- 11 minutes ago
In the span of two weeks someone has robbed at gunpoint ten branches of the city's largest candy store chain--Rachelles.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:26This is the city, Los Angeles, California.
00:29Like every place else, money is what makes it go.
00:32And there are a lot of ways of getting it.
00:35You can earn it.
00:37You can speculate for it.
00:39You can win it, sometimes.
00:42You can borrow it.
00:44Or even buy it.
00:46If you're desperate enough, you can steal it.
00:49When you do, I go to work.
00:50I carry a badge.
00:53It was Monday, March 18th.
00:55It was cloudy in Los Angeles.
00:56We were working the day watch at a robbery division.
00:58The boss is Captain Howe.
01:00My partner's Bill Gannon.
01:03My name's Friday.
01:05In the space of two weeks, an armed bandit had held up and robbed ten branches of one of the
01:09city's largest candy store chains.
01:11We knew his M.O.
01:12We had a good description.
01:14So far, we had failed to identify him.
01:55Monday, March 18th, 9 a.m.
01:57The candy store bandit had entered the 10th store shortly before 8 p.m. the previous night.
02:02The clerk, Mrs. Jean Hardy, described him as a tall, gaunt man, armed with a blue steel automatic.
02:08I've given notice, Sergeant.
02:10The only reason I came in today was to tell them to get somebody else.
02:13Yes, ma'am.
02:14I didn't feel I could quit without giving them some notice.
02:17They don't want me to leave.
02:18They've even offered a raise.
02:20But I told Mr. Claxton, he's the manager, I said, Mr. Claxton, there isn't enough money in this world for
02:27me to go through that again.
02:28Getting shot at, I mean.
02:30We're pretty sure he's the same man who held up the other Rachel stores, but this is the first time
02:34he's used the gun.
02:35You want to tell us what happened?
02:36Well, I was about here when he came in checking the trays.
02:40He saw me, but he walked straight over there to the cash register.
02:43I had an empty tray in my hand, and I took it with me when I moved over to wait
02:46on him.
02:47I asked him what he wanted, and he brought his hand up like this.
02:51That's when I saw the gun.
02:52Yes, ma'am.
02:53Would you go on, please?
02:54I remember thinking very calmly, very clearly, this is a holdup.
03:00It's happening to me.
03:02We understand.
03:03Well, then he said to give him all the money.
03:05As I opened the register with my left hand, I made a half turn to the right to set the
03:10tray down.
03:11That must have been what did it.
03:12What's that?
03:14Making two movements at the same time.
03:16It must have startled him.
03:17I can't think of any other reason why he should shoot at me.
03:19Can you?
03:20No, ma'am.
03:21Well, he's not getting a second chance.
03:24I've given notice.
03:26There's not enough money in this world.
03:28Well, it's not likely he'll ever come back to this particular store again, Mrs. Hardy.
03:32Oh, you haven't arrested him, have you?
03:34No, not yet.
03:35Well, then I don't know how you can say he won't come back.
03:38Well, we can't guarantee it, ma'am, but we know he's never repeated on a store so far.
03:42Is that right?
03:43Never?
03:44Oh, well, maybe that does make a difference.
03:49Here, have one of these.
03:51Go ahead.
03:52Or do you prefer light chocolate?
03:54No, thanks.
03:54None for me.
03:55All the same to me.
03:57Thanks.
03:59You know, there's something wrong with that hold-up man.
04:03How's that, ma'am?
04:04I was talking about him with Mr. Claxton this morning, and he said the head office had made the same
04:08comment.
04:09What's that?
04:10Ten candy stores, counting this one.
04:12Yes.
04:13Stolen all that money.
04:14And never helped himself to one piece of candy.
04:239.35 a.m.
04:25We went back to the office.
04:26The captain wanted to see us.
04:28Corner Pocket's been asking me questions.
04:29I got a few for you.
04:31Yes, sir.
04:31These candy store heists, why is he still operating?
04:34Well, we just haven't been able to make them yet, Captain.
04:36Ten hits.
