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Best of all, king-sized cigarettes. 01:50.640 --> 01:54.640 DRAGNET, the documented drama of an actual crime. 01:54.640 --> 01:58.640 For the next 30 minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, 01:58.640 --> 02:04.640 you will travel step-by-step on the side of the law through an actual case transcribed from official police files. 02:04.640 --> 02:11.640 From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, DRAGNET is the story of your police force in action. 02:15.640 --> 02:19.640 It was Thursday, April 10th. It was warm in Los Angeles. 02:19.640 --> 02:21.640 We were working the night watch out of Juvenile Bureau. 02:21.640 --> 02:25.640 My partner is Ben Romero. The boss is Captain Stein. My name is Friday. 02:25.640 --> 02:32.640 It was 10.27 p.m. when I got to 1335 George's Street, second floor, the squad room. 02:32.640 --> 02:35.640 Joe, is that you? Yeah, you ready? Yeah, half a minute. 02:35.640 --> 02:38.640 Let me get my coat on here. 02:38.640 --> 02:40.640 Did you leave a note for McNamara? Yeah, all set. 02:40.640 --> 02:42.640 All right, let's hurry, huh? Yeah. 02:42.640 --> 02:46.640 Same neighborhood we had the trouble Monday night? Uh-huh. Sounds like the same gang, too. 02:46.640 --> 02:50.640 These kids are sure moving, Fred. Go ahead. Yeah. 02:50.640 --> 02:54.640 What is it this time? Movie theater on West Fremont, small neighborhood house. 02:54.640 --> 02:58.640 They had a crowd of 15 to 20 kids in there tonight. Mixed group, boys and girls. 02:58.640 --> 03:00.640 For no reason at all, they started to tear the place up. 03:00.640 --> 03:03.640 Did they do much damage? Well, I don't know. We can see when we get there. 03:03.640 --> 03:06.640 They told me on the phone the theater manager tried to quiet the kids down. 03:06.640 --> 03:09.640 Half a dozen boys piled all over them. One of them pulled a knife. 03:09.640 --> 03:12.640 They tore up a couple of seats up on the balcony, moved out into the lobby, 03:12.640 --> 03:14.640 smashed mirrors and lamps. They beat up one of the ushers. 03:14.640 --> 03:19.640 Lousy little punks. Where'd you park the car? Straight back. 03:19.640 --> 03:22.640 I'd give a right arm to know how this thing got started. 03:22.640 --> 03:24.640 We've never had much trouble from the kids in that neighborhood out there, 03:24.640 --> 03:27.640 not until this last month. Seemed to be going crazy. 03:27.640 --> 03:30.640 Well, it's not getting any better. Burglary, car thefts, wrecking property. 03:30.640 --> 03:34.640 Somebody's going to come out on the short end if it keeps up. It's got to happen. 03:34.640 --> 03:37.640 Maybe it already has. When they were ripping up that theater lobby tonight, 03:37.640 --> 03:39.640 one kid got hurt. What happened? 03:39.640 --> 03:43.640 A 14-year-old boy. In the mix-up, he got shoved through a display case, plate glass. 03:43.640 --> 03:46.640 Cut up pretty bad? His eyes. They're not sure he'll see again. 03:49.640 --> 03:54.640 In police work, the standard law of cause and effect works like it does for everything else. 03:54.640 --> 03:58.640 When a crime's committed, there's a cause behind it. There's a reason for it. 03:58.640 --> 04:02.640 And when a group of normally well-behaved kids in an average residential neighborhood 04:02.640 --> 04:05.640 start running wild, there's got to be a reason for that, too. 04:05.640 --> 04:10.640 A month before, a rash of auto thefts, petty stealing, and public disturbances 04:10.640 --> 04:13.640 had broken out suddenly in the particular neighborhood. 04:13.640 --> 04:16.640 All of the incidents were traced directly to the teenagers in the area. 04:16.640 --> 04:19.640 Why the kids had suddenly decided to run wild, we didn't know, 04:19.640 --> 04:22.640 but the amount and the nature of the violations kept getting more serious. 04:22.640 --> 04:25.640 Juveniles who'd previously been picked up for petty thefts and placed on probation 04:25.640 --> 04:30.640 were now committing burglaries. Auto thefts in the area had jumped 20 percent. 04:30.640 --> 04:34.640 Misconduct and drunk charges against the teenagers, girls and boys alike, 04:34.640 --> 04:38.640 increased by the week. We had a fair idea what the root of all the trouble was, 04:38.640 --> 04:40.640 but so far, we hadn't been able to trace it. 04:40.640 --> 04:45.640 10.45 p.m. We got to the neighborhood movie theater on West Fremont, and we went inside. 04:45.640 --> 04:48.640 The lobby was a shambles. Two large mirrors had been shattered. 04:48.640 --> 04:53.640 Lamps and sofas overturned and broken. The lobby candy counter had been wrecked completely. 04:53.640 --> 04:56.640 The glass showcases were caved in. A popcorn machine was smashed. 04:56.640 --> 04:59.640 The soft drink cooler turned on its side. 04:59.640 --> 05:02.640 The last showing of the feature picture was still going on. 05:02.640 --> 05:06.640 We interviewed the theater manager in the lobby, Mr. Clyde Barton. 05:06.640 --> 05:10.640 They got real foul mouth. One or two of the girls, too. 05:10.640 --> 05:13.640 Some of the language I wouldn't even use at a stag party. 