The story you are about to hear is true.
Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.
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In the early hours of the morning, a woman pedestrian is struck down by a hit and run driver.
Your job, find him.
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Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime.
For the next 30 minutes in cooperation with the Los Angeles Travels,
step by step on the side of the law through an actual case from official police files.
From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action.
It was Monday, September 4th, it was hot in Los Angeles.
We were working the night watch out of traffic division.
My partner is Ben Romero, the boss is Captain Sullivan, Commander AID.
My name is Friday.
It was 12.45 a.m. when I got to the second floor at 123 South Figure Ous Street, accident investigation.
The record bureau.
Hi, Iwanda.
Hi.
Sergeant Romero, come back with me, I got a phone message for him.
Oh, he's over at Georgia Street, he'll be back in a couple of minutes.
You got time to take a 15-7?
Sure.
I got some additional information on the hit and run felony.
All right.
Whew.
Pretty warm up here, isn't it?
Mm-hmm.
Coffee over there if you want it.
No, no thanks.
All right, officer's memo.
Subject?
Investigation of hit run felony.
BR number 467-923.
Location 7th and Carondelet Streets.
C-A-R-O-N-D-E-L-E-T.
September 3rd, 11.15 p.m.
Division reporting AID.
Occurrence?
Central.
Central.
Date and time occurred.
September 3rd, 11.15 p.m.
Location of occurrence 7th and Carondelet.
Is this going to run long, Sergeant?
Oh, page, page and a half.
Go faster and shorthand.
I can transcribe it later.
All right.
Excuse me.
This is for Captain H.W. Sullivan, commanding AID.
Mm-hmm.
Sir, on the above date at 11.20 p.m.,
the undersigned officers went to the corner of 7th and Carondelet Streets
in response to an ambulance follow-up traffic.
Mm-hmm.
On our arrival there, you got any matches, Wanda?
Yeah, here you are.
Okay, thanks.
On our arrival there, we were met by 11T.
We witnessed ambulance attendants placing an unconscious woman in an ambulance.
She appeared to be critically injured.
The victim was removed to George Street Receiving Hospital.
All right.
We then interviewed a man who identified himself as Chester J. Crawford,
540 Green Oak Drive.
He stated that he was acquainted with the injured woman
and that her name was Sheila Gordon, G-O-R-D-O-N.
Mm-hmm.
7832½ 7th Street.
Mm-hmm.
Crawford told us that he was taking her home from a dance
when they arrived at the intersection of 7th and Carondelet Streets
at approximately 11.15 p.m.
11.15 p.m.
Yeah, yeah.
Crawford further stated that while he and Sheila Gordon
attempted to cross the intersection,
an automobile headed west on 7th Street went through the red traffic light.
Right.
Would you read that last part back?
Attempted to cross the intersection, an automobile headed west on 7th Street
went through the red traffic light.
Crawford told us that he jumped out of the path of the car
and tried to pull Ms. Gordon with him.
He said that the car struck her down without slowing down,
continued out 7th Street and disappeared.
Wait a minute.
Oh, I'm sorry.
And disappeared. Okay.
Crawford stated the hit-and-run car was either a Dodge or a Plymouth,
but it could have been either last year's model or this year's.
He described the car...
That's too fast, boy.
That's all right.
He described the car as either light blue in color or bluish green.
He said that he failed to get the entire license number,
but that the last three numbers on the rear plate were either 804 or 304.
804 or 304.
That's all right.
Crawford said he made an attempt to follow the hit-and-run car,
but that he was unable to obtain transportation.
He stated he then ran to a phone at the Corsev bar and...
How do you spell that?
What?
Corsev.
C-O-R-S-E-V.
That's at 7th and Carondelet and called the police.
We undersigned officers, then obtained Crawford's full name, address,
phone number and proceeded to question residents in the neighborhood
and weren't able to locate any other witnesses besides Crawford.
Hi. How'd you do?
I saw her. That's about all.
The doctor says we won't be able to talk to her for at least a couple of days,
maybe not at all.
What's her chances?
50-50 if she's heavy on luck.
Three broken ribs, brain concussion, internal injury.
What did Lee Jones have to say?
Is that all the report, Sergeant?
Oh, yeah, Wanda. We'll have the rest for you a little later.
Okay. I'll type as much up as I can.
Thanks.
Sure.
What did Lee Jones have to say?
Nothing. He thinks we went over the area for an hour.
No broken glass from headlights at the P.I.
No tire impressions worth anything.
No physical evidence.
Where does it live?
A half-dead girl and no suspects.
What do you think, Jim?
I don't know. It's a sour one.
Any kickback on the teletype yet?
No.
That guy she was with, Crawford,
not too much help. Looked a little nearsighted to me.
We saw well enough to get out of the way of that car.
You got the notes. How much did he give us?
Let me see. I got it here in the book.