04:37That ought to be enough to give you a fix.
04:38We've checked them out three ways.
04:40Yeah?
04:40We got a description.
04:41Everybody's agreed on it.
04:42We pulled every mug shot that even came close.
04:44He just wasn't there.
04:46Then we tried working through his M.O. kind of store.
04:48The hours he works, always a blue steel automatic.
04:50He's only fired it on this last job.
04:52Ballistics recovered the slug, .38 caliber.
04:55What else did you come up with?
04:56Well, it looks like he's new.
04:57You've got nothing on him at all.
04:58Got prints out of you.
05:00Yeah, but nothing readable.
05:01Ten candy stores have been knocked over in almost as many days.
05:04Now, unless it's the invisible man, you must know something about him.
05:06Well, we know he's not a big operator.
05:08The most he's ever gotten was $50.
05:10Once it was only $10.
05:11But he's had steady work.
05:13Well, the way we see it, he had the shorts one day and he walked into that first store,
05:16probably because it was handy.
05:17It worked for him once, so he hasn't changed his M.O. since.
05:20Anything else?
05:21The stores he's hit, all ten of them are in the downtown area.
05:24You could walk to any one of them in an hour.
05:25Ten minutes on a bus.
05:26He's never hit the same one twice.
05:28How many stores does he have left in the downtown area?
05:30Five.
05:31How long is stakeout, do you figure?
05:33Oh, he's never gone longer than two nights running without making a hit.
05:36Now, if there were two men in each of those five stores,
05:38we ought to be able to pick him up before the end of the week.
05:40Before the end of the week?
05:41Yes, sir.
05:42If anybody asks me, that's what I'll tell them.
05:57Arrangements were made to draw ten men from Metro Division.
06:00They were told they would be on extra duty from 6.30 p.m. until 9, 10 or 11,
06:06depending on the closing hour of the candy store they were assigned to.
06:114.30 p.m.
06:12The officers reported to the robbery squad room for briefing.
06:15All right, gentlemen, if I could have your attention, please.
06:18Here's a description of the suspect.
06:20Male Caucasian, between six and six feet three inches tall,
06:23weighed about 150 pounds, thin and gaunt.
06:27Now, nearly all the witnesses have used those words to describe him, thin and gaunt.
06:31Is he geared up?
06:32A couple of the women clerks said they smelled alcohol on his breath.
06:35How about the kind of clothes he's wearing, Joe?
06:36A few times, a heavy, dark sweater.
06:38Most of the time, he wears a cheap gray suit that looks to be a size too big for him.
06:42His M.O. is always the same.
06:44He's never hit anything but Rachel Candy stores.
06:46Never before 7 p.m., usually near closing,
06:49and only if there are no customers in the stores.
06:52The suspect carries a blue steel .38 automatic.
06:55Do we check out shotguns?
06:56No, these stores are too small, too close to the sidewalk.
06:59Is he trigger-happy, huh?
07:00He was last night.
07:09A team was assigned to each of the five downtown candy stores that had not yet been robbed.
07:14They would take up their positions at 6.30 p.m.
07:17Bill and I would be in Unit 1K80 on Rolling Steakout, 5.48 p.m.
07:23I have to take off in about 20 minutes.
07:25I ought to have a sandwich.
07:26It'll be a while before we can eat.
07:27What are you going to have?
07:29Oh, just coffee.
07:30You ought to have something solid, Joe.
07:32Well, coffee will get it.
07:33It's your stomach.
07:35Where do you want to go, upstairs?
07:36It's all taken care of.
07:37What do you mean?
07:38Food ought to be here any minute.
07:40Well, then why did you ask me what I was going to have?
07:42I just wanted to see if I guessed right.
07:44Who's bringing it, one of the boys?
07:45Not with those legs.
07:49Thanks.
07:56Thanks, Miller.
07:56Do I have any change coming?
07:58Three cents.
07:59That's all right.
08:00Keep it for your trouble.
08:06Thanks a million, Bill.
08:08How are you, Joe?
08:09Fine, Dorothy.