05:13.640 --> 05:17.640 I got so mad, I grabbed two of the noisy ones by the neck and told them to get out. 05:17.640 --> 05:18.640 That's when it broke loose. 05:18.640 --> 05:19.640 What exactly happened? 05:19.640 --> 05:22.640 The whole crowd of them jumped out of their seats and piled on me. 05:22.640 --> 05:25.640 I fell back down against the stairs and I started swinging. 05:25.640 --> 05:27.640 I'll tell you the truth, Sergeant, I was scared. 05:27.640 --> 05:31.640 I didn't know what to make of them. They seemed like a pack of animals, wild. 05:31.640 --> 05:35.640 I happened to hit this one kid and I saw him pull out a knife and come at me. 05:35.640 --> 05:38.640 Didn't take me too long to get out of there. Kids are not. 05:38.640 --> 05:41.640 When a bunch of them like that come after you, you run. 05:41.640 --> 05:43.640 Yes, sir. You called for the police as soon as all this happened? 05:43.640 --> 05:47.640 In bed I did, just as soon as I could get out into the lobby and into my office. 05:47.640 --> 05:50.640 I locked the door. I could hear them turn the place up outside. 05:54.640 --> 05:58.640 Just look at that. Smashed up everything in sight. 05:58.640 --> 06:01.640 I have to have something like this happen. 06:01.640 --> 06:03.640 Look at this candy stand. 06:04.640 --> 06:07.640 How about some of the kids you recognize in that crowd, Miss Barton? 06:07.640 --> 06:10.640 Oh, say, the last show's ready to break. Folks are going to be coming out. 06:10.640 --> 06:14.640 You want to step back here into my office? We can talk there and be out of the way. 06:14.640 --> 06:16.640 That'll be fine, Sergeant. 06:22.640 --> 06:24.640 Here we are. Pull up a chair for yourself, officers. 06:24.640 --> 06:26.640 Yeah, thank you. 06:26.640 --> 06:30.640 I just got the feeling there's something radically wrong going on with those kids. 06:30.640 --> 06:34.640 This is the first time you've ever had any trouble of any real size, is that right? 06:34.640 --> 06:39.640 Yeah. Once in a while the kids fool around in the show talking loud, you know, but nothing like this. 06:39.640 --> 06:43.640 Oh, see, Fred, my usher, and the way they messed him up, brutal. 06:43.640 --> 06:47.640 And that little 14-year-old, they shoved through the glass showcase. 06:47.640 --> 06:49.640 It'll be a real mess if he doesn't pull through. 06:49.640 --> 06:52.640 I was going to ask you, sir, about the kids in that crowd you recognize. 06:52.640 --> 06:54.640 You haven't known any of their names? 06:54.640 --> 06:57.640 Sure thing. I made a list of them while you were on the way over here. 06:57.640 --> 07:02.640 I got a half dozen of them or more. That's another thing I can't understand. 07:02.640 --> 07:03.640 Yeah, what's that, sir? 07:03.640 --> 07:07.640 When these kids start running wild, no matter what they do, they don't seem to care 07:07.640 --> 07:09.640 if they're recognized or not. 07:09.640 --> 07:13.640 You think if they wanted to raise the devil, they'd go over to some other neighborhood, 07:13.640 --> 07:16.640 someplace where people didn't know them. They just don't seem to care. 07:16.640 --> 07:20.640 Yes, sir. We've had the same report from a couple of other business people in the neighborhood here. 07:20.640 --> 07:24.640 Mr. Barton, you probably have a pretty fair opportunity to watch the kids around here from time to time. 07:24.640 --> 07:25.640 I mean, running a theater here. 07:25.640 --> 07:28.640 I sure do. Most of them are in here once a week anyway. 07:28.640 --> 07:31.640 Some of the kids I've known since they were in knee pants. 07:31.640 --> 07:35.640 Well, have you any idea at all what's behind all this trouble? I mean, any real indication? 07:35.640 --> 07:40.640 Maybe I'm just the suspicious kind, but I've got an idea all right. 07:40.640 --> 07:45.640 Here, I'll get that list of names for you at the same time. 07:45.640 --> 07:50.640 There they are. Seven names and all. 07:50.640 --> 07:53.640 Every one of those kids was in that gang tonight. 07:53.640 --> 07:55.640 I can give you a hand tracking down their addresses. 07:55.640 --> 07:57.640 Oh, thank you. 07:57.640 --> 08:03.640 Something else. Here's what I was talking about. 08:03.640 --> 08:05.640 What's this, sir? 08:05.640 --> 08:09.640 In that scramble in the lobby tonight, this little box fell out of one of the kids' pockets. 08:09.640 --> 08:12.640 One of the ushers picked it up, brought it in to me. 08:12.640 --> 08:17.640 Have a look inside. 08:17.640 --> 08:20.640 Ben? 08:20.640 --> 08:24.640 I don't know too much about it, Sergeant, but I got a hunch. 08:24.640 --> 08:26.640 I don't think I made a mistake. 08:26.640 --> 08:28.640 What do you think? 08:28.640 --> 08:34.640 No, sir, no mistake. It's marijuana. 08:34.640 --> 08:38.640 We finished interviewing the theater manager, Clyde Barton, and then we talked to the usher, 08:38.640 --> 08:43.640 a Donald Masters, who recovered the small box containing the marijuana from the floor of the lobby. 