Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true.
The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
You're a detective sergeant.
You're assigned a robbery detail.
A pair of holdup men have been operating in your city.
You know their method of operation.
You know what they look like.
Your job, get them.
Dragnet, the documentary drama of an actual crime.
For the next 30 minutes in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will
travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case transcribed from official
police files.
From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force
in action.
It was Wednesday, June 8th.
It was warm in Los Angeles.
We were working today to watch out a robbery detail.
My partner is Frank Smith, the boss of Chief of Detectives Thad Brown.
My name is Friday.
We were on our way out from the office and it was 10, 14 a.m. when we got to the corner
of Roberta and Mercury, the after hours cafe.
Yeah, what'll it be?
Would you like to see Harry Prentice?
Yeah, I'm him.
What do you want?
Police officers.
This is my partner, Frank Smith.
My name's Friday.
Oh, alright.
By last night, huh?
Yeah.
Were you here?
Yeah, sure was.
I'm the only one that's got a key.
Place is open.
I'm here.
Yes, sir.
Now about the robbery?
Yeah, sure.
What do you want to know?
Would you tell us what happened?
Should have read the papers this morning.
All about it in there.
Got a couple of copies if you want to see them.
No, that won't be necessary.
No, no trouble at all.
I'm gonna have a couple of copies right here.
Here, take a look, right here.
Yeah, here it is.
Yeah, I'll read it to you.
Last night at the After Hours Cafe, I wish they'd given me address.
At the After Hours Cafe, two gunmen held up and beat Jeffrey Hanks.
The victim was approached outside the bar and when asked for his money...
Yes sir, now we saw all that.
We'd just like to hear your version if we could.
Oh, well, okay.
What do you want to know?
Did you see the men?
The gunmen?
That's right.
Yeah, sure.
I told the other cops they did.
Gave them a description, everything.
Uh-huh.
Know anything about their speech?
An accent, maybe?
No.
I asked them what they wanted.
One, a big one.
A bunch of rocks.
The other one asked for plain grapefruit juice.
No booze, just the juice.
Uh-huh.
And lucky I had it.
Got a couple of cans in for vodka drinks.
Don't get a lot of call for it.
Guy drank all I had.
Uh-huh.
When did the victim come in?
You mean Hanks?
Yeah.
Oh, must have been about 8.30.
Some place in here.
Uh-huh.
Walked in, sat out.
Had you seen him before?
No, brand new face.
Uh-huh.
Nice looking guy, though.
The kind you like to have for regulars.
That so?
Yeah, quiet, good drinker.
Doesn't bother the singles at the bar.
Nice, you know what I mean.
Yeah.
If I was full of them, I wouldn't have no worries.
How do you happen to get mixed up with the other two, do you know?
Yeah, you mean Hanks?
That's right.
I don't know.
I wasn't paying a lot of attention.
Portable martini, left him alone.
A friend of mine, lady type, was here.
Was talking to her.
Her and her boyfriend been having trouble.
He belted her around a little bit.
Not bad.
Couple of scratches.
You know what I mean.
I think so.
Well, she was asking me what to do.
We'd been friends for a long time since I opened the place.
Anyway, we was talking so I didn't see what happened.
Yeah.
All I know is that the three of them got up and moved to the booth in the back.
Ordered another round.
I hardly got the drinks back to the table and they was ready for another one.
Go ahead.
Kept running from the bar to their table for the next couple of hours.
You hear anything they were saying?
No, not much.
The one that was drinking scotch, he got a little plastered and loud.
Told them a couple of times to shut up.
Said I'd have to 86 him if they didn't.
Yeah.
Kept it up so I told them to leave.
Didn't take it kindly.
What do you mean then?
Well, it started to get rough.
You know, telling me that they didn't have to take no guff from a barkeep.
No.
Well, I told them, the one drinking the grapefruit juice.
I told him to get his friends out.
He says, we're not causing any trouble.
And I said, that's the way I want to keep him.
