth, Frank and I were in Unit
(20:41):
one Cato cruising on West Peaco. Sure's a quiet night,
you know, he's glad when it's sober. I get home
and at the sack. How you coming to the books?
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Huh? Well you mean for the sergeant exam? Yeah, oh
pretty good.
Speaker 4 (20:53):
All units attention, all units at two eleven has just
occurred at the grocery store at the corner of Pico
Boulevarden out of street.
Speaker 7 (21:00):
Unit one R thirteen handled the call.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Code three never hit it Yeah, Attention of small units
up two eleven is just occurred.
Speaker 7 (21:10):
At the grocery store at the corner.
Speaker 8 (21:11):
Of People Little Party K Street. The unit one far
thirteen the call thro three.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
One k oh the control one.
Speaker 7 (21:22):
Control one to one K eight oh, go ahead hot.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Sects of people Bullamart and on awat Street.
Speaker 7 (21:29):
Control one to one K eight Roger KMA th sixty seven.
Speaker 4 (21:35):
Attention all units.
Speaker 7 (21:37):
Attention all units beyond the lookout for the following described
suspect one in connection is too eleven At grocery store
at People bulevards On Street. Suspects described as WLMA forty
or fifty years but feet eight and one path one
hundred fifty to one and fifty five medium filled free
subspect was wearing a dark sust of spack white shirts.
(22:00):
Left shoot you. Suspect of man on the that side
of the stage just about the mom He's carrying a
large freetun revolver.
Speaker 5 (22:07):
What's tight.
Speaker 7 (22:08):
Suspect believe to be driving the nineteenth fifty two prices
to day is dark and colored like the younger until
they have builds a damaged let prefector he was cooking
suspected considered dangerous.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
K M A three six T sounds like road.
Speaker 6 (22:23):
Yeah, hang on, here's big though.
Speaker 5 (22:27):
The car that just passes.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Yeah, that crisis to Dan Dennet, left fender for better jackets.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Right, hold it, it's taking off.
Speaker 6 (22:35):
You better lean on.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
It. Doesn't look like he's gonna side watch the prank.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
The three car yeah, cloth as well as they don't
come any closure, huh them?
Speaker 5 (22:50):
Yeah, up ahead, it's gonna prize. I always get.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
There's so many people around are pulling up right, hold
of steady, holdover police officers.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Doesn't act like a hero it all right? Yeah, try
to cut him off.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
I come on, roll.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
Alright, cut him off, right, hang on, hold on, let's
go reading cloud into that lamp post.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
Yeah all right, come on out of the car.
Speaker 5 (23:26):
All right, get him out, get out.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
You've got my hands up in there, like all right,
come on, move it, come on, put your hands on
the car here.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Yeah, lean on it. I'll check you.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Yeah, there's a gun, Joe, all right, come on, rough,
get your hands all.
Speaker 5 (23:43):
Right, all right, let's go about my car. We'll take
care of it, go and just leave it there.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
You I wouldn't worry about it. Eh, you're not gonna
be driving it for a while.
Speaker 6 (24:01):
Louis Albert wrote, was tried and convicted of robbery in
the first degree, four accounts and violation of Section forty
five thirty PC.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Escape.
Speaker 6 (24:09):
Robbery and the first degree is punishable by imprisonment and
the state penitentiary for a period of not less than
five years. Escape from a state prison is punishable by
imprisonment for a period of not less than one year.
Said second term of imprisonment to commence from the time
the prisoner would otherwise have been discharged from said prison.
Speaker 5 (24:27):
You have just heard Dragnet, the Authentic story of your
Police Force in action and starring Jack Webb, a presentation
of the United States Armed Forces Radio Service.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
That's that's.
Speaker 8 (25:03):
That's come that's that's that's that's that's that's.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
That's that's.
Speaker 8 (25:29):
That's that's.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
That's that's
Speaker 8 (25:42):
That's that's com' that's come out.
Ladies and gentlemen. The story you were about to hear
is true.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
The names have been changed to protect the innocent drag nets.
You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a robbery detail. A
hold up man has been hitting the banks in your city.
After two months of following down leads, you get a
(00:32):
possible identification your job.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Check it out.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
It was Thursday, July twenty fifth, was warm in Los Angeles.
We were working the day watch out a robbery detail.
My partner's Frank Smith, the boss atchiev. Detective's Sad Brown.