08:43.640 --> 08:47.640 He told us he recognized the young fellow who dropped the box, but he wasn't sure. 08:47.640 --> 08:50.640 He said the boy's name was Harold Everson, one of the names which appeared on the list 08:50.640 --> 08:52.640 which the theater manager, Mr. Barton, had given us. 08:52.640 --> 08:55.640 Half an hour later, Ben and I located the Everson boys' home. 08:55.640 --> 08:59.640 It was a two-story frame, colonial-style house, embedded in an average section of the area. 08:59.640 --> 09:03.640 The boy's father answered the door, a Harold Everson senior. 09:03.640 --> 09:04.640 We told him what we wanted. 09:04.640 --> 09:06.640 A little late to be making routine calls, don't you think? 09:06.640 --> 09:09.640 People have to get their sleep. Why can't you let it wait until morning? 09:09.640 --> 09:12.640 It's not a routine call, Mr. Everson. I'd like to see your son if he's home. 09:12.640 --> 09:14.640 Harry, what do you have to see him about? 09:14.640 --> 09:17.640 Do you have any idea where your boy spent his time tonight, sir? 09:17.640 --> 09:20.640 He said he was going down to the gym to play a little basketball, and he was going to the library. 09:20.640 --> 09:22.640 It's a school night. He had studying to do. 09:22.640 --> 09:25.640 I think maybe you ought to keep a little closer check on your son, sir. 09:25.640 --> 09:26.640 That's not the way we get it. 09:26.640 --> 09:28.640 What are you getting at? I trust my boy. 09:28.640 --> 09:30.640 He said he was going to the gym and then to the library. 09:30.640 --> 09:31.640 He's got no reason to lie about it. 09:31.640 --> 09:35.640 They had a minor riot at the neighborhood movie down in West Fremont tonight. 09:35.640 --> 09:38.640 Gang of high school kids ran wild and wrecked the place. 09:38.640 --> 09:39.640 What's that got to do with Harry? 09:39.640 --> 09:42.640 A couple of people recognized him among the gang of kids. 09:42.640 --> 09:44.640 They said he did his share of wrecking along with the rest of them. 09:44.640 --> 09:46.640 Couldn't be. It's a lie. 09:46.640 --> 09:48.640 Harry didn't go to the show tonight. He told me when he got home. 09:48.640 --> 09:51.640 He even had his books with him. He spent the night at the library. 09:51.640 --> 09:55.640 I'll tell you, take a look at this, Mr. Everson. 09:55.640 --> 09:59.640 This box here. Would you recognize this at all? 09:59.640 --> 10:03.640 Yeah. Same kind of box my stomach pills come in. 10:03.640 --> 10:05.640 Got a little acid condition in my stomach. 10:05.640 --> 10:07.640 I take these pills for it. 10:07.640 --> 10:08.640 What's all this have to do with Harry? 10:08.640 --> 10:11.640 I'm going to open the box for you, Mr. Everson. 10:11.640 --> 10:14.640 I don't get it. What is this stuff? 10:14.640 --> 10:18.640 Someone saw your son drop the box in the lobby of the theater tonight. 10:18.640 --> 10:20.640 The box contains marijuana. 10:20.640 --> 10:22.640 It's stupid. It couldn't be right. 10:22.640 --> 10:24.640 I haven't got that kind of a boy. I know it isn't right. 10:24.640 --> 10:27.640 Do you mind if we talk to your son? Maybe he can explain it for us. 10:27.640 --> 10:29.640 Just a minute. I'll get him down here. 10:29.640 --> 10:30.640 Have a chair if you like. 10:30.640 --> 10:32.640 Thank you. 10:32.640 --> 10:34.640 Sure a nice place, huh, Joe? 10:34.640 --> 10:36.640 Yeah. Beautiful furniture. 10:36.640 --> 10:39.640 There's nothing like period furniture. Never goes out of date. 10:39.640 --> 10:42.640 Be just as much in style ten years from now as it is today. 10:42.640 --> 10:45.640 We better be sure and tag by Georgia Street Hospital on the way back. 10:45.640 --> 10:48.640 See how that kid's doing. You know, the one that was hurt at the show. 10:48.640 --> 10:50.640 Oh, yeah. This is my boy Harry, officers. 10:50.640 --> 10:52.640 Hello, Harry. How are you, son? 10:52.640 --> 10:54.640 Harry just told me, officers, he doesn't know what this is all about. 10:54.640 --> 10:56.640 He was at the library, like I said. 10:56.640 --> 10:58.640 Sure, I was there till they closed. 10:58.640 --> 11:00.640 Somebody made a mistake. I wasn't at the show tonight. 11:00.640 --> 11:03.640 Harry, do you know Mr. Barton, the man who runs the theater? 11:03.640 --> 11:05.640 Yeah, I know him. Why? 11:05.640 --> 11:07.640 He swears you were there tonight. So does one of the ushers. 11:07.640 --> 11:08.640 Who? 11:08.640 --> 11:11.640 Boy by the name of Donald Masters. He says he knows you pretty well. 11:11.640 --> 11:13.640 I don't know any Donald Masters. 11:13.640 --> 11:16.640 You can go to the same high school to get a son. You're in the same class. 11:16.640 --> 11:18.640 I told you, I don't know any Donald Masters. 11:18.640 --> 11:22.640 What about this, Harry? This box here. Do you recognize this? 11:22.640 --> 11:24.640 No. 11:24.640 --> 11:26.640 What's the matter, son? 11:26.640 --> 11:28.640 What is it, Harry? What's wrong with you? 11:28.640 --> 11:30.640 Nothing. I don't know whose it is. It's not mine. 11:30.640 --> 11:32.640 He was lost in the lobby of the theater tonight. 11:32.640 --> 11:34.640 Masters says he saw you dropping. 11:34.640 --> 11:36.640 He's lying. I hate the kid's guts anyway. He's lying. 