WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:13.180 The story you are about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. 00:13.180 --> 00:19.440 Fatima cigarettes. Best of all, king-sized cigarettes brings you dragnet on both radio 00:19.440 --> 00:28.720 and television. 00:28.720 --> 00:33.920 You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to homicide, special detail. There are rumors 00:33.920 --> 00:38.800 of an impending war between juvenile gangs in your city. Reportedly, members of both 00:38.800 --> 00:43.320 gangs are well supplied with homemade weapons. You don't know when the fighting will break 00:43.320 --> 00:50.120 out. You don't know where. Your job? Stop it. 00:50.120 --> 01:00.080 Fatima, America's first largest selling blended cigarette, now king-size. See the difference, 01:00.080 --> 01:06.040 taste the difference, smoke the difference. And in Fatima, the difference is quality. 01:06.040 --> 01:12.800 See the difference. Fatimas are 21% longer. Taste the difference. Enjoy Fatima's extra 01:12.800 --> 01:18.680 mildness. Much different, much better flavor and aroma. Smoke the difference. Get all the 01:18.680 --> 01:25.640 advantages of extra length plus Fatima quality, which no other king-size cigarette has. Yes, 01:25.640 --> 01:31.920 in Fatima, the difference is quality. Definitely the best quality in its class, but the same 01:31.920 --> 01:38.080 price of the cigarette you're now smoking. So why wait? Switch to Fatima today. Each 01:38.080 --> 01:44.320 king-size Fatima gives you a long extra mild and soothing smoke with the added protection 01:44.320 --> 01:51.320 of Fatima quality. Bye, Fatima. 01:51.320 --> 01:59.880 DRAGNET, the documented drama of an actual crime. For the next 30 minutes, in cooperation 01:59.880 --> 02:04.280 with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step-by-step on the side of the 02:04.280 --> 02:10.080 law through an actual case transcribed from official police files. From beginning to end, 02:10.080 --> 02:19.280 from crime to punishment, DRAGNET is the story of your police force in action. 02:19.280 --> 02:23.280 It was Tuesday, October 14th. It was cloudy in Los Angeles. We were working a special 02:23.280 --> 02:27.760 detail out of Homicide Division. My partner is Ed Jacobs. The boss is Captain Lorman. 02:27.760 --> 02:32.760 My name is Friday. It was 1.18 p.m. when I got to 2015 East First Street, the second 02:32.760 --> 02:35.160 floor, Hollenbeck Juvenile Division. 02:35.160 --> 02:36.160 Joe? 02:36.160 --> 02:37.640 Hi. What'd you find out? 02:37.640 --> 02:41.560 Nothing yet. Gardner had to go next door. He'll be back in a minute. He gives a rundown 02:41.560 --> 02:42.560 on a thing. 02:42.560 --> 02:43.560 Friday. Ed? 02:43.560 --> 02:44.560 Hi, Gardner. 02:44.560 --> 02:45.560 Hi. How you doing? 02:45.560 --> 02:46.920 Good to see you. How are things going downtown? 02:46.920 --> 02:49.320 Oh, not bad. A little slow. Here, you got problems? 02:49.320 --> 02:51.680 A lot of them. Captain Briefy on any of it? 02:51.680 --> 02:55.120 No. He told us to check with you. You'd fill us in. Said maybe you could use some help. 02:55.120 --> 02:58.440 All we can get. We're sitting on top of a bomb out here. We don't know when it's gonna 02:58.440 --> 02:59.440 go off. 02:59.440 --> 03:00.440 What's the pitch, Gardner? 03:00.440 --> 03:03.640 Juvenile gangs, five of them this time. The way we get it, they're ready for trouble, 03:03.640 --> 03:04.640 all of them. 03:04.640 --> 03:05.640 High school kids? 03:05.640 --> 03:06.920 Most of them. Some of them are in junior high. 03:06.920 --> 03:09.360 Well, how come five gangs? What are they planning, a free-for-all? 03:09.360 --> 03:13.360 It's a long story. They've been building up to this thing for months, all Eastside kids. 03:13.360 --> 03:14.920 We hear it's supposed to be an open war. 03:14.920 --> 03:15.920 Mm-hmm. 03:15.920 --> 03:18.640 Here's a list of the different gangs involved. 03:18.640 --> 03:19.640 Thanks. 03:19.640 --> 03:24.200 You can see there, same crowds we've been riding her down for the last couple of years. 03:24.200 --> 03:25.200 Mm-hmm. 03:25.200 --> 03:30.320 We've got the Purple Heart Gang, the Blue Devils, the Apaches, Happy Valley, Rose Hill. 03:30.320 --> 03:35.160 Here's the breakdown on each one of them. Hard to get exact figures, but we think it's 03:35.160 --> 03:36.160 fairly accurate. 