My name is Friday. We're on our way out from
the office and it was ten forty two am when
we got to eight ninety six du Wayne Street front door.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
I'll get it again. This is nobody home. Uh yeah,
you see in that window. No, can't see anybody moving
around in there.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Let's trying to back right, run this way?
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Uh huh Hey sure, pretty, isn't it. Joe? What's that
rose tree there? Bella Portugal? Sure pretty fun.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Fay's got one started out by the back fence. Isn't
that big, but we got roses on it already.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
What'd you call it? Oh? Those ballo Portugal rose Tree.
H I'll pick a couple for you. Bring him in
the office. Thanks, Frank, I don't know what i'd do
with him to you? Why do you give him?
Speaker 4 (01:36):
Then?
Speaker 1 (01:36):
And she'd like him? Yeah, I get it.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
See anybody know it looks like there's someone in the
launch here over.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
There, and don't they m Ms Clark?
Speaker 5 (01:49):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (01:49):
Who is it.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
You, Miss Viola Clark?
Speaker 3 (01:53):
That's right, police officers, Miss Clark.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
This is Frank Smith. My name is Friday. Well, how
do you do? How do you do? Man?
Speaker 3 (01:58):
What can I do for you?
Speaker 4 (01:59):
We'd like to ask you few questions about Louis. Yes, ma'am,
would you mind talking inside? I'd rather than the neighbors
didn't know all my business?
Speaker 1 (02:06):
All right, sir?
Speaker 4 (02:07):
We can talk in there without anybody hearing. Yes. Sure,
a beautiful morning.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Hot mm hmm.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
We're planning a little trip down to the desert this weekend.
Get some rest and little sun.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
That's mad.
Speaker 4 (02:19):
I was trying to get a tan before then. Looks funny,
thank you.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Just go on through the kitchen.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
We can talk in the dining room, all right, thank you.
Just feel funny going to a place where there's a
swimming pool and sitting there without a tan, don't you, Yes, ma'am,
well I do anyway, it makes me feel self conscious,
like I see.
Speaker 7 (02:38):
Man, Well, just go.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
On in and sit down. I'll get something cold to drink.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Gotside, Miss Clark, thank you?
Speaker 4 (02:43):
How about you, mister Smith? No, Matt, well, I'm going
to have something.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Bill.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
That's my husband brought me a case of that new
kind of drink you know, without me calories, yes, ma'am,
all kinds of flavors supposed to be for people who
are supposed to reduce. Of course I don't really need it,
just go bought it and all.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
To say, no thank you.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
Now what was it about Louis?
Speaker 1 (03:06):
He's your brother? Is that right? Well?
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Yes, actually he's my half brother. You see, his father
died and our mother remarried. I see, he's my half friend.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
I want to see him last.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
Oh well, let's see. I guess it was before the trouble.
I hadn't make it about ten years ago.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Mm hm. You heard anything from him since?
Speaker 4 (03:19):
For a couple of times, different people have told me
they saw though we always said it best.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
But you haven't talked to him.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
Well, no, not in ten years. Would you excuse me
a minute? I forgot the bottle of When Louie got
into trouble, we sort of stopped seeing each other. I
tried to write to him when he had a prison
little talkee talk letter, but they just seemed to separate
him more.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Was that again, ma'am? I didn't hear you.
Speaker 4 (03:41):
I said that. I tried to write to him when
he was in prison, sort.
Speaker 8 (03:44):
Of a you know, a talkie talk.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Letter, but well, they just seemed to separate this more.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
I see. Did you see him when he was in prison? Oh?
Speaker 4 (03:51):
No, it was during the war and I was pretty busy.
Speaker 5 (03:53):
With other things.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Uh huh.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
Though my husband was overseas and I was writing to him,
sending little things. Just never see to get around to
see Louis. I oh, I thought about it, but just
never quite seemed to get to it. It's a new
flavor pine apple pie. I kind of dang you You
sure you don't want any? No?
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Thank you?
Speaker 4 (04:14):
Ooh it's good. I've got some little crackers low Cowery.
Would you like some of them?
Speaker 1 (04:20):
No, ma'am, thank you.
Speaker 5 (04:21):
Well.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
When Louis got out of jail, I heard he went
back East Salt Lake. I think got a job with
a paint store. Back there did pretty good. Something happened
though he quit or good fired or something. Anyway, he
came out here again.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Do you have any idea where your brother might be staying.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
No?
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Last I heard it was in some Prini's room down
on Pico.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Would you have the address?