08:10Nice of you to pick that up for us.
08:11Well, it's no trouble.
08:12I'm on the night watch tonight, too.
08:14You'll get a rumble going, huh?
08:15Yeah, five-way steakout.
08:16We've got to leave in a few minutes.
08:18Well, you'd better get to that, then, hadn't you?
08:20I'm just having coffee.
08:21Oh, it's in there.
08:22Bill, didn't you tell me to pick up two of those mile-high sandwiches?
08:25That's right.
08:25Why didn't you tell me Joe didn't want one?
08:27No use to waste it.
08:29Oh, I didn't know that when I called you.
08:31Joe was out of the office.
08:32You know I never eat those things.
08:34Pickles, onions, and all that stuff.
08:36I forgot.
08:38All units in the vicinity.
08:40A 211 in progress at 633 West Olive.
08:431812.
08:44Handle the call.
08:44Code 3.
08:46That's a Rachel Candy store.
08:566.20 p.m.
08:58Contrary to his M.O., the candy store bandit had held up a store earlier than he ever had so
09:02far.
09:03The robbery had occurred a good 25 minutes before any of the teams on stakeout had taken up their positions
09:08in the Rachel Candy stores.
09:10Goldman.
09:11In the alley, Sergeant.
09:12Sergeant.
09:33When we pulled up, the man ran out of the candy store down this alley.
09:36He got off three rounds at us before we returned to fire.
09:39Nickel-plated revolver.
09:41Not the gun we've been looking for.
09:43That's not the man we've been looking for.
09:51Tuesday, March 19th, 10 a.m.
09:53We met with Captain Howe.
09:55That dead man in the alley last night.
09:56Still think he's the wrong man?
09:58We know he is, Skipper.
09:59We've identified him.
10:00Name's Max Schiffler.
10:02Just in from Kansas City.
10:03He hadn't been in town an hour before he tried that robbery.
10:05It's just a coincidence he picked one of those candy stores.
10:07It made all the papers.
10:09Good chance the guy you're looking for will get hinky.
10:11Could blow the stakeouts.
10:12I think we ought to stay at it a few more nights anyway.
10:14Your man has to know you're waiting for him.
10:16Yes, sir.
10:17Then what's the point?
10:18What else have we got?
10:27Tuesday, March 19th, 7 p.m.
10:29The stakeouts continued.
10:31Bill and I cruised the area, ready to respond immediately to a call from any of the five candy stores.
10:389 p.m.
10:40Two of the stores closed for the night.
10:41The officers on stakeout had nothing to report.
10:4610 p.m.
10:47The other three Rachel Candy stores closed without incident.
10:50One thing we were sure of.
10:52Since he had begun his series of robberies, the gaunt bandit had never gone more than two nights without making
10:57a hit.
10:57Tomorrow night would be the second night.
11:01Wednesday, March 20th.
11:02We made a request to continue the candy store stakeouts one more night.
11:07Did we go another night?
11:08Yeah, we're going to be a little short-handed.
11:10Oh?
11:10Edwards and Logan have been pulled out.
11:11No other teams available?
11:13Yeah, one.
11:13Yeah?
11:14You and me.
11:208 p.m.
11:21Bill and I staked out the Rachel Candy store on Wilshire Boulevard.
11:25Any of the other four teams would contact us if anything happened at their locations.
11:30We waited.
11:31You know what they tell these clerks?
11:32I mean in any candy store.
11:34No, what's that?
11:35First day on the job.
11:37Help yourself.
11:38Everything's free.
11:39Eat all you want.
11:40You know what happens.
11:42No, what's that?
11:43You get so sick of candy, you never want any more.
11:46Is that so?
11:47You bet.
11:49How long have we been here?
11:52Hour and ten minutes.
11:54Boy, just the smell of it kind of fills you up, don't it?
12:02This Friday.
12:03Yeah.
12:04Where?
12:06Where?
12:07Yeah, right away.
12:09Anything?
12:10Yeah, he hit right between us.
12:11What do you mean?
12:12He hit the same store for the second time.