So he said for me to leave him alone.
And I said to the grapefruit.
I said for him to leave right then.
I don't want you in my place, I said.
Yeah.
Well, and so scotch on the rocks.
He said, tell his cat to go hide his head.
Like that, he said.
And turned a bear loose.
And I grabbed the both of them, threw them out through the door.
O-U-T.
Yeah.
And I went back for the other guy.
Nice looking one.
He was pretty gassed by then.
Had about eight martinis.
Asked him to leave.
He did.
Did you have any trouble with him?
No, no.
Just asked.
Were the other two outside when he left?
Yeah, standing on the sidewalk.
I told him to shove off or I'd call the cops.
Old scotch on the rocks.
He said for me to go soak my head.
Well, I was going after him, but I figured it wouldn't do no good.
So I came back inside.
Couple minutes later, the nice guy, Banks.
Hanks.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, well, he came in all beat up.
Closed to him.
Real mess.
Yeah.
Big cut right along here.
Forehead.
Said he'd been robbed.
Wanted me to call the cops.
Had you ever seen either of the two men before?
You mean scotch on the rocks and grapefruit?
That's right.
I never did.
Why don't you take a look at this description and see if it's right.
Here.
Yeah, sure.
Glad to help out.
Yeah, yeah, that looks about right.
Is there anything you can add to it?
No, just a couple of guys.
Nothing about them would stand out.
Would you know them if you saw them again?
Hard to say, you know what I mean?
Yes.
Couple of guys came in and ordered a drink.
Nothing special.
Not sure I could point them out for you.
Anybody would forget them.
Not quite.
Huh?
We won't.
Eleven thirty a.m.
We left the barn and went back to the city hall.
We checked with the stats office and picked up the results of their latest run.
They listed four possible, but when we read the names we were no closer to the holdup men than we had been.
The names were ones that we checked and cleared before.
Frank and I went back to robbery.
There was a message for us to see Captain Donahoe.
We went into his office.
Yeah?
No, as far as I know there's nothing new in it.
That's right.
Uh-huh.
They just came in.
What?
All right, I'll let you know right away.
Yeah.
Bye.
Come on in.
Hi, Skipper.
Captain.
That was Chief Brown.
Been calling all morning.
Yeah.
You know what he wants?
What do I tell him?
Well, we talked to the bartender.
He can't give us anything.
What about the victim?
Not much there either.
Able to come up with a name?
No, he said he didn't hear anything.
That's a big help.
Well.
Sit down.
Thank you.
Cigarette?
Yeah, thanks, Skipper.
Smith?
Yes, Skipper.
I got it.
Thanks, Joe.
From the beginning, what do you got?
Well, good M.O., good description.
We got an idea of the line they're working on, that's about it.
What about stats?
Just picked up the new run, four names.
What's on them?
Clean.
They've all been checked before.
Got to be something around town on them.
Well, there should be, but there just isn't.
How about your informants?
No, they haven't been able to tell us anything.
Straight?
No reason they should lie.
Victims and witnesses seen the mug books?
All we got.
They haven't been able to come up with an identification.
Veriton up at C.I.I. sent all the stuff he's got on the method of operation.
I don't know if he's got a gun.
No, he's got a gun.
We've checked it all through.
What about the places they could spend the money?
Well, we've been to Gardena half a dozen times, there's nothing out there.
What about Vegas?
Talk to the department over there.
They're giving us all the help they can, but they haven't turned anything yet.
We even got the racetracks covered.
Possible you missed something?
Sure, it's possible.
I don't know what it could be.
You knew you wouldn't have missed it.
Yeah.
From the beginning, go over.
Okay, first report was made on, wait a minute.
Got it here, here it is.
Tuesday, April 26th, victim came out of the bar, two men stopped him, started a conversation,
got him into a car, beat him and robbed him.
Six weeks ago.
That's right.
And the guys are still running.
The next one was on Friday, April 29th.