Speaker 4 (04:38):
I'm afraid not.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Do you have any idea where we might be able
to get it?
Speaker 4 (04:42):
Not the least. What's he done this time?
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Well, it'll be better if we talk to him about it, ma'am.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
It seems to me, I'm his sister. You should be
able to tell me. I'm certainly going to cooperate with you.
I think be better if we talk to him, though,
that's why you're gonna handle it. Is not much I
can do.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Did your brother have any hobbies, anything that he might
try to work at?
Speaker 4 (04:59):
No, well, not that I can remember. Well, when he
was a kid, I think he used to collect stamps,
but then I guess every boy does that mostly though
he used to read a lot, always had his nose
in a book, had a big collection of those books
you could buy in the five and dine, you know,
the little thick ones.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Yeah, I kind of what you mean.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
I guess he had just about everyone that was ever published.
There was a big thing with the kids in the neighborhood. Well,
Louis had about one hundred, all different stories. He built
a case for them out in the garage out of
apple boxes. I remember that up in the garage.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Yes, ma'am had a library.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Going, little cards and everything. Charged the kids two cents
to read the book. Real going business.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Oh.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
He was a funny kid, always trying to figure out
how to get somebody else to do the work for him.
He say that if he had his way, he'd get
what he wanted without really working for it. Wonder if
being in jail made him change, if he still feels
like that that he can live the easy way, I still.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Try eleven thirty one am when we left the house
and continued checking out the friends and relatives of the suspect,
Lewis wrote. According to his book, he'd been arrested for
the first time ten years previously on charges of four
point fifty nine burglary five counts. He'd been sentenced to
(06:12):
San Quentin. He'd been released four years previously. On June eleventh,
he walked into a bank at the corner of Reservoir
on Montana Streets, and robbed the place of eleven hundred
and eighty dollars. He'd hit again on June nineteenth, July twelfth,
and July twenty third. In each instance, the victims were
shown mud books, but they were unable to make a
positive identification. On July twenty fourth, we talked to a
(06:33):
cab driver who had driven the suspect away from the
latest hold up. He was able to give us an
identification of the suspect, but when we checked the area
where Road had left the cab, we were unable to
come up with additional information. The other victims were shown
Wrote's picture and all of them made a positive identification.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Locals and apvs.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Were gotten out on him in all places he was
known to frequent were checked. Still we couldn't take him
into custody. Two days passed while we looked for the suspect.
On Friday, July twenty six, the bank located on Hollywood
Boulevard was held up for eighteen hundred dollars. The suspect
matched the description of Rope from one of the people
in the vicinity. We got the number of the cab
the suspect was supposed to have taken. We got in
(07:11):
touch with the traffic manager of the cab company and
got the name and stand number of the driver.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Nine twenty pm, Frank and I drove about to see
him Cornor Hollywood, Lumba, Linda. That's right bank near there.
What time was it supposed to be? Well, the way
we got at about five tonight. That's right, I'd already
called it. Are you sure it was me? Well, we
got the number of your cab.
Speaker 5 (07:29):
I'll be pretty busy there. Let me check the way though.
Check over here, Yeah, yeah, here it is long on
Hollywood words dropped the fair off two.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Thousand block on Sunset. That'd be near Echo Park. Yeah.
Can you tell us anything about the man?
Speaker 5 (07:45):
No, Like I told you, I've been pretty busy tonight
was pretty important.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Oh what kind of things you want to know? Well?
What do you say to you when he got into
the cab? Oh, not much, seems to me.
Speaker 5 (07:53):
Just told me to drive right down Sunset and then
he'd tell me where to let him known.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Was there anything about him that stood out an accent,
maybe star birthmark.
Speaker 5 (08:01):
It doesn't seem to me that there was. I could
only get a glimpse of him in the rear view mirror.
He was kind of sitting off the one side, kind
of hard to see.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
You don't remember anything about him, No, nothing to help
you say. Where he was going, well, not that I remember.
Speaker 5 (08:12):
Just told me to drive right down Sunset until he
told me to stop.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
When he got out of the cabbinge to see where
he went.
Speaker 5 (08:17):
I didn't notice. He said something about getting a drink
and asked me if I could name a good bar
for him, did you I couldn't. I don't know the
neighborhood very well. I told him they were all probably
pretty good. So he seemed drunk to me, probably had
more than a couple. I can't tell you how many.