03:36.160 --> 03:37.160 Yeah. 03:37.160 --> 03:42.320 Purple Heart Gang, 26 members, leader Harold Frye, 17, Blue Devils, 18 members, leaders 03:42.320 --> 03:47.480 Jack Holland, age 17, and Bertram Willis, 16. The Apaches, 22 members, leader Robert 03:47.480 --> 03:50.000 Lawson, 17. They're supposed to be the strongest ones. 03:50.000 --> 03:51.000 Wow. 03:51.000 --> 03:55.120 Happy Valley Gang, 20 members, leaders Roy Martin, 16, and Joseph Villanueva, 16. Rose 03:55.120 --> 03:58.000 Hill Gang, 16 members, leader Thomas Resnick, 18. 03:58.000 --> 04:01.920 Yeah. Well, what's behind it, Gardner? I mean the gang war that they're supposed to be planning. 04:01.920 --> 04:05.840 A lot of factors enter into it, I guess. It's my own idea. The Apache Gang's been most of 04:05.840 --> 04:06.840 the promoting. 04:06.840 --> 04:07.840 What's the object, anyway? 04:07.840 --> 04:12.040 The usual big shot idea some high school kids get. The Apaches figure they're going to run 04:12.040 --> 04:15.720 the whole East Side. They've already scared the Happy Valley Gang and the Blue Devils 04:15.720 --> 04:16.720 into joining up with them. 04:16.720 --> 04:17.720 Well, how they manage that? 04:17.720 --> 04:19.200 I'd like to find out myself. 04:19.200 --> 04:23.480 Well, how about the other two crowds? They're Rose Hill and the Purple Heart Bunch? 04:23.480 --> 04:27.240 The story I get is they won't come in with the Apaches. That's supposed to be the reason 04:27.240 --> 04:31.120 for the war. Either they join up with the Apaches or they fight them. That's a warning 04:31.120 --> 04:32.120 they got. 04:32.120 --> 04:33.840 Hmm. They'll be playing it big time, huh? 04:33.840 --> 04:38.040 All the way. Sixteen, seventeen year olds. They got gang lieutenants. They got their 04:38.040 --> 04:42.360 own cards, their own hideout. Some of them even have their girlfriends running with them. 04:42.360 --> 04:44.160 Same age. None of them over seventeen. 04:44.160 --> 04:46.160 Where'd you get your information, Bill? 04:46.160 --> 04:50.560 Half a dozen, kid. Most of them from the Blue Devils and the Happy Valley Gang. They were 04:50.560 --> 04:54.280 mixed up in a couple of after school fights in Hollenbeck Park. The stories they gave 04:54.280 --> 04:55.560 us are enough to curl your hair. 04:55.560 --> 04:56.560 Yeah, how do you mean? 04:56.560 --> 05:00.280 About the big war they're going to have. One of the girls we picked up gave us most of 05:00.280 --> 05:04.000 it. Fifteen year old. Says her boyfriend's one of the big shots for the Blue Devil. 05:04.000 --> 05:06.000 What'd she have to say? 05:06.000 --> 05:08.280 Talked about it like it was some kind of a game they were playing. 05:08.280 --> 05:09.280 Well. 05:09.280 --> 05:12.200 Said the Rose Hill and the Purple Heart gangs were teaming up so they could stand up against 05:12.200 --> 05:16.200 the other three. They've been getting ready for the war for six weeks. They're really 05:16.200 --> 05:17.200 organized. 05:17.200 --> 05:19.520 I don't get it. Who's doing the organizing? Who's promoting it? 05:19.520 --> 05:24.400 I'll get an idea about that and get to it in a minute. 05:24.400 --> 05:27.400 Take a look at these over here. 05:27.400 --> 05:28.400 Yeah. 05:28.400 --> 05:31.160 These are all samples of the different weapons the gangs are getting together for the big 05:31.160 --> 05:32.160 fight. 05:32.160 --> 05:33.160 Crazy kids. 05:33.160 --> 05:39.520 Grass knuckles. Homemade saps. All kinds. 05:39.520 --> 05:40.520 What's this here, Garland? 05:40.520 --> 05:47.440 Have a look. Homemade stiletto. Good six inch blade. Kids are supposed to have dozens of 05:47.440 --> 05:53.960 them. Another one here. Look at this. Ice pick. Anything you can think of, you name it, 05:53.960 --> 05:54.960 we got it. 05:54.960 --> 05:57.400 It's going to be wholesale murder if we can't find a way to stop it. 05:57.400 --> 05:59.640 You've been able to figure what the real trouble is, Bill. 05:59.640 --> 06:04.760 I got an idea, yeah. You asked about the gangs teaming up a minute ago. 06:04.760 --> 06:08.920 We figure we got a young Hitler on our hands. A kid by the name of Robert Lawson. He was 06:08.920 --> 06:12.240 supposed to be the ringleader of the Apache gang. He moved in about a year ago from the 06:12.240 --> 06:13.240 Middle West. 06:13.240 --> 06:14.240 How much you know about him? 06:14.240 --> 06:18.080 Wrote a letter to the city he originally came from. Nothing but trouble back there. Bad 06:18.080 --> 06:22.800 juvenile record. We talked to the boy a couple of times. His parents, too, didn't do much 06:22.800 --> 06:27.320 good. Never had enough to file a petition on him and bring him to the attention of a 06:27.320 --> 06:32.000 juvenile court. We know he's responsible for a lot of the trouble we got, but he always 06:32.000 --> 06:34.760 has some other kid do it for him. Never does it himself. 