Same MO, same description.
How often has it been happening since?
A couple of times a week.
You can't find a leak?
No, sir.
No rumbles?
No.
Anybody in the office got anything?
We talked to Mead and Stromwell.
I thought they had it made for us, but their lead didn't go anyplace.
That money they're getting isn't sitting in their pockets, being spent someplace.
We can't find the cash register.
I'll tell you this, the fellow they nailed last night, what's his name?
Jeffrey Hanks.
Yeah.
Well, he's got some friends in the city hall.
They're pretty upset about what happened, called the chief this morning.
He's been on me, I'm giving it to you.
He won't be happy with excuses and I don't want to give him any, so don't hand me any.
Right.
Boils down simple.
I don't care how you do it, I don't care where, just get it done.
I want those two men and I want them fast.
All right.
I know how it is, now you do too.
Yes, sir.
I don't like the pressure any more than you do.
We're getting it all the way around.
People that are making the noise should follow us around for a couple of days.
That's the difference, they don't have to.
Huh?
You're getting paid.
Frank and I went over every piece of information we had on the case.
We re-read the reports that had been filed by the officers at the scene.
Statements from witnesses and victims were gone over again.
The names the stats office had given us were run through R&I again.
None of it did any good.
We still didn't have a lead to the identity of the thieves.
Three days passed while we talked to informants and questioned other sources of information.
On Sunday, June 12th, we got back to the office from talking to a bartender out on Olympic
Boulevard.
Well, that's another one that didn't go anyplace.
Yeah, you want to get the book?
Yeah, I'll take one.
I got it.
Robert Fetty.
Uh-huh.
Yeah, Jack.
Yeah, where is the place?
Hmm?
Wait a minute.
Yeah, I got it.
Yeah, I guess the word's all over.
Yeah.
Okay, we'll check it out.
Thanks, boy.
All right, bye.
There's nothing in the book.
Thank God.
I want to know if you could make it for dinner tonight.
I've got a barbecue planned.
You better call it off.
You got other plans?
That was McCready on the phone.
He just got a call from a bartender out in Wilshire.
Yeah.
And his friend in her beer says he figured we want to check it out.
What is it?
She says her boyfriend is one of our suspects.
The bar Sergeant Jack McCready had mentioned was on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and
Ingram Street.
There were two people in the place when we arrived.
One an elderly man sitting near the door and the other a middle-aged woman at the rear
of the bar.
We checked with the bartender and he told us that he'd made the call.
He went on to say that the woman had come in about 10 that morning.
Since that time, she'd been crying and mumbling something about going to the police.
Frank and I went back to talk to her.
Yeah?
You're looking for something?
I understand that you want to talk to the police.
What's that got to do with you?
My name is Friday.
This is my partner, Frank Smith.
How you doing?
You're a cop, huh?
What do you want to see us about, lady?
That bum, Derwin.
That's what it's about, bum.
What's his name?
Is it Derwin?
Yeah, we all know him good.
He's crazy down to me all the time, hasn't he?
Listen, Eastund, you can call me無玩.
No, I'm a man of stick- 친구�.
Never be called a man, Shrimp Defender.
I
Congressman,
Mike
over town. Old Derwin's been holding people up.
For your husband? Me? Derwin's right?
That's right. That's real funny.
Now that is. Me and Derwin married.
I don't think I wouldn't do it.
For men don't think it.
But it ain't true. Not at all.
Mr. Derwin's just a friend.
Been a friend for twelve years. That's a long time.
That's right. Been holding hands for twelve years.
For we ain't married.
You don't want to. Will you tell us about the holdups that he's been pulling?
Been in all the papers. You haven't read it?
All the papers. Are you sure you're a cop?
Why don't you tell us about Derwin?
Lousy. All the time. Talking about how someday we'd get married.
All the time. Talking like that.
I get a couple bucks put away and we'll take the big step.
That's why he was all the time saying it was a big step.
So what happens?