You know, some guys can hold more than those without
showing it. Well, he was like, how to tell how
many he'd lifted? Say something might help. I just thought
of it. You know, What's that He had a kind
(08:38):
of a mole on his face right by his mouth.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
On which side do you remember? Well, let me think, No,
I was looking at him in the mirror. He was
on his left side. Mirror shows things on the side
that there. Yeah, yeah, i'd be on his left side.
Speaker 5 (08:50):
Yeah. Always get mixed up like that, you know, you
know when you look at the mirror. If you've got
something on the right side of your face, it's on
the left side of the mirror. Well, I was looking
at him, so i'd be on the same side as
I saw it. Yes, there was a left side right here,
right by the upper lift. Not real big, so as
you noticed it right off.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Yeah, I forgot about it until just now when they
paid the cab bill.
Speaker 5 (09:07):
What do you use you mean the size billy gaming?
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Yeah, A twenty.
Speaker 5 (09:11):
I think I got it right here real knew, Yeah, yeah,
here it is. He had a whole fist full of
bills just like this, all brand new. I asked him
he was going on a trip. You know, people draw
a lot of money out when they're going to take
a trip.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
I figured maybe that's what he was gonna do. What'd
he say?
Speaker 5 (09:25):
Well, he said he wasn't said he just made a
withdrawal from the bank. But he said he wasn't going away.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Well he's wrong there, huh.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
As soon as we find him, he is the cab
driver identified roads mug shot. At a ten oh eight pm,
Frank and I drove over to the two thousand block
on Sunset Boulevard. We checked at several bars, but we
were unable to find the suspect. One of the bartenders
said he thought that a man answering wrote's description might
(09:52):
have been in, but he couldn't be sure. In each
of the places, we left our card, and we asked
the owner or the bartender to notify us if the
suspect should come in m twelve, twenty six am. Frank
and I check back into the office.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
You wanna check the book. I'll sign us out, all right? Anything?
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Yeah, you got a message here for Fay. Yeah, he
wants you to stop by the drugster and pick up
a refilled prescription for the baby, or says she's already
called him.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
You just have to pick it up. Oh, well, I
blows the coffee, and well, I.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
Ought to get home anywhere and I could get a
good night's sleep, all right, See in the morning, old buddy,
A right, you gonna have breakfast at home?
Speaker 8 (10:28):
Mm.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
I don't know if he was up half the night
where the kids might be better if i'd let her sleep.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Well, I'll want you to meet me at that dairy place.
Good deal about seven?
Speaker 3 (10:34):
Huh, that'll be fine with me, all right, go on ahead,
I'll get the lights set.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
No hold, on I'll get it robbery Friday, Yes, sir,
now say we're the ones. How long ago was that?
I see bright Away?
Speaker 3 (10:53):
What do you got, Bob on Sunset? Yeah, suspect's there now,
tearing the place up. We left the city Hall and
we drove over to the bar on Sunset Boulevard. For
the time we'd gotten there, a police unit had arrived
and the disturbance was under control. The suspect had left
the scene, and the broadcast was put out to all
cars in the area, carrying his description and the description
(11:16):
of the clothing he was wearing.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
When we walked into the bar, the bartender.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
Was sitting at one of the tables in the back
of the place, holding a stake to his left eye.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
The place itself was a mess.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Barstools were scattered over the floor, tables were upended, the
back bar was smashed, and the mirror that ran along
the length of.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
The bar itself was broken.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Frank and I checked with the officers from the unit,
and then we went back to talk to the bartender.
Speaker 5 (11:39):
Why don't you guys tell me about him, sir? Why
don't you tell me who he was?
Speaker 1 (11:42):
I didn't know. Look at this place. Look what he
did what started the fight? Did you recognize him when
he came in?
Speaker 5 (11:47):
All right?
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Off, he sat on order to drink.
Speaker 5 (11:49):
Next thing, I know, the places coming down around.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
Me, and once you know he was the man we
were looking for.
Speaker 5 (11:53):
After he belted the fellow next to him, that's when
I knew called you right away. He should have told
me he was rough.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
He should have told me, and we told you not
to try to take him yourself, But.
Speaker 5 (12:01):
You didn't make a point of it. I just thought
it was something you told everybody.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Can you tell us what he said when he came in.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
You were having a nice night, pretty good business, sitting
there watching the fights on the television. Nice and quiet,
pouring good. Looked like a good knight for the two. Yeah,
door swings open and the incomes. This guy, I didn't
pay any attention to him, walked over and sat at
the bar right there in the middle, sat at the bar,
or at the high ball. He had a couple. I
should have known right then. It'd been in this business
anytime at all. You should be able to spot the ones.