06:34.760 --> 06:37.480 You think he's responsible for working up the gang, all right, is that it? 06:37.480 --> 06:41.960 We figure he's our biggest problem. We've tried everything to reach the Lawson kid and 06:41.960 --> 06:46.520 settle him down. Checked for the teachers at his school, the principal, vice principal. 06:46.520 --> 06:49.960 They can't handle him. They figure on expelling him if he doesn't straighten out. 06:49.960 --> 06:53.840 How about the other youngsters in these gangs? I mean, besides this Lawson boy here. 06:53.840 --> 06:57.600 We've got notifications out for them and their parents. They're supposed to be in here tomorrow 06:57.600 --> 07:01.120 night at 7.30. Maybe we can break Lawson's hold on these kids. 07:01.120 --> 07:05.120 Sure got me. What's the matter with this Lawson boy's parents? I don't know what's going on. 07:05.120 --> 07:06.440 Can't they control him? 07:06.440 --> 07:10.520 We tried to talk to the parents. They think we're wrong. They're proud of the kid. He's 07:10.520 --> 07:13.920 in a high IQ. They think he's a natural born leader. 07:13.920 --> 07:14.920 Oh, sure. Yeah. 07:14.920 --> 07:18.520 The mother says people just don't understand the boy. 07:18.520 --> 07:26.400 Maybe you should have told them. San Quentin's full of people we don't understand. 07:26.400 --> 07:30.720 The following night, Wednesday, October 15th, the members and ringleaders of the various 07:30.720 --> 07:36.240 juvenile gangs along with their parents showed up at Hollenbeck Juvenile Division as requested. 07:36.240 --> 07:40.000 In questioning each of the youngsters, we definitely confirmed the reports we had of 07:40.000 --> 07:44.720 the impending gang war. The interviews also revealed that if and when the fighting did 07:44.720 --> 07:49.880 start, it would be more serious than we had first figured. For one thing, there were more 07:49.880 --> 07:54.520 youngsters involved than we thought. The gangs had been recruiting new members by the dozen 07:54.520 --> 07:59.220 in preparation for the street fights. For another thing, we found out the teenagers 07:59.220 --> 08:03.600 weren't carrying around eight inch knives and brass knuckles just for show. If fighting 08:03.600 --> 08:08.000 started, they were ready and willing to use them. We weren't sure how much we could count 08:08.000 --> 08:12.120 on it, but after interviewing the parents and advising them how serious the situation 08:12.120 --> 08:17.520 was, they promised their full cooperation. Most of them agreed they'd maintain strict 08:17.520 --> 08:21.840 check on their youngsters and keep them out of all neighborhood gang activities. Some 08:21.840 --> 08:25.760 of the parents took a resentful attitude. They insisted the gangs were harmless. They 08:25.760 --> 08:30.360 accused us of picking on the youngsters. A few of the parents didn't even show up at 08:30.360 --> 08:35.320 the meeting. Among these were the parents of 17-year-old Robert Lawson, the boy who 08:35.320 --> 08:39.920 seemed to be promoting most of the trouble. The following morning, my partner, Ed Jacobs, 08:39.920 --> 08:43.800 and I drove out to his home and we talked with his mother. She was friendly but not 08:43.800 --> 08:47.480 too cooperative. I don't know how you say that, Sergeant. I appreciate you worrying 08:47.480 --> 08:50.840 about my boy, but I'm sure it's not as bad as you think. I don't mean to contradict you, 08:50.840 --> 08:54.520 Mrs. Lawson, but I'm afraid it is a lot worse than you think. It's what the other officers 08:54.520 --> 08:58.560 said too, but you really don't have any proof, do you? I mean, a few idle rumors, you certainly 08:58.560 --> 09:02.160 can accuse Robert on that basis. We're not accusing Robert of anything, ma'am. It's not 09:02.160 --> 09:05.320 the point. What we're trying to do is to head off the trouble before it starts. You were 09:05.320 --> 09:08.640 living in the Middle West before you came to Los Angeles, is that right, ma'am? Yes, 09:08.640 --> 09:12.520 that's right, Nebraska. Well, wasn't your boy in some kind of trouble back there? Yes, 09:12.520 --> 09:16.440 but it didn't amount to anything. Could have been avoided so easily. They just didn't understand 09:16.440 --> 09:21.960 Robert. That was the whole trouble. Is he an only child, ma'am? Yes, just Robert. But 09:21.960 --> 09:26.480 he's not spoiled. I know it's a great temptation with an only child, but we didn't spoil him. 09:26.480 --> 09:29.720 Robert just isn't like that. Uh-huh. You allow him quite a bit of freedom, do you, ma'am? 09:29.720 --> 09:35.440 I mean, does he go out at night very often? Well, he is 17 years old, going on 18. Yes, 09:35.440 --> 09:39.320 my husband and I line to go out as often as he likes, as long as he keeps up with his 09:39.320 --> 09:43.840 studies. Robert's always done very well. He always tops in his class. Do you know where 09:43.840 --> 09:48.880 he spends his time when he goes out at night? He's usually down at the gym or at the library. 