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About this Episode
A groundbreaking police procedural drama that follows Sergeant Joe Friday and his partners as they investigate crimes in Los Angeles. Known for its realistic portrayal of police work, the series emphasized methodical investigations and factual storytelling, setting a new standard for crime dramas.
Hosts & Guests
Transcript
DRAGNIT.
Ladies and gentlemen, the story you're 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.
Three hold-up men have robbed and beaten two supermarket operators in your city.
You've got a good description of the thieves.
Get them.
It was Tuesday, November 3rd. It was cold, boss.
We were working the day watch out of robbery detail.
My partner is Frank Smith.
The boss is Chief of Detective Stadbrown. My name is Frank Smith.
We got in a hot shot call about a robbery and it was 9.46 a.m.
and we got to the corner of a lockwood in Barton Avenue.
A lock to the market.
Officer back there.
Now.
Frank Smith sent a robbery.
Oh yeah, I'm Jackson Unit 387.
You answered the call?
Yeah.
We got here a couple of minutes ago.
Where's the victim?
Backroom there. He's pretty bad off.
Ambulance attendance with him now.
My partner is checking the neighborhood.
If there's nothing you need me for, I'll get my hand.
Yeah. Make a tool-level report for you, will you?
Right. Thank you.
Looks like there was quite a fight.
Yeah. Stuff all over the place. Come on.
What do you got in there?
I got to clean up these cuts. Try to hold still.
Ow!
Hey, take it easy, huh?
Yeah, I saw something you want.
We're out of central robbery.
Is this the victim?
Yeah. A couple of cuts, nothing serious.
Tell him about Andy. He's the one who really got it.
Who's Andy?
Yeah, the clerk.
Pretty rough. Looks like it might be a fractured joy.
He's on the truck now.
Let me get this tape on you now.
Ow!
Hey, that should do it.
It might be a good idea if you saw your doctor.
Yeah, what about Andy?
Oh, we're gonna take him down to Georgia Street receiving.
You gonna call me and let me know by?
That might be better if you call them.
Yeah, okay.
Oh, I see you guys, huh?
Yeah, right. Yeah.
Thanks. Yeah, sure.
Why?
That one guy really clouded me.
Heard.
Mm-hmm.
What if he left the telling us what happened here?
Three of them.
Three of them.
Three of them.
He came in and held up the place, clouded me and Andy.
Sure, hope he's gonna be all right.
Watch your name, sir.
Cliff Hall.
You own the starter, are you?
No, me and Andy run it, though. We'd like to buy it.
What time these men come in?
Must've been around 9.30 right in there.
Did you give the officers or answer the call of the description of them in?
Yeah, it was the first thing they asked me.
Go ahead, please.
I was getting the money ready for the bank deposit,
and he was back here stacking bottle cases.
These three guys came in first off.
I thought they were customers, you know.
A couple of them walked the back of the place.
I thought they were picking out stuff.
The other one kind of stood around by the cash register where I was.
Go ahead.
Well, after he was there for a minute,
and I see the other two aren't picking up.
Nothing, I ask him if there was something I could get for him.
That's when he pulled out a gun.
What about the other two?
Or work like the hits on kind of signal.
As soon as the one in front pulled his gun, the other two did too.
He'll ask me to put all the money in a paper bag.
He got that bag from up in front there.
Took it right out of the stacking hand to tell me,
he said for me to put the dough in it.
You recall his exact words?
What?
The way you said it, the words they used.
You recall them?
Let me say, I think it was...
Put all the dough in this bag.
Don't say anything, just do as I say.
That was the way he said it.
What'd you do then?
Like he said.
He had that gun pointed right at me.
I could see the other two guys.
I wasn't going to do anything but what he told me.
I put the money in the bag.
I thought they'd leave the place, but that's when Andy came out.
I guess he wondered what the other two were after.
You see from where he was, he couldn't see the guns.
He walked out to him and asked if there was anything special
they were looking for.
What happened then?
Then he saw what was happening.
Saw the guns and he tried to throw the guys out.
I don't know why he did it.
And he's like that.
He gets an idea in his head and there isn't anything it'll shake it loose.