(12:27):
They're like, they cause trouble. What he asked for in
the drink, bourbon and ginger, I mixed the collected for it,
and then went back and watching the fight. I had
a little bit on it. I'd always take the white
corner with one of the regulars, you know, a couple
of bucks. I'm standing there watching the fight. All of
a sudden there's one going on in the room. This
new guy in the fella next to him going out
that hot and.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Heavy, fine going just doing he good.
Speaker 5 (12:48):
You know what's a hold a steak on a black
eye supposed to take a swelling?
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Then? I wouldn't know, sir, sure, hope.
Speaker 5 (12:54):
So I laid a bottle on my cheek, beeple like
he brooks him.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
He want called doctor foy, No, I'll check one.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
And later other cops asked me the same thing. I'm
already so would you like to go ahead of the story, please?
Not much more to tell, but it just seemed to explode.
I jumped over the bar. I got a billy club
in the back, grabbed that and jumped over the bar
and tried to get the two guys apart. They were
throwing everything they could lay their hands on at each other. Well,
look at the place better? If I just put a
lock on the door and open up someplace else, it'd
be easier.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Just to be sure.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
Would you take a look at these he's just the
man who caused the fight, and then I can't see them.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
Good, Yeah, that's him.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
You're pretty sure. Yeah, Louis wrote, that's Fue. This afternoon
we talked to you. You said you didn't know him.
Speaker 5 (13:33):
He didn't make much of an impression. Then when I
saw him in person, I remembered, well, he was in
here earlier. Then, yeah, the same guy.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Did you hear him say anything at all? It might
help us find him.
Speaker 5 (13:42):
No, but you got to talk to the guy he
had to fight with, you know, he went to school
with Rope.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
We got the name of the man the suspect had
the fight with.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
We drove over to.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
His home and talked to him. He explained that he'd
been enrolled in a night class with Rope. Went on
to say that they'd met at school when both of
them were studying criminology at one of the colleges in
the area. We got what information we could about wrote
and then Frank and I went.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
Back to the office.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
We tried to contact the school, but we were not
able to reach anyone who.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
Could check the registration records for us.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
The next morning, we called the head registrar and asked
her to check the records and the college night extension courses.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
For a Louis wrote.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Thirty minutes later, she called back with the suspect's address.
Frank and I left the office and drove out to
the place, a two story boarding house out on Adams Boulevard.
Wrote A moved, but he'd left the forwarding address. We
drove over there and found that he was still registered.
We got the number of the room. We went upstairs.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Frank stood on one side of the door when I
took the other with the man, yeah he, Louis wrote, Yeah,
what do you want? Police officers? You're under arrest for
what suspision? Robert? How'd you get to me? We did?
(14:57):
I'm got cookee. No, you tell us where it is.
We'll get it for you. A closet over there, I'll
get it.
Speaker 5 (15:03):
There's a bottle aspirin in the pocket there to make
sure you don't drop it hangover.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
I got I'm gonna need somethence.
Speaker 5 (15:09):
Yeah, I don't think I ever have a headache like
this one terrible an you.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
Better good use to it. Huh, they're gonna get worse.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
A show up was arranged and all of the victims
of the hold ups were present. They all gave positive
identifications of Lewis Road as the man who had held
him up. A complaint was issued for the District Attorney's office,
and on the following Friday, August second, a preliminary hearing
was held in Division thirty four Municipal Court. Wrote was
bound over for the charges filed against him. September second,
at ten am, the suspect fled guilty to robbery in
(15:44):
the first degree two counts. Wrote asked for immediate sentence,
and the judge complied with a request. He was sent
to San Quentin, where he went through the clinic. On
recommendation of the authorities at the prison, the board ordered
him sent to the penitentiary at Chino, California. Seven months
had passed since his arrest. What we heard, Wrote was
a model prisoner. During that time, we cleaned up a
string of loan company hold up. Some Frank's children had
(16:06):
gone through the chicken pox and several types of virus.