The car was either a Dodge or a Plymouth, late model.
Color, either light blue or blue-green.
And the last three numbers on the license plate were 804 or 304.
It was a big field to pick from.
It's the only lead we own.
You can call it that, yeah.
Well, I guess we better talk to DMV,
get the dope on all cars fitting that description that Crawford gave us.
It's gonna be a hard trip. At least 3,000 cars to track down.
Probably closer to four.
What do we do for help?
We can ask the captain in the morning.
I'll get him.
Bracket Bureau, Romero.
Yeah, Lee.
Yeah, we'll bring him right over.
Yeah, bye.
It's Lee Jones again.
Yeah.
Says he wants the clothes Sheila Gordon was wearing at the time of the accident.
He figures when she got hit, her clothes must have left fabric marks on the front of the car.
It might work. There's only one trouble.
What's that?
You can paint off fabric marks.
Well, it's a long list. Let's take it from the top.
Yeah.
Find the car.
Tuesday, September the 5th.
We called Mark Benson at DMV and asked for full information on all vehicles fitting the general description of the hit-and-run car.
We went back and talked to the only witness to the hit-and-run, the victim's boyfriend, Chester Crawford.
He could add nothing to what he had already told us.
There was no response to the local teletype and the all points that were sent out the night before.
Garages, auto repair and paint shops throughout the city were also alerted.
Meantime, at General Hospital, the victim, Sheila Gordon, was still close to death.
The search for the hit-and-run car went on. Two days passed.
Thursday, September 7th.
The information we requested from DMV was being checked out and compiled.
Ben and I met with Captain Sullivan.
What's the last of them, Skipper? All the cars in this area that fit the general description of the one we're after.
You just get it?
Yeah.
How many cars did it list?
4,620.
Even more than you expected, eh?
Yeah.
No chance at all of narrowing it down?
Well, we can see now.
Terrific order.
Well, we tried to figure it from every angle. Now we can do it two ways.
Yeah.
We keep the alert on for the hit-and-run car around the divisions, all the garages in town, the auto repair shops.
In other words, we can wait it out. Maybe we'll get the guy, maybe not.
Yeah.
Or we can check out every one of the cars on this list and the registered owners.
Well, the first way isn't gonna do the job. We know that.
4,600 cars.
How much help would it need?
About 30, 40, man.
How long?
Couple of weeks, maybe more.
All right. I think I can get them from Metro Division. When do you want to start?
First thing tomorrow.
Okay, I'll set it up.
All right, Skipper. Thank you.
Excuse me, Joe. There's a lady out here to see you.
Okay, thanks. We'll check you in the morning, Skipper.
All right.
That's her over there.
Thank you.
My name's Friday, ma'am. This is Sergeant Romero.
How do you do? I'm Dora Lytel, Sergeant. I'm Sheila Gordon's landlady, the girl in the accident.
Yes, ma'am.
Mr. Crawford, he was with Sheila that night. He told me about you and he said he thought you might be able to help.
How do you mean?
Well, it's a long story. See, when Sheila Gordon first came to live at my rooming house, she was a good girl like the rest.
Lately, well, I've been sick now and all. I don't like to say it.
Yeah?
Well, frankly, last few months before the accident, Sheila just went bad. Went bad completely.
I don't think I follow you, ma'am.
Oh, you know, carousing all kinds of men. Visitors had a different man in her apartment every night.
Well, we're investigating a hit-run case, ma'am.
Sheila gets out of the hospital. We could talk about her when she's sick like this, but when she's all right, I don't want her back in my rooming house.
I'm afraid that's none of our business either, ma'am.
But if you could talk to Sheila, persuaded her to move from my house, I don't want any wrangle with the rental board again. Couldn't you talk to her?
I'm sorry. There's nothing we can do, ma'am. You better talk to her yourself.
You'll just be another row like the last time, shameless woman.
I don't want Sheila Gordon back in my house. I'll go to that hospital myself and tell her.
She's a pretty sick girl.
It's not my fault. Go right over to that hospital and tell her what I think of her.
She's hurt pretty bad.
So am I. She's hurt me. What's the difference?
You haven't been run over by a car.
Next morning, Sergeant Reed and McLennan, Ben and myself, joined the 40 men from Metropolitan Division who had started checking out the first of the 4,620 suspected cars.
The detail was broken down into teams and each team was handed a list containing the names of 100 registered car owners.
It was a long job and a dull one. Dozens of people weren't at home when we called.
We had to rig up a system of checkbacks for each one of these.
Some cars had changed hands two and three times. That meant more checking.
By the end of the second week, we'd gone through more than half of the 4,600 names on the list.
By the end of the fourth week, we had less than a thousand to go.
At the general hospital, the victim, Sheila Gordon, was pronounced out of danger and recovering.
We questioned her, but all she could tell us was that she thought the hit-and-run car was a dark color.