11:36.640 --> 11:38.640 But you said you didn't know him, son. 11:38.640 --> 11:41.640 What's wrong with you? What are you shaking for? 11:41.640 --> 11:44.640 What kind of a story are you trying to tell? 11:44.640 --> 11:48.640 I didn't mean it, Dad. 11:51.640 --> 11:54.640 The kid got the stuff for me. I didn't mean to give it. 11:54.640 --> 11:56.640 I didn't mean to, Dad. 11:56.640 --> 11:59.640 It's beginning to look like I'm the dummy of the family. 11:59.640 --> 12:02.640 Take it easy, Mr. Everson. Harry, you're a liar. 12:02.640 --> 12:06.640 The kid got the stuff for me. That is the truth. I didn't buy it. 12:06.640 --> 12:08.640 You want him downtown, Officer? 12:08.640 --> 12:11.640 Afraid so, Mr. Everson. I'd like to have you come down with him. 12:11.640 --> 12:14.640 Get your clothes on. Go back to your room and get your clothes on. 12:14.640 --> 12:16.640 Okay, Dad. 12:17.640 --> 12:20.640 Hard to believe. My son using marijuana. 12:20.640 --> 12:22.640 I can't tell you how I feel. 12:22.640 --> 12:24.640 I'm afraid there's gonna be more folks feeling the same way 12:24.640 --> 12:25.640 before they sustain death. 12:25.640 --> 12:28.640 It'd be different if Harry didn't have a chance, but... 12:28.640 --> 12:31.640 good home, good training. The boys had the best I could give him. 12:31.640 --> 12:32.640 Yes, sir. 12:32.640 --> 12:34.640 Why, if and I, we never thought we had a worry in the world 12:34.640 --> 12:36.640 as far as Harry was concerned. 12:36.640 --> 12:38.640 Yes, sir. Maybe that's why it happened. 12:38.640 --> 12:41.640 Before we left the Everson house, we checked the boys' room 12:41.640 --> 12:44.640 and came up with another small box full of marijuana 12:44.640 --> 12:46.640 which he'd hidden back in his closet. 12:46.640 --> 12:48.640 Besides Everson and his son Harry, 12:48.640 --> 12:52.640 more than a half a dozen other teenagers who'd had a part in the theater braw 12:52.640 --> 12:56.640 were rounded up and taken downtown along with their fathers for interrogation. 12:56.640 --> 12:59.640 By the time we finished our questioning and the teenagers had finished talking, 12:59.640 --> 13:01.640 we had most of the story pieced together. 13:01.640 --> 13:03.640 A story that had the parents so amazed 13:03.640 --> 13:06.640 that half of them thought the youngsters were making it up. 13:06.640 --> 13:10.640 The pattern was familiar enough for us to know that they were telling the truth. 13:10.640 --> 13:14.640 Almost two months before, Word had gone around among the teenagers in the neighborhood 13:14.640 --> 13:17.640 that marijuana, along with various stimulating drugs, 13:17.640 --> 13:20.640 was to be had easily and in quantity for anybody who wanted them. 13:20.640 --> 13:23.640 Word was passed around that it was the new thing to do, 13:23.640 --> 13:26.640 the smart thing to do if you wanted to keep up with the crowd. 13:26.640 --> 13:29.640 In questioning the Everson boy, we found that he seemed to know more about the history 13:29.640 --> 13:32.640 and operations of the narcotics campaign in the neighborhood 13:32.640 --> 13:34.640 than the other boys did. 13:34.640 --> 13:38.640 I know one of the guys who first showed up with the stuff, named Johnny Demring. 13:38.640 --> 13:41.640 He's about my age, 17. I used to know him pretty well. 13:41.640 --> 13:45.640 How do you mean he was the first to show up with his stuff, Harry? What kind of stuff? 13:45.640 --> 13:49.640 Marijuana. Some of the other things, you know, yellow jackets, goofballs. 13:49.640 --> 13:52.640 More of the kids go for them than they do for marijuana. 13:52.640 --> 13:55.640 Do the youngsters know what these goofballs are made of, son? 13:55.640 --> 13:57.640 It's dope, I guess. Narcotics. 13:57.640 --> 14:00.640 The kids get a big kick out of them. I guess that's all they care. 14:00.640 --> 14:04.640 Mr. Johnny Demring, does he sell the stuff around the neighborhood, Harry? 14:04.640 --> 14:07.640 Yeah, he was the first one. He's got a couple of other kids selling for him now. 14:07.640 --> 14:10.640 A couple of them are girls. They sell a lot for him. 14:10.640 --> 14:13.640 Johnny makes pretty good money. Yeah, I guess he does. 14:13.640 --> 14:15.640 Where does he get the stuff from, do you know? 14:15.640 --> 14:17.640 No, I wouldn't know that. Someplace downtown. 14:17.640 --> 14:20.640 Johnny knows a guy. He's never told anybody where he goes to meet the guy. 14:20.640 --> 14:22.640 Nobody ever goes with him. 14:22.640 --> 14:24.640 Was Johnny at the show with you tonight? 14:24.640 --> 14:27.640 No, he doesn't hang around with the kids much anymore. 14:27.640 --> 14:32.640 He's getting a little big-timer, I think. He's got his own car and a good-looking girlfriend downtown. 14:32.640 --> 14:34.640 Says he's going to quit school next month. 14:34.640 --> 14:36.640 Where does Johnny live, son? Can you tell us? 14:36.640 --> 14:40.640 I don't know the address right off. I can check it in the phone book for you. 14:40.640 --> 14:44.640 How about the kids Johnny gets to sell the stuff? Can you give us their names? 