12:188.20 p.m.
12:19Despite our efforts, the candy store bandit had held up 11 stores in a row.
12:23He had avoided the stakeouts by repeating on one store he had robbed only three nights earlier.
12:28The clerk was the same one as before, Mrs. Jean Hardy.
12:32A black and white unit had almost caught him on the job.
12:39Female customer started in, saw the man had a gun and backed out.
12:42Made the call from next door.
12:43Yeah?
12:43We were just two blocks over, got here in less than a minute.
12:45Yeah.
12:46Suspect was on the street by then, saw us coming, fired twice.
12:48I got one shot off.
12:50He grabbed the side of his face and stumbled around the corner.
12:52Left a few drops of blood in the street.
12:54Those blood spots, let's follow them.
13:01The spots pointed east towards Skid Row.
13:068.45 p.m.
13:08The trail of spots ended at a cheap hotel on Lower East 5th Street.
13:20Police officers.
13:21Yes, sir.
13:21We're looking for a tall man, six feet, maybe 6'3", thin, around 150 pounds.
13:26Yes, sir.
13:26The sight of his face is bleeding.
13:27He came in here about 10 minutes ago.
13:28Where is he?
13:29Claude Thibodeau, room 12.
13:30Does he live alone?
13:31Yes, sir.
13:32Stay off that phone.
13:33He ain't got no phone in his room.
13:54Police officers.
13:55Get your hands up on that wall.
13:56Move.
14:00All right, turn around.
14:01Get your hands behind your head.
14:03I don't see why you're so tough about it.
14:05I'm not making no trouble for nobody.
14:07Now, that's the first time you've been right in two weeks.
14:18A search of the hotel room failed to turn up the suspect's gun.
14:21We took him downtown.
14:41We made out a 12.21 form in the event she made an identification.
14:48No, Sergeant, I stayed on that job entirely on your people's say-so.
14:53You gave me your assurance that man would never come back again.
14:55We're sorry, ma'am.
14:57According to the way he'd been operating, he'd never held up the same store twice.
14:59You found out different, didn't you?
15:01Yes, ma'am.
15:02This is almost as bad as the holdup.
15:04How do you mean?
15:05Being in a police station is just like being in a hospital, as far as I'm concerned.
15:09It makes me terribly nervous.
15:11Well, this shouldn't take very long, Mrs. Hardy.
15:14Will he be able to see me?
15:16No, ma'am.
15:17There's a copper screen between the suspects and the witnesses.
15:19You can see them clearly, but they can't see you.
15:21You're sure?
15:22Yes, ma'am.
15:26Who's that man sitting down there?
15:29That's Sergeant Al Vietti of our division.
15:31What do I have to do?
15:33A number of different men, all similar in appearance to the man who held you up,
15:37will walk out on that platform.
15:38Where will he be?
15:39Right in front of that height board, along with seven other men.
15:42I'm supposed to pick him out?
15:44That's the idea.
15:45You just take your time and be sure.
15:48I don't want to pick out the wrong man.
15:50We don't want you to either, Mrs. Hardy.
15:52You just take your time.
15:54Al, send in the first line.
15:56Send in the first line.
16:10Now, Mrs. Hardy, we're going to adjust the lights to approximate the brightness of Rachel's candy store.
16:15You tell us when it looks right to you.
16:17Bring them up, Al.
16:18Bring up the lights.
16:22There, that seems about right.
16:23Hold it there, Al.
16:24Hold it.
16:26All right.
16:27Take a quarter turn to your left.
16:30You're left, number four.
16:32You're left.
16:36Another quarter turn to the left.
16:41Quarter turn to the left.
16:44Number four.
16:45You're left.
16:50You're left.
16:51All right.
16:51Face the front.
16:53Face the front.
17:23Do you see the man
17:24who held you up, Mrs. Hardy?
17:26Would it be the second man
17:28from the right?
17:29You tell us, Mrs. Hardy.
17:31Well, I've seen that man before.
17:32I know that.
17:34Where else could it have been?
17:36Second man from the right, you said.