He tied into those two guys.
Almost had him whip too.
Even with the guns.
The guy that was with me saw what was going on.
He yelled back at him.
I told him not to shoot.
He ran back and laid his gun alongside Andy's head.
He clouded him right along in here.
Andy dropped like a sack of potatoes
and the three guys ran out of the store.
How much money did they get, you know?
I hadn't finished up with a bank statement yet.
I'd just be guessing, but I'd say about $8,000.
It might run to $85, but that's about it.
I see.
I think you'd just give us a description of the man.
All three of them?
Yeah.
The one who was with me must have been about $5,000,000.
Kind of dark complex.
It had straight black hair.
The color was eyes.
Brown.
Yeah, any marks or scars you could see?
No.
Clean shaven?
Yeah, I had a real dark beard.
Look kind of like he had some kind of tockin powder on.
Do you remember how he was dressed?
Let's see.
Dark blue suit.
Great top coat, great hat.
Was he wearing a tie?
You know?
Yeah, a great tie with maroon stripes.
You know, kind of diagonal, a thin tie.
Anything unusual about him?
Make it easier for us to identify him.
No, I don't think so.
How about the gun he was carrying with kind, wasn't it?
I couldn't see the name.
No, sorry.
I mean, was it an automatic or revolver?
Oh, an automatic.
Look like a big caliber.
I'd say $45.
One of the other fellas had a revolver, but the guy with me
and the small one had automatics.
You know, if they drove a car?
What they did, I didn't see it.
Might've had it parked right out in front for all I know.
I told you, I was busy when they came in.
When they left, I was too worried about Andy
to pay any attention to him.
They hit a terrible thing right along here.
Oh, excuse me, man.
I got some aspirin here in the drawer.
Yes, sir.
You're hoping he's going to be all right.
We've been together a long time.
Can't get over that little guy.
That one who hit me, I should have taken him.
But the big one, he's tough looking, a real fighter.
Well, he's going to help much.
Huh?
He's going to lose this one.
We got the descriptions of the other two men
and the supplementary local broadcaster's gotten out.
The two officers who'd answered the call
found a woman in the neighborhood
who'd seen three men leave the vicinity
immediately after the robbery.
She said that she was parked in a car
half a block from the store on the same side of the street.
She explained that about 9.20 a.m.
a car pulled into a parking place in front of her.
She'd seen three men leave the car
and walk down the sidewalk
in the direction of the locked in the market.
About 10 minutes later, the men came back to the car.
They appeared to be in a hurry.
One of the men was upset and arguing with the other two.
She told the officers that they'd gotten into the car
and driven off toward Hollywood Boulevard.
We asked her to describe the three men.
The description she gave us matched the one
we'd gotten of the thieves.
She gave us a description of the car
and another supplementary broadcast was put out.
We asked her to come down to the city hall
to go through the mud books to see if she could
give us a positive identification.
The report from Georgia Street receiving hospital
indicated that the victim of the slugging
Andrew Rich was suffering from a fractured jaw
and a concussion.
He was given emergency treatment
and removed to the county hospital.
The crime lab crew came out
and they went over the store for physical evidence.
They were able to lift three partial fingerprints
from the car next to the cash register.
Dean Bergman and Layton Prince explained
that the partials were not enough for identification
but that if we apprehended the hold-up man,
he'd be able to tell us if they'd left the impression.
10.27 a.m.
We took the victim Clifford Hall
and the woman who'd seen the car to the mug room.
They went through the mug books
but they were unable to come up with an identification.
We had the staff's office make a run on the M.O.
They came back with a list of 17 names of men
who at one time or another had used the same method of operation.
The list was split.
The sergeant's meet and lighten her work with us
and checking the names out.
Thursday, 3.48 p.m.
Frank and I got to the sixth name on our list.
Jerry Evans, didn't that right?
Yeah.
Sure darken this.
All we ought to wash the windows,
let some light in.
Here we are.
Light out the end.
We'll try it again.
Now let's talk to Matt and Jerry.
Yeah.
Yeah?
Who is it?
Manager.
We want to see you in a minute.