09:48.880 --> 09:54.400 You know that for a fact, do you? I trust Robert, if that's what you mean. He tells 09:54.400 --> 09:58.360 me that's where he's going. I believe him. A mother can't believe her own son. Who can 09:58.360 --> 10:02.320 she believe? How about the company your boy keeps? You know any of his friends, Mrs. Lawson? 10:02.320 --> 10:08.520 Few, yes. There's the Miller boy and Jack Holland. They seem to be fine boys. Miller 10:08.520 --> 10:13.800 and Holland? Yes. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with them. Well, there is, ma'am. 10:13.800 --> 10:18.600 What? Both of them have juvenile records. Both of them belong to your son's gang. Really, 10:18.600 --> 10:25.560 Sergeant, how can you say that? It isn't fair. Wouldn't it be better to try and understand 10:25.560 --> 10:30.880 these boys instead of picking on them, persecuting them? I don't know how we're going to make 10:30.880 --> 10:35.400 you understand, Mrs. Lawson. We're not picking on them. We're not persecuting them. We know 10:35.400 --> 10:38.680 there's a gang problem. We know your boy's one of those at the bottom of it. If something 10:38.680 --> 10:41.840 isn't done, there's going to be trouble. We're going to stop it before it begins. We're going 10:41.840 --> 10:47.120 to have to have your help. I'm perfectly willing to cooperate, you know that. That must be 10:47.120 --> 10:54.080 Robert now. Excuse me. Robert? Bob, is that you? Yeah. Would you come in here a minute, 10:54.080 --> 11:00.800 Bob? We're in the living room. Yeah. What do you want? These are police officers, Bobby. 11:00.800 --> 11:06.200 This is Sergeant Friday. Sergeant Jacobs, is that right? Yes, ma'am. How are you? How 11:06.200 --> 11:11.280 do you do? Hi. How about something to eat? I'm sure. Anything ready? I wasn't expecting 11:11.280 --> 11:14.760 you, Bob. Won't take me a minute, though. You sit down there. I'll go out and get a 11:14.760 --> 11:20.200 snack together for you. Can I fix you a sandwich, officer? A cup of coffee? No, thank you. No, 11:20.200 --> 11:24.200 thanks very much. Won't be a minute, Bob. We were just talking about you when you came 11:24.200 --> 11:28.000 in. What's it about, Sergeant? You want to see me or you just want to talk to my mother? 11:28.000 --> 11:31.560 As long as you're here, we'd like to talk to both of you, Bob. I got to take off pretty 11:31.560 --> 11:37.000 fast. Just came home to get something to eat. What's it about? It's about Geronimo. That's 11:37.000 --> 11:40.400 the gang's code word for the war you're setting up, isn't it? I don't know what you're talking 11:40.400 --> 11:44.040 about. Your gang bombed the Apaches. We talked to half a dozen of them last night down at 11:44.040 --> 11:47.200 the juvenile division. Is that right? Now look, son, we've got the names of everybody 11:47.200 --> 11:50.280 in your gang. We know the whole setup. You go ahead with your idea and you're going to 11:50.280 --> 11:54.480 buy a lot of trouble. A couple of cops were here last week. I said the same thing. I don't 11:54.480 --> 11:58.600 know any more about it now than I did then. Honest. What's the pitch anyway? You know 11:58.600 --> 12:02.560 what the pitch is, youngster. I don't, honest. You're trying to say I'm in a gang, is that 12:02.560 --> 12:06.360 it? You're in it up to your neck, son. Now why don't you come off it? We've got you pegged 12:06.360 --> 12:09.600 and everybody that runs with you. That includes the girlfriends you got in a gang. You're 12:09.600 --> 12:13.440 not fooling anybody. You must be a little crazy. I'm not in any gang. I never even heard 12:13.440 --> 12:18.240 of one around here. Why don't you listen to me, boy. You can take this as a warning or 12:18.240 --> 12:22.200 a piece of advice either way. You and your friends keep on playing punk gangsters and 12:22.200 --> 12:26.240 they're going to lean on you. You understand? What is this? Trying to scare me? If it'll 12:26.240 --> 12:30.560 make you change your mind, yeah. If this street work comes off, there's going to be big trouble. 