14:44.640 --> 14:47.640 Yeah, okay. I think I can remember who they are. 14:47.640 --> 14:49.640 You gonna bring Johnny in and talk to him? 14:49.640 --> 14:50.640 That's the idea, yeah. 14:50.640 --> 14:52.640 I don't know if you're gonna find him right away. 14:52.640 --> 14:56.640 He probably heard about the trouble tonight. Johnny's a pretty smart guy. 14:56.640 --> 14:57.640 I don't think you'll find him very easy. 14:57.640 --> 14:59.640 I think we'll find him. 14:59.640 --> 15:02.640 Nobody knows much about him. He never talks about what he's doing. 15:02.640 --> 15:05.640 He never tells anybody anything. Pretty smart guy. 15:05.640 --> 15:07.640 I told you how smart was that. 15:09.640 --> 15:13.640 Complete statements were taken from each of the youngsters we brought in for questioning, 15:13.640 --> 15:19.640 and then in practically all cases they were released into the custody of their parents pending action by the juvenile court. 15:19.640 --> 15:25.640 With the information we had at hand, it took us the better part of four days to round up everybody involved in the narcotics distribution system, 15:25.640 --> 15:30.640 which had been set up among the teenagers in the neighborhood by 17-year-old Johnny Demring. 15:30.640 --> 15:33.640 As for the Demring boy himself, he couldn't be found. 15:33.640 --> 15:38.640 We checked with his family, his relatives, his friends, all his known associates. We got out a want for him. 15:38.640 --> 15:44.640 Then we checked the car that he owned through DMV. We got out a want for that. No sign of the boy. 15:44.640 --> 15:49.640 Narcotics detail gave us a hand and got their informants busy trying to track down the source of the dope 15:49.640 --> 15:52.640 for which the Demring boy had been the only neighborhood distributor. 15:52.640 --> 15:59.640 We knew it went far beyond him. It reached to the same vicious men who make their money off the hopeless adult drug addict, 15:59.640 --> 16:05.640 the same vicious men who today are trying to build a new market for their wares among the young people of this country. 16:05.640 --> 16:09.640 Tuesday, April 29th, 2.30 p.m. 16:09.640 --> 16:11.640 Again? Right. 16:13.640 --> 16:16.640 Junior Bureau, Romero. Oh yeah, Brady. 16:16.640 --> 16:19.640 Yeah, huh? That's right. What's his name? 16:19.640 --> 16:23.640 Yeah, yeah, okay, right away. Right, go ahead. 16:23.640 --> 16:26.640 Brady from Narcotics, they figured they got our man. 16:26.640 --> 16:29.640 The Demring boy? No, the guy who pushed his stuff to Demring. 16:29.640 --> 16:32.640 His name's Jock O. Harris. They found him in the county hospital this morning. 16:32.640 --> 16:35.640 Somebody got a hold of him two nights ago and gave him a good working over. 16:35.640 --> 16:39.640 If we're lucky, we'll make it. What do you mean? He's not supposed to last out the day. 16:42.640 --> 16:47.640 2.35 p.m. Ben and I left the office and went immediately to the county hospital 16:47.640 --> 16:51.640 where we were allowed to briefly interview the narcotics suspect, Jock O. Harris. 16:51.640 --> 16:54.640 He was in a critical condition with a fracture of the skull. 16:54.640 --> 16:57.640 He gave us a statement in the form of a dying declaration. 16:57.640 --> 17:00.640 He admitted being the contact man for 17-year-old Johnny Demring, 17:00.640 --> 17:04.640 and he admitted also that he had kept the boy supplied with enough narcotics 17:04.640 --> 17:07.640 to keep the neighborhood teenage demand for the stuff fully satisfied. 17:07.640 --> 17:11.640 Seemed like a good kid. Never thought he'd turn. 17:11.640 --> 17:13.640 What do you mean, Jock O.? How'd he turn? 17:13.640 --> 17:15.640 Why do you think I'm here? 17:15.640 --> 17:17.640 You mean he's the one who worked over? 17:17.640 --> 17:19.640 Yeah. Where is he, Jock O.? Do you know? 17:19.640 --> 17:22.640 No. Do you know where he's staying? Do you have any idea at all? 17:22.640 --> 17:27.640 No. He stole all my stuff. Every ounce. 17:27.640 --> 17:30.640 What was it, heroin? Yeah. 17:30.640 --> 17:32.640 Listen. Yeah? 17:32.640 --> 17:35.640 Get him. Fast. 17:35.640 --> 17:48.640 He's got enough junk to start a war. 17:48.640 --> 17:51.640 You're in a cruiser car of a Metropolitan Police Department. 17:51.640 --> 17:53.640 You receive a routine radio call. 17:53.640 --> 17:55.640 All units. Attention, all units. 17:55.640 --> 17:59.640 Pick up and hold for investigation the following vehicle. 17:59.640 --> 18:03.640 1948 Ford, two-door sedan, black, white sidewall tires. 18:03.640 --> 18:06.640 There are many cars that fit this description. 18:06.640 --> 18:08.640 You listen for more facts. 18:08.640 --> 18:11.640 This car will have extensive damage to right front end. 18:11.640 --> 18:15.640 License number, 9-ROBERT-9-707. 18:15.640 --> 18:22.640 In the 7 column, 9-ROBERT-9-707. KMA 360. 18:22.640 --> 18:24.640 Now you can pin it down to one. 18:24.640 --> 18:26.640 It's the same with cigarettes. 18:26.640 --> 18:29.640 There are many king-size brands to choose from. 18:29.640 --> 18:33.640 But when you know all the facts, you'll make your choice Fatima. 