Mr. Matt.
What do you want?
I just sleep.
Come on, Emerson. Open up.
We can get out of here.
Here police officers.
Come on, I come on.
Watch the job.
All right.
All right. Come on, Emerson.
Get up.
I'm doing a clean.
Look, you got no right to come fussing in here like this.
Yeah, you're so clean.
What are you putting that trouble for?
It's scared.
That's all I just got scared.
All right, you feel somebody walked you up and shoves
away into your room.
You ain't going to stand around.
I just let them do it.
Stay clean, Joe.
I told you that.
I got no trouble.
I don't want none.
You check with Galloway.
You'll tell you.
I'm home every night at 9 o'clock every night.
Where were you this morning?
Huh?
This morning. Where were you?
What time?
You just tell us what you did starting when you got out.
Well, that's up all night.
I got a virus or something.
I couldn't sleep.
Take a look down the dresser.
You can see the stuff I've been taking.
I haven't been out of this room.
Not for a couple of days.
Can you prove that?
What?
Can you?
No, there wasn't anybody here.
Are you getting any phone calls?
No.
I don't know what this is all about.
You guys are leaning on me for nothing.
Now, you talk to Galloway.
I'll tell you.
I've been working.
Look here. I'll show you going.
I just want to show you something.
I've got no trouble.
You stay right there.
I'll get it for you.
Okay. I'm going to hide.
Take a look at the top drawer there, left-hand side.
Yeah.
Please, what you mean?
Yeah.
That's it.
I'll take the rubber band off and look.
You'll see I'm telling you the truth.
Hey, you see?
It's all the check receipts I've gotten from where I work.
Do you look at them?
I'm working every day and I'm home at night,
going nine o'clock every night.
How about it, Joe?
Well.
Hey, you see?
Yeah, I'm in out of this room all day, huh?
Not a minute.
Come on. What's all this about anyway?
What do you guys have to do?
They figured maybe you could tell us.
Yeah?
Oh, I'm sorry.
Without you telling me what you want, there's nothing I can give you.
You see any of the boys anymore?
I mean, the fellas I know before I fell.
That's right.
Now that I can help, I'm trying to stay away from them.
See any of them lately?
Yeah.
So Alex, a couple days ago.
Alex?
Yeah.
Alex Finley.
I knew him when I was up in QE.
He came in where I was working.
Did you talk to him at all?
All right.
Just settle all.
Past couple of minutes talking about some of the guys we know.
Seeing the rackets now?
I don't know.
Not for all?
Yeah, I think so.
Did you give you anything?
Oh, a couple of rumbles.
But if I turn them over to you, I don't want to credit for them.
You don't know where you got them.
Uh-huh.
Alex tells me there's a gang that's going to start working here
in town market jobs.
How many men?
From what Alex says is four.
I'll hit you guys.
Finley with him?
No, I don't think so.
He told it to me that he just heard it.
Did you say anything about who the four men are?
No, I don't think you know.
He just said they were heavy and they were starting to work.
You know where we can get in touch with Alex?
No.
Well, you might check with Galloway at the parole, obviously.
Yeah, we will.
I'll probably see him again.
I'll try to get the information if I can.
Well, what is it?
What does he want to know?
Who the guys are?
That's right.
Okay.
Now, like I told you, though, I don't want any credit for it.
I'm in real trouble if it gets around that I'm playing footsie with you.
Yeah, sure.
I'll try to find out when they're going to start working, too.
Why don't you worry about that?
Huh?
We already know that.
Four ten p.m.
We got in touch with Fed Galloway at the State Adult Parole offices
and we checked on Jerry Evanston.
From what the record showed, the story Evanston and Tollis was true.
His parole officer had reported him working and apparently living up to the conditions of his release.
We left him one of our cards and asked him to call us in the event he heard from Alex Finley.
4.21 p.m.
We checked back into the office and we met with sergeant's maiden likener.
They told us that they'd checked out the names on their half of the list without result.
We sent a teletype up to George Greer and CII Sacramento giving him the description of the hold-up men
and listing the ammo that they'd used.
We asked him to run the information through their files and forward any information they came up with.