He gets a couple of bucks and he takes off with another girl.
Lousy bum.
Just miserable.
Now where'd he get the money? From the holdups.
Like on the paper. I told you that before.
He's the one you're after. Beating up all those people in front of bars.
He's pretty good at beating people up. He's good at that.
Not much else, but he's real good at that.
He ever talk about the holdups to you?
Oh no, that'd be kind of silly. He wouldn't talk to anybody.
About a little me.
Well how do you know he's involved? Just because I know. That's all.
What's this fellow look like? Derwin?
That's right.
I guess the person would say he was a real nice looking fellow.
I guess that's what you'd say. I would.
He's got dark hair.
Kind of a little wave right here.
Right here. See? In front.
How tall is he? Oh, he's a big one.
Well how tall?
About six feet.
How much does he weigh? I don't know.
I guess a couple hundred pounds.
Is he fat or thin?
38. 38 years old.
Two years older than me. Two years.
What color are his eyes? Brown. Has he ever been arrested?
I don't know. Maybe he has.
He never said nothing to me. Not a word.
Want to run it through? Yeah, I'll check.
You going to arrest him? We'll talk to him. Yeah.
You do that. You tell him for me I think he's a bum.
For 12 years he's been telling me when he gets a comfortable bus
we take a step. When he runs out with another girl
lousy girl. You know where we can find him?
I don't know. I guess he's home. I don't know where else he'd be.
Home. You have the address? Sure.
It's 1827 and a half Margo Street.
What's that? Can't you hear very well?
1827 and a half Margo Street.
Okay, I got it.
Hillside 75321. That's where he lives.
On the second floor.
Margo Street. Do you have any close friends that you know of?
Sure. A girl he walked out with. She's a close friend.
Any men? Nope.
Darren don't like nobody on his back. He likes to be alone.
No fellas he's close to. None.
Excuse me a minute lady.
Sure, you go to his head.
Tell the bus and I'll sell another drink down.
What do you got? I checked our eye on Holbrook.
How's he stand? I found a couple that fit the description.
One of them might be good. Done time for robbery.
Do you owe anything? No, get out clean.
Wonder if he stayed that way.
Frank and I left the bar and drove over to the Margo Street address.
We checked with the landlady. She told us that Holbrook had moved in approximately six weeks before.
She went on to say that he'd been behind in his rent
but that he'd paid what he owed and had given her the money for an additional two months.
She said that she didn't know what he did for a living.
He had few visitors and the landlady couldn't tell us if he owned a car.
According to her he was in his room. Frank and I went up to see him.
Here it is.
You're set? Yeah.
Who is it?
Is that Holbrook?
Yes, sir.
What do you want? Police officers.
You've got no right to bust in here like this. There's nothing wrong.
Then you won't mind if we look around, will you?
Oh, go ahead. You won't find anything. I'll check it out.
If you tell me what you want, maybe I can give you a hand.
You just sit still there. Sure, I've got nothing to worry about.
Tear the place apart. Just make sure you put it all back.
Right where you found it. Let's clean, Joe.
I could have told you that. Sure you could.
You mind letting me know why you're rousing me? You work for a living? Why?
Do you? No. Why are we here? It's you're doing pretty well with the money.
I guess you'd say that. You mind telling us where you got it? Wise investment.
That's it, huh? Sure. I read the financial page all the time.
A couple of bucks here, a couple more there. First thing you know, you're on your way to a million.
Yeah, well, the way it came to us, you might have made the money the hard way.
I got a pretty good idea who's got the big mouth.
Don't make any difference. You can't tag me for anything.
Why don't you tell us? I will. You're beefing about the money.
While you can't say I didn't make it from investments, I don't have to prove it. You do.
You gotta prove I didn't make it from investing. I think we might be able to.
Go ahead. I'll give you something else. What?
I don't think you're gonna like the interest.
We took Derwin Holbrook back to the city hall and talked to him.