On Sunday, February twenty third, Frank and I were in
the office trying to catch up on the detail work
you've got the LA number on Lawrence Pichetti. Yeah, they
are one six eight nine four seven six eight nine
(16:27):
four seven.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
For sure, meanly. Yeah, it's terrible what he did that
kid oh Man.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
Robbery Friday, Yes, Savage mm hm. When it happened, well,
you know I did it.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
All right. We'll checking over right away.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
No, no, send it down with right by teletype in Fuccino.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Yeah, wrote just broke out of jail.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
Immediate watch was put out on all the places Rope
was known to frequent. All officers in the field were
supplied with descriptions and pictures of the suspect from the
story as we got it from the prison officials.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
We were able to piece together the method of roads escape.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
Several months before he'd started on the bank robberies, he'd
got and work as a day laborer up at Chino.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
He'd managed to.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
Bury a gun and several hundred dollars in a watertight
container in the prison grounds on his arrival at the prison.
He'd waited for the right moment, and then he dug
up the weapon and the money and made a break.
He picked Sunday, a day when the prison grounds were
crowded with visitors, Fortunately, there'd been no one hurt when
rod had escaped.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
However, we knew he was armed.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
He was to be considered dangerous. Two days after his escape,
a man answering his description held up a grocery store.
From the clerk, we obtained a positive identification of Rope.
The next day he hit again. This time he beat
one of the clerks in the store when the man
refused to open the cash register. Additional information was forwarded
to all law enforcement agencies throughout the area.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
Roade's picture was.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Carried on the police television show, and the daily newspapers
co operated and carried his likeness and description. Calls began
to come into the complaint board from people who thought
they'd seen the suspect.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
In each instance, the.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Information was checked out and several of the reports appeared authentic.
On Wednesday, March fourth, we got a call from Calvin Niles,
the bartender who had given us the original information on
Rope back and I drove about see him, and.
Speaker 5 (18:19):
I tried to hold him here, tried my dinis, but
he wouldn't go for it.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
He talked to him at all.
Speaker 5 (18:24):
Yeah, I had a couple of words what about mainly
about the fight he had before he got him. You know,
when he broke up the place and talked about that,
he said he was sorry about it, told me the
other fella caused it. He said he'd liked to be
able to pay for it, but he didn't have the money.
I thought he was going to hit me up for
a loan. Where he acted, and though I'm not sure
he wanted to make a touch, he.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Said anything at all about where he was staying. Not
a word. Didn't give you any indication. Note was he
driving a car?
Speaker 5 (18:47):
Nothing I could see when he walked out. I went
over to the door to see if I could spot anything,
but by the time I got out from behind the bar.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
He disappeared for a cab stand around here, a couple
of blocks up the street.
Speaker 5 (18:56):
I think he might have taken the text.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
We'll check it.
Speaker 5 (18:58):
I don't think he could have gotten that front on
the time it took me to get to the door.
I can see that far and I didn't see him.
I don't think he took a taxi.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Did he come in alone?
Speaker 5 (19:06):
As far as I could tell it, came in, sat
out order to the high ball, drank it up and
let I don't think he was here more than five minutes.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
Also, But you're pretty sure there wasn't anybody with him.
Speaker 5 (19:14):
Yeah, I hadn't been out of seen him.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Did he look like he was going to meet anybody here?
Not especially give you any reason for coming in?
Speaker 5 (19:20):
Not right out?
Speaker 1 (19:20):
He didn't. What I mean, lucky I did it?
Speaker 5 (19:22):
Now, I guess I didn't plan it that way?
Speaker 1 (19:24):
What was that? I told you?
Speaker 5 (19:25):
I thought he wanted to make a touch, you know.
I told him I just taking the money to the bank,
dropped it in the night depository. He said, I'd cleaned
the place out.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
He left right after that. Yeah, finished up his drink
and walked out.
Speaker 5 (19:36):
Sure got a lot of nerve if you ask me,
what do you mean he comes in the place once,
breaks it up, then comes back to try to hold
it up.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Well, you're not sure about that.
Speaker 5 (19:43):
As far as I'm concerned, that's what he came in for.
Can you give a description of what he was wearing?
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Uh?
Speaker 5 (19:48):
Playing blue suit? Looked like it was Gabardine two button,
how about a half?
Speaker 1 (19:53):
No, he wasn't wearingyone.
Speaker 5 (19:53):
He had on a white shirt, black knit tie, you know,
the narrow kind, one of those little stick pins shaped
like a little lady, you know, the kind of mean Yes,
one of those.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
All right, mister Niles Beanning More comes up. We'd appreciate
a call from you, get it. I'll tell you one thing, Sergeant,
what's that?