5.19 p.m.
We went out to get something to eat and then we checked back into the office.
Good dinner, huh, Joe?
Yeah, I never saw a guy get to eat so many enchiladas as you.
Yeah, I can't help it.
I get started on him, can't seem to stop.
Yeah.
You got any soda in your locker?
No, he's got trouble again.
You know I always do when we have enchiladas.
You ought to remember that when you order a half a dozen.
I suppose so.
I got it.
Robert Friday, yep.
What was that?
We're pretty sure, are they?
There's a lab been called, yeah?
Yep.
Okay, right, thanks.
All right, so break.
Yeah?
They just found the getaway car.
6.47 p.m.
We left the office and drove out to where the car had been found.
It was parked on Lockwood Avenue, five blocks from the market that had been robbed.
The radio car officers who spotted that had called the office immediately when they saw a brown paper bag in the back seat
bearing the printed name, Lockwood Market.
A crew from Waitin' Prince came out and went over the car.
They were able to come up with a single print from a man's index finger.
Bergman compared it with a partial's found at the market.
They matched.
We checked the white slip of the car and found that the vehicle was stolen.
The report on it had been filed at 10.37 a.m. that morning.
We talked with the people in the immediate vicinity, but none of them were able to tell us anything about the people who parked the car.
However, we did come up with an elderly man who told us that he'd seen three men get into another car at about 9.45 that morning.
He said that he remembered it because the driver of the car pulled into a parking space and stopped the motor.
Another automobile parked directly in front of the car and the driver of the first machine had moved so that there was no one in front of them.
The man went on to say that a few minutes after the driver pulled into the second parking place, three men had come around the corner,
gotten into the car and the four of them had driven off.
The witness was unable to give us a description of the car other than to say that it was a late model Plymouth or Ford.
The only description he could give us of the men was that one of them was large and was wearing a great top coat and a hat and that one of them was small.
8.40 p.m.
Frank and I went back to the office and checked out for the night.
The following morning at 8.02 a.m. I checked back in for work.
Hi Joe.
Morning.
Kind of cold out.
Yeah.
You look happy this morning.
I didn't sleep a wink last night, Joe.
Not a wink.
It's a matter.
Stop it.
Next time I even think about eating enchilada, stop me.
Will you, Joe?
Yeah, sure.
Any mail coming?
I don't know. I just got in.
There's an ad here from that store over in less six. They're having their annual sale.
Yeah.
I want to try to get over there like to get me a new suit for Christmas.
There's a special delivery from Bergen.
Huh?
Probably those mugs will be asked where I'll see.
Yeah, for six of them.
You want to get in touch with Cliff Hall and drive over and have him take a look at him.
Yeah.
You got any other pictures?
Yeah, we can mix them up.
I'll call Hall.
Okay.
All right, sure. Hope we get an eye, Dan. We haven't got much to go on.
I just got to be a break someplace.
We got to find it.
From what Finley said about the gang starting up operation doesn't sound like just one job.
No.
We start on a string. They do a lot of damage.
It doesn't give us much choice, does it?
No. We got to get to them.
8.27 a.m. Frank and I left the office and drove over to talk to the victim Cliff Hall.
We showed him the mugs' shots George Brett and had sent us.
He picked one out and said that he was positive that the man in the picture was the one who'd held him up.
The name on the mugs' shot was Harold Bishop.
According to the record Brett and had sent us, Bishop had been convicted twice on violation of 211 PC.
I'm robbery.
9.20 a.m.
We drove over to the county hospital and showed the pictures to the other victim Andrew Rich.
He picked a mugs' shot of Bishop as a suspect who'd robbed and beaten him.
The notation on Bishop's picture gave us the information that he was on parole at the time.
We returned to the office and put in a call to Fred Galloway at the state of Delperol office.
Yeah Fred, this is Joe Friday.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, fine.
We like some information on a Harold Bishop.
San Francisco number 82609.
2.6.
That's right.
Male white Caucasian.
We got a mugs' from Braden.
No, he says it on parole.
Yeah, if you will.
Thanks a lot.
He's checking the master file now.