Sorry, refused to admit any part in the holdups. We made arrangements for the victims to come down and see him.
Witnesses were asked to special show-ups, but they failed to give us a positive identification.
Holbrook's name came up on the overtime sheet and he was released from custody.
There was nothing we could do. Another week went by.
Holbrook was kept under constant surveillance. Monday, June 20th.
Frank and I were in the squad room.
Friday? Smith? Yeah, Skipper, we're here.
Hi, Captain. What do you got?
Your boys did another job last night out in West L.A.
We didn't see the reports. Just came in.
Got a meeting with a lawman this afternoon. Be there.
Homicide? Yeah. Victim died without regaining consciousness.
Any description of the suspect? Enough to know it's the two fellows you're after.
How's your hot suspect? What's his name? Holbrook?
Not sorry. You able to keep him this time?
No, I don't think so. What's the matter?
Report says the holdup took place at 10.15. Yeah?
Holbrook was asleep at nine.
We rechecked with the team of men who'd been keeping Derwin Holbrook under surveillance.
They verified the fact that the suspect had been in his room at the time of the robbery
and that there was no way for him to have left the apartment.
We went out to the hospital and talked to the officer that had been with the latest victim.
He said that the dead man hadn't said anything to help identify his assailant.
We talked with a bartender at the place where the beating had occurred.
He remembered two men in the bar, and he remembered them talking with the victim,
but he was unable to tell us anything more.
Additional broadcasts were gotten out.
At the meeting with Captain Lawman, it was decided that from that point,
the investigation would be a joint operation between robbery and homicide.
After the meeting, Frank, Captain Donahoe, and I met back in room 27.
Come on in. Sit down. Yep.
Well, you heard it. Yes, sir.
How are you going to work it? There's only one way, rolling stake out.
I thought you tried that route. This time we use more cars.
Better work. This latest one's really got the corner pocket screaming.
How are you going to set it up?
Well, that job out in west L.A. is the first time he's moved out of central.
I think we can figure he'll be back. That's playing it the long way.
I'll buy it. How's it going to work?
Yeah, can we take a look at the map over here?
He's been hitting in this area along here.
Up to now, we've had it covered in through here and here.
Now we can put additional cars on these streets and maybe over here, huh?
How about a check system?
That'll be kind of hard to work out, Skipper.
We'll be in a three-way car. McCready and his partner will be in one.
That way we can keep tabs on what's going on. When do you start?
We'll start tonight. Talk to McCready? No, not the whole thing.
We went over part of it. What's he think?
He goes with us. It's the only way.
Then it better come through for you. You don't get another chance.
At 720 that night, the rolling stakeout began. It continued for another week.
Several arrests were made, but when the suspects were checked,
they were ruled out as the ones we were looking for.
In the meantime, the holdup men hit twice more in the area under surveillance.
They were leaving their places early.
Pressure from citizens, groups, and newspapers got a little worse.
Apparently there was nothing we could do to stop the thieves.
Tuesday, June 28th, we stopped for something to eat.
That's gonna be another long night.
I hope we get something out of it.
Yeah. Howdy, fellas. What'll it be?
Well, a couple eggs over easy.
I get it. A side order of bacon.
Oh, thank you. And how about you?
That sounds good, Joe. I'll have the same.
You can make my eggs straight up. I'll have a side order of ham.
Righto. Two coffees. Will you bring them right away?
Sure thing. I'll get them for you right now.
Listen, I gotta get home. I'll have a cup of coffee. I'll drop you off.
Wife's gonna be sore if I don't make it pretty quick.
Let her be sore. That's the trouble with women today.
All the time trying to run our lives.
Have your coffee. We'll meet my friend. You'll like him.
I don't feel so good. Maybe I ought to leave now.
Look, you'll be all right. Just take it easy.
Joe, tall guy. Fits the description.
Looks like he might be setting one up. Let's take it.
If your wife gives you any trouble, stay with us.
Something you want?
What if you'd let us take a look at your identification?