12:30.560 --> 12:34.720 What do you think's going to happen when 200 kids tangle in a fight with knives and brass 12:34.720 --> 12:40.280 knuckles? Now use your head. Here we are, Bob. I had to melt an actual hot soup. Baten 12:40.280 --> 12:47.840 with tomato sandwiches. You always make the soup too hot. Oh, I didn't mean to. Let it 12:47.840 --> 12:52.840 cool off for a minute then. Bob has to eat and hurry along. Is there anything else you 12:52.840 --> 12:57.440 want to talk to him about? No, I think you've heard everything we have to say. I wish you'd 12:57.440 --> 13:02.560 think it over, Mrs. Lawson. You too, Bob. Nothing to think over? They're trying to say 13:02.560 --> 13:07.800 I'm in a gang. They think I'm the leader. You told them, didn't you, Sam? Sure. They 13:07.800 --> 13:13.440 don't believe me. I wish I could make you understand, Sergeant. He's not a gang leader. 13:13.440 --> 13:19.440 Robert's telling the truth. I'm afraid he isn't, ma'am. Well, he is. I know he is. I 13:19.440 --> 13:23.720 mean, after all he's my son, I'm in a position to know him better than you do. Yes, ma'am. 13:23.720 --> 13:28.760 If he was lying, I'd know it. I wish I could make you understand. Mother is the only one 13:28.760 --> 13:40.000 who really knows her, boy. I know Robert's telling the truth. Aren't you, Robert? Robert? 13:40.000 --> 13:46.360 Uh-huh. That's so, isn't it? You're telling the truth, aren't you? Sure. How about some 13:46.360 --> 13:55.480 more soup? Before we left the house, we tried again to talk to Robert Lawson and his mother, 13:55.480 --> 14:00.000 but it was no use. She believed every word he said, and he apparently refused to believe 14:00.000 --> 14:05.160 the possible consequences of the war he was planning for his gang of juveniles. We drove 14:05.160 --> 14:10.560 downtown and had an interview with the boy's father at his work. He was even less cooperative. 14:10.560 --> 14:14.000 He took on a belligerent attitude, accused us of persecuting his son, and ordered us 14:14.000 --> 14:19.440 out of the office. Along with Sergeant Bill Gardner and Frank Kerber, we spent the rest 14:19.440 --> 14:23.040 of the afternoon and most of the following day checking with parents of youngsters who 14:23.040 --> 14:27.320 had been recently recruited into one of the various Eastside gangs. Most of them were 14:27.320 --> 14:33.180 cooperative. Late that afternoon, Bill Gardner, Ed, and myself met with Captain Stein back 14:33.180 --> 14:37.400 at Hollenbeck Juvenile. Strict curfew all over the area. We can start tonight. What 14:37.400 --> 14:41.120 do you figure, just on the weekends? Every night. Sunday to Sunday. I'll get some more 14:41.120 --> 14:45.040 men in to help out. Every youngster out in the street after 10 o'clock gets stopped. 14:45.040 --> 14:49.000 Mm-hmm. Everyone of them caught with knives, saps, brass knuckles, or anything like them, 14:49.000 --> 14:52.960 they're going to be pulled in and filed down. No exceptions. Be a lot safer in custody than 14:52.960 --> 14:57.320 mixing in the gang fight. Yeah, a lot of help. Might teach some of the parents a lesson anyway. 14:57.320 --> 15:07.320 Excuse me. Jovan of the Vision Stein. Where was that? When? Oh, yeah, right away. Let's 15:07.320 --> 15:11.080 hustle at Evergreen Avenue out near the cemetery. Now what is it? Curfew is a good idea. We 15:11.080 --> 15:18.040 got it too late. Huh? Gang warrants already started. Before we left the office, we had 15:18.040 --> 15:22.960 communications notify all J cars on the special detail to proceed at once to the scene of 15:22.960 --> 15:28.240 the major 415 call. Ten cars were ordered to cruise the area surrounding the actual 15:28.240 --> 15:32.680 scene of the fight and to pick up any and all members of the juvenile gangs who showed 15:32.680 --> 15:36.920 any evidence of having been in the fight or had in their possession any deadly weapon. 15:36.920 --> 15:41.840 Captain Stein, Bill Gardner, Ed, and myself left the office on a code three and drove 15:41.840 --> 15:46.920 out to the scene of the gang fight. When we got there, all the J cars and three radio 15:46.920 --> 15:52.080 crews had the area blocked off. An ambulance crew was treating more than a dozen youngsters 15:52.080 --> 15:56.440 who had been injured during the fight. One of the youngsters had a lacerated eye. He'd 15:56.440 --> 16:02.240 been blinded. Most of the other victims would carry scars for the rest of their lives. The 16:02.240 --> 16:05.280 juveniles who had taken part in the battle and who had been lucky enough to escape without 16:05.280 --> 16:09.940 serious injury were being loaded into the J cars and the radio cars. They were to be 16:09.940 --> 16:16.080 removed to juvenile headquarters at 1335 Georgia Street for further investigation. Together 16:16.080 --> 16:20.880 with Bill Gardner and Frank Kerber, Ed and I began covering the area, collecting dozens 16:20.880 --> 16:25.280 of homemade weapons used in the gang fight. They'd be turned over to Pete Brown, Hollenbeck 16:25.280 --> 16:34.600 juvenile to be booked as evidence. Joe? Yeah Ed. Come here a minute. Over here. Yeah. Have 16:34.600 --> 16:42.000 a look. Piece of chain bloodstained on it. Lousy helpers. They're just gonna get it. 16:42.000 --> 16:53.240 Come on. Right. Across the street there. The car in the driveway. Yeah. Help me. Somebody 16:53.240 --> 16:57.720 help him Bobby. What's the trouble? Bobby he was in the fight with the gang. They stabbed 16:57.720 --> 17:06.320 him. He's in the car. Come on. What is it Joe? Take a look. A Lawson boy huh? Yeah. 17:06.320 --> 17:21.120 Knife in his chest. Want me to get the doctor? Yeah call the coroner too. You are listening 17:21.120 --> 17:28.360 to Dragnet. Authentic stories of your police force in action. Fatima. America's first largest 17:28.360 --> 17:34.560 selling blended cigarette. Now king size. See the difference. Taste the difference. 17:34.560 --> 17:40.680 Smoke the difference. And in Fatima the difference is quality. Yes you get all the advantages 17:40.680 --> 17:46.600 of extra length plus Fatima quality which no other king size cigarette has. That's 17:46.600 --> 17:54.440 why week in week out year after year more smokers are switching to Fatima. 1950. Fatima 17:54.440 --> 18:01.600 sales higher than ever before in Fatima history. 1951 another record year. Fatima sales up 18:01.600 --> 18:08.120 and up. 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Best of all king size cigarettes. 19:03.520 --> 19:09.720 Thursday October 16th 5.35 p.m. After the discovery of Robert Lawson's body in the car 19:09.720 --> 19:14.080 parked in the driveway adjoining the cemetery grounds Ed brought the doctor over from the 19:14.080 --> 19:20.120 ambulance the 17 year old Lawson boy was pronounced dead. The doctor made out the prescribed form 19:20.120 --> 19:25.160 and marked it the O.A. While we waited for the crime lab crew in the corner to get there 19:25.160 --> 19:30.240 Ed and I questioned the girl who'd led us to the body. She identified herself as Ann 19:30.240 --> 19:36.160 Porter age 16. She told us she was Bob Lawson's girlfriend. She readily admitted accompanying 19:36.160 --> 19:40.560 him to the scene of the gang fight that afternoon. I knew what it was going to be like I knew 19:40.560 --> 19:45.360 right then came closer Bob told the kids to get ready. There were little ways from us 19:45.360 --> 19:50.120 when they stopped the other gang the Purple Hearts. Yeah go ahead. There's a kid by the 19:50.120 --> 19:55.120 name of jumpy he's the leader stepped out in front of them and called the Bob called 19:55.120 --> 19:59.520 him a bad name said bad things. This boy you called jumpy he knows real name and no jumpy 19:59.520 --> 20:02.760 is only his nickname. I know him when I see him though I didn't point him out. Well what 20:02.760 --> 20:07.360 happened after he called Bob. I don't know what I know I'm not sure everything seemed 20:07.360 --> 20:12.160 to happen at once. Bob swore at me pushed me back told me to get out of the way. Then 20:12.160 --> 20:16.160 he walked up to this kid jumpy right in front of their whole gang. I screamed at Bob I screamed 20:16.160 --> 20:20.600 at him not to. Why'd you scream what did you do. He had a chain under his coat. It was 20:20.600 --> 20:26.560 kind of short whipline. Bob had it doubled up. Yeah. When he went up to jumpy Bob had 20:26.560 --> 20:30.560 a cigarette in his mouth. He told jumpy to light it for him. It's supposed to mean he's 20:30.560 --> 20:34.600 chicken if he does it. Jumpy laughed at him. Bob took out the chain and hit him across 20:34.600 --> 20:40.320 the face with it. It was always Mike. It knocked jumpy down laying on the sidewalk. His face 20:40.320 --> 20:45.680 was cut bad. Bob had the chain kept hitting him with it. Then somebody gave a yell and 20:45.680 --> 20:50.760 both the gang started fighting. Were you close to Bob Lawson most of the time. No not first. 