17:38Yes, I believe so.
17:39From your left,
17:40that's number seven.
17:43Well, yes,
17:44but I'm not just sure.
17:45Would you like to hear the man's voice?
17:47Well, you do have other witnesses,
17:49don't you?
17:49Yes, we do.
17:50The clerks in all the other Rachel stores
17:52saw him, too.
17:53Yes, ma'am,
17:54but you saw him twice.
17:56Well, I simply can't say for sure,
17:58and I told you I wouldn't want
17:59to send an innocent man to jail.
18:01Are you sure the man who held you up
18:03is not on that platform?
18:05No.
18:05Well, then.
18:06I'm just not sure he is, either.
18:09Friday.
18:17You doing any good here?
18:19Hardy woman's just not sure, Skipper.
18:20Maybe she's got a good reason.
18:22What do you mean?
18:23Blue steel automatic,
18:24six feet two,
18:25weighed around 150 pounds,
18:26thin and gaunt.
18:27They're bringing him in.
18:28What about him?
18:29A man who looks like that
18:30just held up a Rachel's candy store
18:31ten minutes ago.
18:38Ten forty-five p.m.
18:40The latest suspect's name
18:41was George Watson.
18:43He fitted the description
18:44of the candy store bandit
18:45in every respect.
18:46We advised him of his rights,
18:48and he agreed to talk to us
18:49without a lawyer.
18:50Watson's answers were confused
18:51and contradictory.
18:53Eleven fifteen,
18:54we decided to bring
18:55the two suspects together.
19:03Hello, George.
19:05They got you, too.
19:06Sure looks like it,
19:07don't it?
19:08Both of us.
19:08What do you got to say, Claude?
19:10It's up to George.
19:12All the same to me.
19:13Well,
19:14where do you want to start?
19:15Christmas time?
19:17That's when I first
19:18run into George.
19:19We was having a free
19:20turkey dinner
19:21over a rescue mission.
19:22You know.
19:23Yeah.
19:24We got to talking,
19:24and that makes a fellow
19:26pretty dry.
19:26So after a while,
19:27we went looking for a drink.
19:29Go on.
19:29Only trouble,
19:30I was broke,
19:31and George,
19:32he didn't have no money
19:33neither.
19:34Can't remember
19:35whether we ever got
19:36a drink that day or not.
19:38Do you, George?
19:39No.
19:40Maybe we just talked.
19:42Turned out we had
19:42a lot in common,
19:43me and George.
19:44Yeah.
19:45Of course,
19:45we still needed
19:46drinking money.
19:47One day,
19:48George happened to say
19:49he knew where
19:49there was a gun.
19:50Found a pack of a bar
19:51one day when I was
19:52gathering empty,
19:53hung on to it.
19:54All right.
19:54Let's get to the robberies.
19:56I did it the first time,
19:57then I told George,
19:59and then he went out
20:00and he held up a store.
20:01After that,
20:02whoever needed money
20:02would just take the gun
20:04and go find the Rachel's.
20:05You both held up
20:06those candy stores.
20:07Me and Claude.
20:08We took turns.
20:09And you used the same gun,
20:10is that it?
20:11Same one.
20:12We only had one.
20:13Well, what about that,
20:14Thibodeau?
20:14How did George
20:15get hold of the gun?
20:16You used it tonight.
20:17We had a special place
20:18to keep it.
20:19We'd take it out
20:20and do the job
20:21and put it right back.
20:22That way we didn't have
20:23to talk about it.
20:24Where'd you keep it?
20:24Buried under the alley
20:25in the back of the hotel.
20:27He and Claude took a note.
20:28What kind of an oath?
20:29That we'd never shoot off
20:30the gun to kill nobody.
20:32Just like them two police tonight.
20:34I wasn't even aiming at them.
20:36Well, that's it.
20:37I guess we've told you everything.
20:39No, not quite.
20:40Huh?
20:41Why did you two
20:41keep pulling those holdups?
20:42You must have figured
20:43we'd have those stores staked out.
20:45How can we figure that?