18:33.640 --> 18:34.640 Here are those facts. 18:34.640 --> 18:39.640 Fatimas are the same in length and circumference as any other king-size cigarette. 18:39.640 --> 18:43.640 85 millimeters long, 1 and 1 64 inches around. 18:43.640 --> 18:47.640 And Fatima filters the smoke exactly the same long distance. 18:47.640 --> 18:50.640 But in Fatima, the difference is quality. 18:50.640 --> 18:53.640 Fatima gives you extra mildness. 18:53.640 --> 18:56.640 A much different, much better flavor and aroma. 18:56.640 --> 19:01.640 You get all the advantages of extra length plus Fatima quality, 19:01.640 --> 19:04.640 which no other king-size cigarette has. 19:04.640 --> 19:08.640 Fatima, best of all king-size cigarettes. 19:08.640 --> 19:11.640 Definitely the best quality in its class. 19:11.640 --> 19:14.640 But the same price as the cigarette you're now smoking. 19:14.640 --> 19:18.640 Next time, buy Fatima. 19:18.640 --> 19:26.640 Wednesday, April 30th, 9 a.m. 19:26.640 --> 19:30.640 The hunt for 17-year-old Johnny Demring was intensified. 19:30.640 --> 19:35.640 To our knowledge, because of the information we gained from narcotics peddler Jocko Harris, 19:35.640 --> 19:38.640 the teenage youngster had a large store of high-grade heroin, 19:38.640 --> 19:42.640 which we knew because of his inexperience he was unaccustomed to dealing with. 19:42.640 --> 19:46.640 In his hands, the narcotics immediately became a lethal weapon. 19:46.640 --> 19:49.640 We knew that Johnny Demring had only one market to deal in, 19:49.640 --> 19:52.640 only one type of customer he was acquainted with, the teenager. 19:52.640 --> 19:58.640 In previous transactions, we knew that the youngsters received only a low-grade type of narcotic, highly diluted. 19:58.640 --> 20:03.640 We knew that if Demring succeeded in dispensing the highly concentrated store that he had on hand, 20:03.640 --> 20:06.640 and the juvenile customers he served tried it on themselves, 20:06.640 --> 20:09.640 it would very likely result in death. 20:09.640 --> 20:12.640 3 p.m. Wednesday, despite all our efforts, Johnny Demring 20:12.640 --> 20:17.640 and the store of high-grade narcotics which he'd hijacked from Jocko Harris were still missing. 20:17.640 --> 20:23.640 Wednesday, 12 noon, we began rechecking every one of the possible sources that might lead us to the suspect. 20:23.640 --> 20:26.640 One of them was the boy's mother, Mrs. Frances Demring. 20:26.640 --> 20:27.640 We talked to her at work. 20:27.640 --> 20:33.640 She was employed as a mulligraph operator in the mailing department of a large downtown department store. 20:33.640 --> 20:38.640 Not since the last time you talked to me, Sergeant, I haven't heard a word from my boy, nothing at all. 20:38.640 --> 20:40.640 Have you heard anything? 20:40.640 --> 20:44.640 Well, yes, ma'am, in a way. We've got an idea he's still somewhere in the city. 20:44.640 --> 20:46.640 That's why we figured we'd come back and talk to you again. 20:46.640 --> 20:49.640 Have you been in touch with your relatives in town recently, Mrs. Demring? 20:49.640 --> 20:51.640 I mean, those that Johnny might possibly contact? 20:51.640 --> 20:53.640 Yes, there's just my sister and my mother. 20:53.640 --> 20:54.640 Yes, ma'am. 20:54.640 --> 20:57.640 I guess it just wasn't to be right from the start. 20:57.640 --> 20:59.640 Johnny's father ran away, you know. 20:59.640 --> 21:03.640 Tried my best after that. Never seemed to be enough. 21:03.640 --> 21:06.640 Well, there's no getting away from it. A boy needs a father. 21:06.640 --> 21:09.640 Try all you want. They still need a father, some kind of discipline. 21:09.640 --> 21:13.640 How about the relatives you have out of town, Mrs. Demring? Any word from them at all about Johnny? 21:13.640 --> 21:16.640 No, Sergeant, nothing. Would you excuse me, please? 21:16.640 --> 21:18.640 This run here's finished. I have to get it off the machine. 21:18.640 --> 21:20.640 Sure, make the right hand. 21:21.640 --> 21:25.640 Yes, terrible thing. Johnny getting mixed up in all this. 21:25.640 --> 21:29.640 Seems no matter how you try, it's never enough. Never enough. 21:29.640 --> 21:34.640 Do you have any idea at all where Johnny would most likely go in town if he didn't want to be seen, Mrs. Demring? 21:34.640 --> 21:37.640 Where he'd go? No, I wouldn't know that, Sergeant. 21:37.640 --> 21:40.640 First place, Johnny's never really been in trouble before. 21:40.640 --> 21:44.640 Well, how about Johnny's school friends, ma'am? Would there be any one of them he might possibly contact in a jam? 21:44.640 --> 21:48.640 None that I haven't told you about before, I don't think. Evelyn. 21:48.640 --> 21:51.640 She's the only one I suppose Johnny'd go to if he needed help, if he was in trouble. 21:51.640 --> 21:53.640 That's his girlfriend at the high school, isn't it, Evelyn Maxman? 21:53.640 --> 21:55.640 Yes, that's right. Sweet girl. 21:55.640 --> 22:00.640 How about a girlfriend Johnny was supposed to have downtown somewhere, Mrs. Demring? Would you know anything about her? 22:00.640 --> 22:03.640 Nothing really, no. Name was Betty, I think. 