20:50.760 --> 20:55.080 There was a lot of yelling and kicking and fighting going on. I ran around and was looking 20:55.080 --> 21:00.160 for him. Finally saw Bob. I'm not sure it happened so fast. What happened then. I'm 21:00.160 --> 21:07.400 not sure. I thought I saw jumpy pull a knife on Bob. Long and thin maybe an ice pick. Yeah. 21:07.400 --> 21:12.840 Bobby was still hitting with the chain. It looked like jumpy hit Bob and the chest with 21:12.840 --> 21:18.120 something right over the heart. Bobby stopped. Jumpy did it again. Bobby got why he looked 21:18.120 --> 21:26.120 sick. He turned around and started to run. What happened then. Bobby kept running. I 21:26.120 --> 21:30.760 knew he was hurt. I went after him. I saw him fall but he got up. He kept running. Then 21:30.760 --> 21:35.320 one of the other gang grabbed me. They hit me. It's all right. We understand. I didn't 21:35.320 --> 21:40.280 find Bob until a fight was over. I heard the cops cars coming sirens coming around from 21:40.280 --> 21:45.560 everywhere. I felt sick. I finally found Bob though he was laying in the back seat of the 21:45.560 --> 21:53.040 car just laying there. That's when you called out. Yes. I guess I knew it. As soon as I 21:53.040 --> 21:59.560 looked at him dead white as a sheet. Amy. Not when you find somebody dead not somebody you 21:59.560 --> 22:04.120 love. All right. It'll be all right. It'll be all right. You're lying. You know that 22:04.120 --> 22:10.080 it won't be all right. Take it easy. I love Bob. Didn't you know that. When he graduated 22:10.080 --> 22:16.400 the first thing we were going to get married. Soon as he got out of school we were married. 22:16.400 --> 22:29.240 And. Yeah. How old are you. I'm sixteen. Why. Nothing. It happens to break everybody. 22:29.240 --> 22:38.400 People seem to make a lot of mistakes when they're sixteen. Six thirty p.m. The crime 22:38.400 --> 22:42.760 lab crew arrived took pictures of the entire scene along with all physical evidence and 22:42.760 --> 22:47.640 dusted the murder weapon and eight inch knife for fingerprints. The coroner arrived and 22:47.640 --> 22:52.640 after we'd completed our investigation he removed the body to the county morgue. Along 22:52.640 --> 22:57.320 with a police woman we took Robert Lawson's girlfriend sixteen year old and Porter down 22:57.320 --> 23:01.880 to Georgia Street juvenile division to the assembly room. There a special show up was 23:01.880 --> 23:07.080 held of all the boys involved in the afternoon's fight. The Porter girl identified a seventeen 23:07.080 --> 23:11.920 year old with the name of Warren Stone named jumpy is the boy who'd stabbed Robert Lawson 23:11.920 --> 23:17.560 to death. At least a dozen other subjects in the case identified the boy by his nickname 23:17.560 --> 23:23.040 jumpy. Three members of either gang involved in the fight declared and sworn statements 23:23.040 --> 23:28.160 that Warren Stone was the boy who'd attacked the Lawson boy with a homemade knife. Statements 23:28.160 --> 23:33.120 were taken from all concerned and the ringleaders of the gangs were detained. The other subjects 23:33.120 --> 23:37.120 were released to their parents custody after being notified that they would be filed on 23:37.120 --> 23:43.080 and a hearing held in juvenile court. Ann Porter was returned home by a policewoman. Seven 23:43.080 --> 23:47.620 fifty five p.m. at Jacobs and I took the subject Warren Stone to the captain's office where 23:47.620 --> 23:51.720 we tried to question him about the murder. He refused to say anything. I told you the 23:51.720 --> 23:55.320 truth I told you the whole story I don't have to tell you again. We're pretty sure you didn't 23:55.320 --> 24:00.120 tell us the truth Warren. We know you tangled with Bob Lawson in that fight this afternoon. 24:00.120 --> 24:03.960 No I didn't. We've got statements from a dozen kids son they say Lawson had a piece of chain 24:03.960 --> 24:07.360 he kept slugging you with it they say you pulled a knife and stabbed him. How do they 24:07.360 --> 24:11.200 know a lot of kids had knives anybody could have stabbed him. Why are you picking on me. 24:11.200 --> 24:15.760 It was your knife. It was your knife that killed him your initials on it. I lost a knife 24:15.760 --> 24:19.120 in the fight somebody could have picked it up used it. No that won't do youngster the 24:19.120 --> 24:24.000 handle of the knife's been processed your fingerprints are all over it. How about it 24:24.000 --> 24:33.880 son. Warren come on now what do you got to say. 24:33.880 --> 24:44.640 Nothing. I killed him. 840 p.m. Warren Stone was booked in at Georgia Street jail on suspicion 24:44.640 --> 24:49.240 of one eighty seven p.c. murder. Ed and I got in the car and drove out to the home of 24:49.240 --> 24:54.080 the murder victim to notify his parents Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lawson. Mr. Lawson wasn't 24:54.080 --> 24:58.400 home from work yet. We broke the news of her son's death to Mrs. Lawson as gently as we 24:58.400 --> 25:03.640 could. She became hysterical and we called the family doctor who gave her sedatives. 