I'm using lightener standing by if we need him.
And we get this address we're going to have to move fast.
Yeah.
Yeah, Fred.
When was that?
Well, I'll just report there.
I see.
No, I don't know.
Yeah, I suppose.
That's right, Fred.
Thank you.
Fred, you can tell me in lightener to relax.
Bishop's got an out of state parole.
He's living over in Phoenix.
Well, he still could be getting into California.
No, not likely.
Huh?
Fred checked with his parole officer.
Yeah.
He's got a job and he's been reporting to his parole officer every month.
We asked Fred Galloway at the state parole office to contact Bishop's parole officer in Phoenix
and check him closely.
The report came back that the suspect had a job with a small contractor and that he'd
been working regularly.
He'd also been giving monthly reports to his officer.
We'd had a suspect identified by two of his victims and yet if the information we'd gotten
was correct, it would have been a physical impossibility for him to have permitted the robbery.
We got a copy of his jacket and looked over his past record.
We found that Bishop had been arrested for armed robbery the first time 18 years previously.
He'd been brought to trial and acquitted.
The next arrest was ten months after his trial.
He'd been convicted and served six years at San Quentin.
He'd been released and within six months Bishop had been picked up again.
This time he was sent to Folsom Penitentiary.
While he was there, he appeared to be a model prisoner.
And after serving four and a half years, he'd been placed on parole.
After leaving the prison, he'd requested and he'd been granted an out of state leave.
In checking Bishop's ammo, we found that it masked exactly that of the thieves who'd held up the locked in market.
The time of approach was the same.
The number of men years was the same.
The method of leaving the scene was exact.
We had a suspect and yet he couldn't have committed the crime.
Three weeks passed.
On Saturday, November 26, the thieves hit again.
In checking with the victims, they identified the mugshot of Bishop.
We put in a long distance call to the Phoenix Police Department and asked them to check on the suspect.
We got word back that he was in their city.
They told us that he wasn't the work due to a virus infection.
They went on to say that they'd checked with his liability and that she told him that Bishop hadn't left his apartment at all on the day of the theft.
Monday, November 28, we got our first break in the case.
I'll get it.
Robert Smith.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah, Jerry.
Uh-huh.
You sure about that?
Where?
Uh-huh.
How about the rest of them?
Yeah, just a minute.
Pass me that pad with you.
I don't get to go.
Okay, Jerry.
Go ahead.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Howdy spell out it.
LA.
L-E-A-H-Y.
Uh-huh, I got it.
You know the address?
Yeah.
Okay, thanks, Jerry. We'll get in touch with you.
Right.
Jerry Evans.
Remember the guy we talked to over on South 7?
Yeah.
He tells that we aren't too far off.
What do you mean?
He saw Bishop in Conlast Saturday.
We put in a call and we found that there were two major airlines with flights to Phoenix.
The flight time they listed was 1 hour and 35 minutes by air.
If Bishop caught the last flight leaving Phoenix, he could arrive in Los Angeles at 11.20pm,
the night before he planned to commit a robbery.
The next day after the hold-up, he could catch a plane from the Los Angeles International Airport
that would have him back in Phoenix at 8.25pm.
By doing this, he would be absent from his work only one day.
And he could schedule his flights so as not to hit on the days when he had an interview
with his parole officer.
Tuesday, November 29, a meeting was held in Chief Fad Brown's office.
He was decided to put a special stake out on the airport and wait for the suspect to come into town.
At that time, he'd be followed and taken into custody as he prepared to commit another robbery.
The names of the three other men, Jerry Evans and his given Frank,
as having been involved in the hold-ups had been checked through R&I.
All three of them had arrest records.
Surveillance were placed on their homes and they were kept under constant watch.
Monday, December 12, 11.15pm.
Frank and I relieved the stake out at the airport.
There's a batch over there. We can keep all the gates in, Jim.
Yeah.
Wonder when he's going to hit again.
I don't know.
The last couple of weeks is sure dragged by, I'm there.
Yeah.
Anything on the other three guys?
Well, I talked to Pinkie Mead this morning.
He and Leightner have stayed out of ladies' apartment.