20:46Well, these robberies
20:47have had a lot of publicity
20:47the last couple of weeks.
20:49We didn't know that.
20:50Never heard nothing about it.
20:51It was in all the papers.
20:52Well, that don't mean anything
20:53to either of us.
20:54How's that?
20:56One of the things
20:56me and George have in common.
20:58Yeah, what's that?
20:59We never learned how to read.
21:0911.31 p.m.
21:10Bill and I took the suspects
21:12downstairs to the central jail
21:13felony section
21:14to be booked for 211pc.
21:16Robbery.
21:17While Bill waited
21:18to sign the booking slips,
21:19I started in on the paperwork.
21:29I'm kind of tired.
21:31You?
21:32Yeah, a little.
21:33Why don't you go on home?
21:34I'll finish up here.
21:35Good.
21:35Sure you don't mind.
21:37Why no?
21:37Go ahead.
21:38I promised Eileen
21:39it'd help him hold
21:40his boy with his homework.
21:41Was that so?
21:41What's he studying?
21:43Advanced calculus.
21:44Since when do you know
21:45anything about calculus?
21:46Oh, I don't,
21:47but he doesn't know that.
21:48I work from his math book, Joe.
21:49He asks me questions.
21:50I answer them.
21:51That's all.
21:53Why'd you take off?
21:55Oh, I hate to leave you alone, Joe.
21:58Why?
21:58I can find my way out.
21:59Go on home.
22:00That's just it.
22:02What's it?
22:04I keep thinking of you
22:05going home to that apartment
22:06of yours all alone.
22:08What brought this on?
22:10Eileen and I were talking
22:11about you just this morning.
22:12Single man like you.
22:14You never think
22:14of settling down, do you?
22:15I'm settled.
22:17No, you're not, Joe.
22:18Living alone like you do.
22:19Never go out.
22:20Have any fun.
22:21Yeah.
22:21I mean with a real nice girl.
22:23Somebody you got
22:24a lot in common with.
22:25You know, you're beginning
22:26to sound like a lonely
22:27hearts column.
22:28A bad one.
22:29Now, you take tonight.
22:30I'd like to see you go out.
22:31Have a nice late dinner
22:33at some quiet,
22:34out-of-the-way place.
22:35Maybe a couple of drinks.
22:36You know, relax.
22:37Take it easy.
22:38Yeah, I might do that.
22:39Not alone, Joe.
22:41With a real nice girl.
22:42That's your trouble.
22:43What is?
22:44You're shy.
22:45You see a girl,
22:45you're afraid to ask her.
22:47Sure.
22:48I know a couple of girls.
22:50Yeah, but none you got
22:51anything in common with.
22:52Well, how would you know?
22:54You think about that, Joe.
22:56I'll see you in the morning.
22:57I sure am tired.
22:59Yeah, rest up.
23:00Yeah.
23:12Joe?
23:18Sorry about your car, Joe.
23:20Huh?
23:21Well, Bill called
23:22about 15 minutes ago.
23:23He said he had to catch
23:24the tail end of a lodge meeting.
23:25Wanted to know
23:26if I'd run you home.
23:27It's right on my way.
23:28Yeah?
23:29What's the matter
23:30with your car?
23:31Didn't Bill tell you?
23:32No, just said
23:33you were having trouble with it.
23:34That's it.
23:35What?
23:36I'm having trouble with it.
23:55The story you have just seen is true.
23:58The names were changed
23:59to protect the innocent.
24:02On July 10th and 15th,
24:05trials were held
24:06in Department 182,
24:07Superior Court
24:08of the State of California,
24:09in and for the County
24:10of Los Angeles.
24:11In a moment,
24:12the results of those trials.
24:17Both suspects were found guilty
24:19on 11 counts of robbery
24:21in the first degree.
24:22Robbery in the first degree
24:23is punishable by imprisonment
24:25for not less than five years.
24:26Chant 2
24:28We're good
24:29now
24:29and we're not
24:33by the police.
24:33We're good
24:55and we're happy
25:05The End
25:26The End
Comments