25:03.640 --> 25:08.360 Later when she recovered herself a bit she asked for the full story. We told her how 25:08.360 --> 25:14.680 could it happen. Bobby. How could it happen. Sorry ma'am there's not much we can say we 25:14.680 --> 25:20.400 tried everything we could to stop it. You didn't stop it. You let them kill Bobby. You 25:20.400 --> 25:27.880 let them kill him. No ma'am. We tried to warn him. We tried to warn all of them. We're sorry. 25:27.880 --> 25:37.800 You're not sorry. You didn't try. Bob's dead. Everything I had. He's seventeen years old 25:37.800 --> 25:43.400 and he's dead. I can thank you for that. My only baby. We're sorry you feel that way 25:43.400 --> 25:50.040 Mrs. Lawson. Why shouldn't I feel that way. You call yourselves policemen. That boy who 25:50.040 --> 25:56.960 killed Bobby. You should have had him in jail in the first place. Young killer. Running 25:56.960 --> 26:01.080 around loose you as guilty as he is. I'm not defending a man but he wasn't a young killer. 26:01.080 --> 26:04.560 Didn't even have a juvenile record. I don't care anything about records. He's a killer. 26:04.560 --> 26:09.560 He took a knife and he killed Bob and you let him do it. You let him. I think we better 26:09.560 --> 26:16.400 be going in. Yeah. You or your husband will have to identify the body. Tomorrow morning 26:16.400 --> 26:22.160 he'll be alright. The county morgue. Dear God. You'll have to be at the coroner's inquest 26:22.160 --> 26:28.440 too. You'll be notified about the time of the day. I hope you have to live with this. 26:28.440 --> 26:33.120 I hope you live with it like I have to live with it. I hope it drives you crazy. I know 26:33.120 --> 26:37.400 how you feel man but you're wrong. I think you'll realize that. They murdered Bob. You 26:37.400 --> 26:43.040 let them kill him. I'll always remember that. Alright. Then you remember something else. 26:43.040 --> 26:48.720 The last time we came here to your house we tried to make you understand. You didn't know 26:48.720 --> 26:54.520 Bobby. You didn't understand him. I was the only one. I always knew what he was thinking, 26:54.520 --> 26:58.040 what he wanted, what he was going to do. I was the only one. No ma'am there was somebody 26:58.040 --> 27:12.360 else. What? The boy who killed him. The story you have just heard was true. The names were 27:12.360 --> 27:16.960 changed to protect the innocent. On November 7th the hearing was held in juvenile court 27:16.960 --> 27:21.440 department 38 city and county of Los Angeles state of California. In a moment the results 27:21.440 --> 27:26.720 of that hearing. And now here is our star Jack Webb. Thank you George Fenorman. Friends 27:26.720 --> 27:31.160 just as a hobby I've been collecting early jazz records, blues and two beat music like 27:31.160 --> 27:34.960 Leon Vicks Beiderbecke used to play and of course just about everything Benny Goodman 27:34.960 --> 27:41.440 has done. I've always tried to build my collection on quality. Now in my opinion that's the only 27:41.440 --> 27:47.440 rule to follow in choosing a king size cigarette. Choose for quality. Believe me I know that's 27:47.440 --> 27:51.840 what you'll find in Fatima. I know because I smoke them. If you haven't here's what I'd 27:51.840 --> 27:57.000 like you to do. Get a pack tomorrow and compare them. When you see the difference, taste the 27:57.000 --> 28:01.280 difference and then smoke that difference I'm convinced that you'll switch to Fatima 28:01.280 --> 28:06.920 because in Fatima the difference is quality. Each king size Fatima gives you a long extra 28:06.920 --> 28:14.120 mild and soothing smoke with the added protection of Fatima quality. Next time buy Fatima. Best 28:14.120 --> 28:25.480 of all king size cigarettes. 28:25.480 --> 28:31.200 Seventeen year old Warren Ernest Stone was filed on alleging violation of 187 PC murder. 28:31.200 --> 28:36.600 The rest of the juvenile gang ringleaders were filed on alleging 242 PC battery. They 28:36.600 --> 28:41.200 were all made wards of the juvenile court and placed in detention homes under the supervision 28:41.200 --> 28:55.640 of the state youth authority. They are still confined in state institutions for juveniles. 28:55.640 --> 29:01.120 You have just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice 29:01.120 --> 29:06.040 comes from the office of chief of police W. H. Parker Los Angeles police department. Heard 29:06.040 --> 29:11.640 tonight were Barney Phillips, Charles Smith and Eddie Firestone. Script by Jim Moser. 29:11.640 --> 29:20.960 Music by Walter Schuman. Hal Gibney speaking. 29:20.960 --> 29:26.640 Fatima cigarettes. Best of all king size cigarettes has brought you Dragnet transcribed from Los 29:26.640 --> 29:40.320 Angeles. Next it's David Harding and counter spy on NBC.