Why? Because I ask you.
Who are you? A police officer. Watch out!
Come on!
You lost cop!
Shoving me around.
That's all it's about. We didn't do nothing.
Don't worry about it. You got nothing to hold me on.
We'll talk about it downtown. Come on, let's go.
What's the charge? You gotta make one.
You gotta make a charge. You can't take me without it.
All right, try suspicion of robbery.
Enough of me. You keep believing that fella.
I'll be free in a couple hours.
You got it wrong. Tell me about it.
We won't have to. We'll let the jury do it.
We took the suspect back to the city hall.
He was identified as Emmett Noonan.
He refused to admit any part in the holdups.
He wouldn't tell us who the friend was that he'd mentioned to the intended victim.
A check of R&I revealed that he'd served sentences at San Quentin and at Folsom for armed robbery.
We pulled his mug shot and a team of detectives went out to check with the victims.
It was an hour before they got back to the office.
We talked to them and then we went to see Noonan.
Decided to turn me out now?
No, not quite.
When are you gonna give up, cop? You got nothing to make a charge on. You know it.
I don't know how long you want to play this game, but I'd like to get home and get some sleep.
We just got word from the officers who checked your picture with the victims.
Yeah? They gave us a positive identification.
Nothing different about me. Lots of guys look the same.
Why don't you come off it, Noonan? We got you made and you know it.
I don't know anything of the kind, cop.
You're saying one thing, I say different. It's my word against yours.
We'll see who the court believes.
We got a head start.
How do you figure that?
Fits the way you work.
Any record I got, you can't mention in court. As far as they're concerned, I'm clean.
You want to call it a day? We can all get some sleep.
What do you do for a living, Noonan?
I'm a salesman.
What do you sell?
Different things.
Name them.
Magazines, sometimes hosiery. Different things.
When's the last time you worked?
Six months ago.
How have you lived since then?
I saved my money.
You know, you're in for more than a robbery charge.
I'm not standing that.
A man out in West L.A. died.
That's too bad. I didn't see anything about it in the papers.
Only way I'd have known.
Who was the guy with you on the jobs?
I don't know what you're talking about.
You know we'll get to him. Why not save yourself a lot of time?
I don't know nothing of the kind. You guys are out of your scopes.
All right, Noonan. Let's go.
Are you going to unlock the door?
Yeah, this one.
Where are we going?
Main jail.
For how long?
Until they pass sentence.
You sound pretty sure.
We are. Come on.
Hey, it's too bad about you guys.
What's that?
How long have you been working on these robberies?
Couple of months.
And I'm your pigeon.
You're the man.
Must make you feel kind of lousy.
Hmm?
Be so sure and then find out you're wrong.
You know, if I keep my mouth shut, you aren't going to have a case.
You know, fella, I'm going to tell you real simple.
We can identify you positively.
We got a dozen people who are going to get up on a stand and point you out as a man who knocked him down and walked on him.
The time we get through with you, we'll have enough on you for a five-minute deliberation.
You're ruling out one thing, cop.
Yeah, what's that?
The jury. All I need is one person who won't go with the rest of them.
One who doesn't listen.
You got it all figured out, haven't you?
Sure. One person doesn't care. I got it made. Just one.
Well, then you're in real trouble.
Huh?
We'll find twelve who do.
The story you've just heard is true.
The names were changed to protect the innocent.
On November 19th, trial was held in Department 98's Superior Court of the State of California in and for the County of Los Angeles.
In a moment, the results of that trial.
Further investigation resulted in the arrest of Jerome Nathan Pollock as an accomplice in the robberies.
Both he and Emmett David Noonan were tried and convicted of murder in the first degree.
The jury failed to return a recommendation of leniency, and both men received the maximum sentence.
They were put to death in the lethal gas chamber at the State Penitentiary, San Quentin, California.
You have just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files.
Technical advice comes from the Office of Chief of Police, W.H. Parker, Los Angeles Police Department.