Speaker 5 (20:08):
After that fight, I did just about everything I could
to help business, help pay for the damage. This is
one customer I want to lose. For the next two days.
Speaker 3 (20:20):
The search for the suspect went on, roaming Houses where
he might have been staying were checked, Friends and relatives
were interrogated. Al Gaton down in San Diego was notified,
and he alerted the authorities at the border. In the event,
Rope tried to escape into Mexico. In the meantime, a
rolling stakeout was set up in the area where the
thief had been hitting. Two more days passed without activity.
On Monday, March ninth, Frank and I were in Unit
(20:41):
one Cato cruising on West Peaco. Sure's a quiet night,
you know, he's glad when it's sober. I get home
and at the sack. How you coming to the books?
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Huh? Well you mean for the sergeant exam? Yeah, oh
pretty good.
Speaker 4 (20:53):
All units attention, all units at two eleven has just
occurred at the grocery store at the corner of Pico
Boulevarden out of street.
Speaker 7 (21:00):
Unit one R thirteen handled the call.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Code three never hit it Yeah, Attention of small units
up two eleven is just occurred.
Speaker 7 (21:10):
At the grocery store at the corner.
Speaker 8 (21:11):
Of People Little Party K Street. The unit one far
thirteen the call thro three.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
One k oh the control one.
Speaker 7 (21:22):
Control one to one K eight oh, go ahead hot.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Sects of people Bullamart and on awat Street.
Speaker 7 (21:29):
Control one to one K eight Roger KMA th sixty seven.
Speaker 4 (21:35):
Attention all units.
Speaker 7 (21:37):
Attention all units beyond the lookout for the following described
suspect one in connection is too eleven At grocery store
at People bulevards On Street. Suspects described as WLMA forty
or fifty years but feet eight and one path one
hundred fifty to one and fifty five medium filled free
subspect was wearing a dark sust of spack white shirts.
(22:00):
Left shoot you. Suspect of man on the that side
of the stage just about the mom He's carrying a
large freetun revolver.
Speaker 5 (22:07):
What's tight.
Speaker 7 (22:08):
Suspect believe to be driving the nineteenth fifty two prices
to day is dark and colored like the younger until
they have builds a damaged let prefector he was cooking
suspected considered dangerous.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
K M A three six T sounds like road.
Speaker 6 (22:23):
Yeah, hang on, here's big though.
Speaker 5 (22:27):
The car that just passes.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Yeah, that crisis to Dan Dennet, left fender for better jackets.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Right, hold it, it's taking off.
Speaker 6 (22:35):
You better lean on.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
It. Doesn't look like he's gonna side watch the prank.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
The three car yeah, cloth as well as they don't
come any closure, huh them?
Speaker 5 (22:50):
Yeah, up ahead, it's gonna prize. I always get.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
There's so many people around are pulling up right, hold
of steady, holdover police officers.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Doesn't act like a hero it all right? Yeah, try
to cut him off.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
I come on, roll.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
Alright, cut him off, right, hang on, hold on, let's
go reading cloud into that lamp post.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
Yeah all right, come on out of the car.
Speaker 5 (23:26):
All right, get him out, get out.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
You've got my hands up in there, like all right,
come on, move it, come on, put your hands on
the car here.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Yeah, lean on it. I'll check you.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Yeah, there's a gun, Joe, all right, come on, rough,
get your hands all.
Speaker 5 (23:43):
Right, all right, let's go about my car. We'll take
care of it, go and just leave it there.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
You I wouldn't worry about it. Eh, you're not gonna
be driving it for a while.
Speaker 6 (24:01):
Louis Albert wrote, was tried and convicted of robbery in
the first degree, four accounts and violation of Section forty
five thirty PC.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Escape.
Speaker 6 (24:09):
Robbery and the first degree is punishable by imprisonment and
the state penitentiary for a period of not less than
five years. Escape from a state prison is punishable by
imprisonment for a period of not less than one year.
Said second term of imprisonment to commence from the time
the prisoner would otherwise have been discharged from said prison.
Speaker 5 (24:27):
You have just heard Dragnet, the Authentic story of your
Police Force in action and starring Jack Webb, a presentation
of the United States Armed Forces Radio Service.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
That's that's.
Speaker 8 (25:03):
That's come that's that's that's that's that's that's.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
That's that's.
Speaker 8 (25:29):
That's that's.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
That's that's
Speaker 8 (25:42):
That's that's com' that's come out.
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