22:03.640 --> 22:05.640 You have no idea where she lived downtown? 22:05.640 --> 22:06.640 No, I don't, Sergeant. 22:06.640 --> 22:11.640 Well, all right, ma'am. Thank you very much. Appreciate it if you'd notify us if you hear anything about your son at all. 22:11.640 --> 22:13.640 All right, Sergeant, thank you. 22:13.640 --> 22:16.640 Tomorrow's Johnny's birthday, you know, I meant to tell you. 22:16.640 --> 22:19.640 Always expect Johnny home on his birthday. 22:19.640 --> 22:25.640 Seems no matter where he is, how he's tied up with his school or sports or something, Johnny always makes it home for his birthday. 22:25.640 --> 22:26.640 I see. 22:26.640 --> 22:30.640 I wonder how it'll be tomorrow. He's never missed once, not once. 22:30.640 --> 22:32.640 Well, if he shows up, I guess you can count on one thing, ma'am. 22:32.640 --> 22:33.640 What's that? 22:33.640 --> 22:37.640 He's going to have to miss next year. 22:37.640 --> 22:44.640 Two p.m. Ben and I picked up a glass of milk and a hot dog for lunch, and then we continued making a check of Johnny Demring's closest friends. 22:44.640 --> 22:49.640 Next in line after his mother was Demring's high school girlfriend, Evelyn Maxford. 22:49.640 --> 22:54.640 We located her at her home, a tall, attractive brunette, nicely dressed and well-mannered. 22:54.640 --> 22:56.640 She seemed unusually nervous as we interviewed her. 22:56.640 --> 23:02.640 I haven't heard a word, Sergeant. I know tomorrow's his birthday. The mother's expecting him home. I know he won't come, though. I'm sure of that. 23:02.640 --> 23:03.640 How are you sure, Miss? 23:03.640 --> 23:05.640 Well, I just know that's all. 23:05.640 --> 23:06.640 I'd like to ask you again. 23:06.640 --> 23:07.640 Yes? 23:07.640 --> 23:10.640 Are you sure you haven't heard from Johnny Demring recently in the past two days or so? 23:10.640 --> 23:12.640 No, that's what I told you. Don't you believe me? 23:12.640 --> 23:15.640 Do you know why we're so anxious to locate Johnny, Miss Maxford? 23:15.640 --> 23:18.640 Well, I think so. It's about the narcotics business. 23:18.640 --> 23:23.640 You say Johnny had a hand in it. He was selling those things to the kids. I still don't believe it myself. 23:23.640 --> 23:26.640 It's a lot more than that the way it stands now, Miss Maxford. 23:26.640 --> 23:27.640 What do you mean? 23:27.640 --> 23:35.640 Well, when he was at school, Johnny was kept supplied with narcotics by a man named Jaco Harris. He's what we call a pusher, kind of an in-between supply man in the narcotics trade. 23:35.640 --> 23:41.640 Well, two nights ago, Johnny caught up with this Harris. He beat him up badly enough to send him to the hospital with a fractured skull. 23:41.640 --> 23:47.640 And then Johnny stole every bit of narcotics that Harris had in his room, some of the strongest stuff you can buy on the market. 23:47.640 --> 23:49.640 That's why we want Johnny, Miss Maxford. 23:49.640 --> 23:51.640 I don't think I understand. What does it mean? 23:51.640 --> 23:57.640 It means that most of the teenage kids Johnny's been supplying stuff to have been getting fairly weak grades in narcotics. 23:57.640 --> 24:02.640 If you get some of this stuff to them and the kids start taking it, it might prove too strong for them. 24:02.640 --> 24:05.640 If they take too much of it, it could kill them outright. 24:05.640 --> 24:11.640 Now, you see what we're up against. We've got to find that boy. We've got to find him soon. 24:11.640 --> 24:14.640 Couldn't you talk to his mother? Maybe she could tell you something. 24:14.640 --> 24:18.640 Well, we already have, Miss. She couldn't tell us anything. That's why we're halfway dependent on you. 24:18.640 --> 24:24.640 Why do they have to put it in my lap? Why does it have to be me? I liked Johnny for a while. I don't know what to think now. 24:24.640 --> 24:28.640 Well, have you heard from him, Miss Maxford? Now, there's no reason to be afraid. 24:28.640 --> 24:34.640 You'd probably feel a lot worse if something happened to one of the high school kids, wouldn't you? Miss Maxford. 24:34.640 --> 24:39.640 I got a call from him yesterday, Johnny. He wouldn't tell me where he was. I asked him, but he wouldn't tell me. 24:39.640 --> 24:40.640 What else did he say? 24:40.640 --> 24:47.640 He knows everybody's looking for him. He doesn't know about the stuff that he stole, though I'm sure of that. He doesn't know what it could do. 24:47.640 --> 24:49.640 Did he make any dates with you? Did he want to see you? 24:49.640 --> 24:52.640 Yes, he wants to see me. He wants me to meet him tonight. 24:52.640 --> 24:53.640 Where? 24:54.640 --> 24:55.640 Excuse me. 24:55.640 --> 24:56.640 Yes, go ahead. 24:56.640 --> 25:09.640 Hello? Yes? I don't know. I don't really. What? Seven o'clock, all right. Yes, yes, I'll meet you then. All right, goodbye. 25:10.640 --> 25:14.640 That was Johnny just then. He wanted to make sure I was going to meet him tonight. 25:14.640 --> 25:15.640 When? 25:15.640 --> 25:17.640 Seven o'clock tonight, right near Westlake Park. 25:17.640 --> 25:18.640 Which side, Miss? 25:18.640 --> 25:21.640 The Westside, Sergeant. I hope to God it's not true. 25:21.640 --> 25:22.640 What's that? 25:22.640 --> 25:25.640 The narcotics he stole from that man. You said they were powerful? 