How they doing?
Nothing.
The parking car down the street.
What they say, ladies, like a clock, he comes in at 5 a.m., leaves at 9 p.m. every day.
You got to say that?
Yeah.
Here you go.
Joe.
Yeah.
Bishop.
Let's let him get outside.
Yeah.
Or if he's got any luggage.
He'll be bringing it up outside. We can wait for him there.
Come on.
Good to see him.
Yeah, there he is.
Getting into that cab. Come on.
Frank and I got in our car and followed the cab taken by the suspect.
We followed him out of the airport grounds and then up La Brea Avenue.
The cab turned right on Washington Boulevard and headed for downtown Los Angeles.
We pulled up to a stoplight.
Still got him?
Yeah, he's still up ahead.
From that blue marker, you see him?
Yeah.
You got the number of the cab?
Mm-hmm.
297-4.
There's the lights.
Let's go.
Better try to pick it up a little, Frank.
Cap, pull him away from us.
Yeah.
I think he's seen us?
No.
Can't you close in a little?
Traffic's too heavy.
He's a siren.
We'll keep him.
Yeah.
Still see him?
Yeah.
There's a brake.
Guy had to make it a right turn.
Now we're right behind the cab.
Yeah.
I'll close in now.
Good.
Watch it, Frank, that guy pulling out of the alley.
Hold on.
As we drove down the street after the stoplight had changed,
the car failed to make a whole of our stop coming out of an alley
and we'd hit it broadside.
The damage done to both cars was considerable,
and we'd lost our suspect.
Frank got to a phone and called the office.
He gave them the number of the cab that Bishop was in
and asked for a traffic investigation car.
The office got it a search for the missing suspect.
Lieutenant Jack Smires told us to proceed to the apartment
of Tom Leahy to wait for further development.
In the meantime, a citywide broadcast went out carrying
the description of Bishop,
and the other three men involved in the theft.
Frank and I arrived at the apartment
when we relieved meet and likeness.
We had the manager the place let us into Leahy's room.
We waited.
130 am.
230.
4 o'clock.
5.30 am.
Frank and I had been on duty for over 21 hours.
At 5.45, the phone and the apartment rang once and then it quit.
That was the arranged signal between us and the office.
Frank put in a call.
Lieutenant Smires told us that officers Max Herman
and Ed Benson were on the way out to relieve us.
Fifteen minutes later, we heard somebody in the hall.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Probably Benson and Herman.
Yeah.
I'll get it.
Watch it, Joe.
Look on the gun.
Come on up, Bishop.
All right, Joe.
Yeah, come on.
He's going upstairs.
Make it for the roof.
Come on.
See him?
No.
You want to take that side?
Right.
Watch it.
Yeah, the elevator shaft, Joe.
Yeah, I see him.
Get away from me.
You're in trouble, Bishop.
Don't build anymore for yourself.
I got nothing to lose and help me again.
I'll be up with the joints for life.
Don't talk to somebody.
Shouldn't you?
There's no way off this roof, Bishop.
Throw that gun out here and you follow it.
You're out of your mind, Chuck.
Give it up, Bishop.
Come on, throw that gun out.
I'm going out, Chuck.
Get ready to chop me up.
Pull your head off.
You all right, Joe?
Yeah.
How is he?
Don't better call an ambulance.
Yeah.
What's that stuff out of his pocket?
Wait a minute.
Something he'll never use.
Yeah.
Airplane ticket to Phoenix.
Albert Martin Krueger.
Harold Nelson Bishop.
Thomas Nagel-Lahi.
And Charles Everett Lee.
We're taken into custody and brought to trial for two counts of robbery in the first degree.
They were convicted and received sentence as prescribed by law.
Robbery in the first degree is punishable by imprisonment in the state penitentiary for a period of not less than five years.
Because of his previous record, Thomas Nagel-Lahi was given the maximum sentence and is now serving life imprisonment in the state penitentiary Folsom, California.
Dragnet is a presentation of the United States Armed Forces Radio Service.
The United States Armed Forces Radio Service.
The United States Armed Forces Radio Service.
the United States Armed Forces Radio Service.