25:25.640 --> 25:26.640 Yes, we did. 25:26.640 --> 25:28.640 Johnny's been taking them for two days. 25:31.640 --> 25:44.640 Six forty-five p.m. Together with two other men from Juvenile Bureau, Hurst and Ty, we drove near the appointed spot along the lake in Westlake Park where Evelyn Maxford's meeting with the teenage suspect, Johnny Deming, was to take place. 25:44.640 --> 25:51.640 We staked out at a reasonable distance and Miss Maxford went ahead to the meeting spot. As far as we could see, there was no sign of Deming. 25:51.640 --> 25:56.640 Somebody on the opposite side of the lake was playing a phonograph. The music came over faintly across the water. 25:56.640 --> 26:03.640 We watched the Maxford girl cross the long stretch of grass down to the lake. She approached the shore. We saw her stop and looked down. 26:04.640 --> 26:05.640 Sure, let's go. Come on. 26:05.640 --> 26:06.640 Yeah. 26:07.640 --> 26:12.640 We ran all the way as fast as we could get there. When we got close enough, we found out the reason for the scream. 26:12.640 --> 26:17.640 He was lying face up on the ground near the edge of a small clump of trees close to the water. 26:17.640 --> 26:20.640 He was a good looking boy, dark hair, good build. 26:20.640 --> 26:24.640 Took only one look and you knew right away he was too young to be dead. 26:24.640 --> 26:27.640 You could argue for a week, but you wouldn't change it. He was dead. 26:27.640 --> 26:30.640 The girl stood over him, her face in her hands, crying. 26:32.640 --> 26:35.640 No marks on the body, Joe. None at all. 26:35.640 --> 26:37.640 It must be it, huh? An overdose. 26:37.640 --> 26:41.640 That's the way it looks to me. We better get her out of here, hadn't we? 26:41.640 --> 26:44.640 Yeah. Miss Maxford? Come on, Miss Maxford. 26:45.640 --> 26:47.640 Yes, Sergeant. It's all right. It's all right now. 26:47.640 --> 26:51.640 We'll have one of the other men drive you home. We can take care of whatever has to be done here. 26:51.640 --> 26:56.640 He was a good boy, Sergeant. He was smart. How did he ever get started in such a thing? 26:56.640 --> 26:58.640 How did he ever make such a mistake? 26:58.640 --> 27:00.640 Well, he's got the best excuse in the world, Miss. 27:00.640 --> 27:01.640 Yes. 27:01.640 --> 27:02.640 He was 17. 27:02.640 --> 27:05.640 The story you have just heard was true. 27:05.640 --> 27:08.640 The names were changed to protect the innocent. 27:08.640 --> 27:11.640 On May 2nd, a coroner's inquest was held at the County Morgue, 27:11.640 --> 27:14.640 Hall of Justice, City and County of Los Angeles, State of California. 27:14.640 --> 27:16.640 In a moment, the results of that inquest. 27:16.640 --> 27:18.640 And now here is our star, Jack Webb. 27:18.640 --> 27:24.640 Thank you. Friends, it makes us very happy to know that so many of you have switched to King size Fatimas. 27:24.640 --> 27:26.640 And I'm very happy to see that you have. 27:26.640 --> 27:33.640 This actual sales report I have here shows that in state after state, more people are smoking Fatimas every day. 27:33.640 --> 27:37.640 In the first state, Fatima sales are up 97%. 27:37.640 --> 27:41.640 The next state sales up 114%. 27:41.640 --> 27:44.640 Still another state, 117%. 27:44.640 --> 27:46.640 And still another, 69%. 27:46.640 --> 27:48.640 Well, those are just a few. 27:48.640 --> 27:50.640 Now, in my opinion, that can mean only one thing. 27:50.640 --> 27:56.640 That thousands and thousands of smokers, coast to coast, agree with what we've been saying. 27:56.640 --> 27:59.640 Fatima is the best of all King size cigarettes. 27:59.640 --> 28:02.640 If you haven't smoked them yet, remember this. 28:02.640 --> 28:05.640 Fatimas cost no more than the cigarettes you've been smoking. 28:05.640 --> 28:12.640 Fatima gives you all the advantages of extra length plus Fatima quality, which no other King size cigarette has. 28:12.640 --> 28:15.640 So tomorrow, buy Fatima. 28:15.640 --> 28:21.640 Music 28:21.640 --> 28:30.640 At the inquest, the coroner's jury ruled that 17-year-old John Andrew Demmering had administered himself an overdose of narcotics and thus had taken his own life. 28:30.640 --> 28:38.640 All others involved in the juvenile narcotics ring, a total of eight persons, were tried and convicted under the same law. 28:38.640 --> 28:46.640 They received sentences as prescribed by law and are now serving their terms in the state penitentiary. 28:46.640 --> 28:53.640 Music 28:53.640 --> 28:57.640 You have just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files. 28:57.640 --> 29:01.640 Technical advice comes from the Office of Chief of Police, W.A.A. 29:01.640 --> 29:08.640 Parker, Los Angeles Police Department. 29:08.640 --> 29:18.640 Fatima cigarettes, best of all King size cigarettes, has brought you Dragnet, transcribed from Los Angeles. 29:18.640 --> 29:21.640 Music 29:21.640 --> 29:26.640 Stay tuned for Counterspy, next on NBC. 29:26.640 --> 29:31.640 Music