The search went on. Monday, October 6th, Ben and I spent a 10-hour day checking a list of car owners south of town.
It was 6.35 p.m. when we got back to the office.
Hi.
Hi, Reed. How'd you do today?
Fair. Looks like we got one.
What do you mean?
Guy's name is Ralph Angelo. Yeah, let's see.
8690 Backely Road. Checked him out early this morning. First call.
What'd you get?
One's a late model Plymouth, light blue. License number, there it is, 17 Arthur 2804.
Wasn't home. Talked to his wife.
Yeah?
She said the car's been sitting home in the garage for the past month. Husband won't drive it.
What's the story?
Told her there was something wrong with it. He was gonna trade it in.
Ben and I tried it. Car's in first class shape.
What about the front end of the car?
Pretty clean. One of the bars in the radiator grill slightly bent.
Soft crease on the hood. Another one in the right fender.
You running the car in?
Yeah. Crown has been working on it since lunch down in the garage.
Anything else?
Found a gas receipt in the glove compartment dated September 3rd, night of the accident.
Where's Angelo now?
Santa Barbara, business trip. Do home tonight, about 10. McClendon and I'll pick him up then.
See what he's got to say.
Sounds good. How many possibilities does that make, Joe?
Well, let me see. About a 3,700 we've checked. About four, goodness.
I'll get that.
Accident investigation, Friday.
Hi, Joe. This is Lee Jones.
Yeah, Lee.
Just finished checking the Plymouth Reed McClendon brought in.
You find anything?
Fabric prints on the front bumper on the hood.
No.
Indentation of soft object on hood and right front fender. Something else on that fender.
What's that?
Set of lip impressions.
What's it mean?
We found a car, only one job left.
Yeah?
Find a driver.
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Monday, October 6th, 10 p.m. Suspect Ralph Angelo was picked up at his home by investigating officers and brought downtown to the interrogation room.
Sargeants Reed and McLennan, Ben and myself questioned him for three hours.
At 1.30 a.m. we took Angelo to the county jail where he was booked on suspicion of 501 vehicle code.
Hit and run felony.
The next morning we obtained a warrant from the district attorney's office and later that day, Ralph Angelo was arraigned in municipal court division seven.
The date was set for his preliminary hearing in municipal court.
Sheila Gordon recovered from her injuries and was released from the general hospital.
On October 10th, the preliminary hearing was held.
Sheila Gordon was on the stand most of the morning.
After the noon recess, I was called to testify.
Raise your right hand.
Some men swear that testimony about defending this case with a truth hold truth, nothing but the truth.
So how could you?
I do.
State your name.
Joe Friday.
Proceed it.
State your name, please.
Joe Friday.
Your address?
4656 Collis Avenue.
Your occupation?
I'm a police officer in and for the city of Los Angeles.
Are you one of the investigating officers assigned to this case?
I am.
Did you have a conversation with the defendant regarding this case?
I did.
Where?
In the traffic division at 123 South of your own street.
Who's present?
The defendant, Sergeant McLennan, Reed, Romero, myself.
Were the statements made by the defendant free and voluntary?
They were.
Was there any promise of immunity or reward for the use of force of violence to induce him to make the statement?
No, there was not.
Can you tell the court the extent of the conversation at that time?
Well, first of all, I asked him if he was the registered owner of a 1948 Plymouth automobile, California license number 17 Arthur 2804.
He admitted that he was.
And then I asked him if he was driving that car on the night of September 3rd.
He said he was, but that he did not drive anywhere near the location of the hit-and-run felony that night at 7th and Carondelet Street.
Did the defendant tell you where he drove his car that night?
No, sir.
You asked the defendant where he drove his car that night of September 3rd.
Yes, I did.
And what did he answer?
Well, he said, it's none of your business.
Did you persist in this line of questioning?
Yes, I did.
The defendant continued to refuse to give you the information?
That's right.
Did the defendant state where he was on the night of September 3rd, between 10 p.m. and midnight?
He refused to tell us.
You advised the defendant at that time that his car had been impounded for investigation?
That's right.
You advised him that several points of incriminating evidence had been found in the car?
Yes, we did.
And what did he say in answer?
He said, you can't prove a thing. I wasn't near the place. You can't prove a thing.
Was that the extent of the conversation between you and the defendant?
It was.
Thank you. That's all.
Confer for the con?
No questions, your honor.
Leland Jones, come to stand.
I use your right hand.
I solemnly swear the testimony about the defendant in this case be the truth,
or truth, nothing but truth, so I'll be glad.
I do.
State your name.
Lee Jones.
Please be seated.
Your occupation?
I'm a police officer in and for the city of Los Angeles.
In particular detail, are you assigned to?
I'm a lieutenant in charge of the police crime laboratory.
Well, uh, counsel for defense stipulates that you are a police officer.
Well, uh, counsel for defense stipulates that you are a qualified forensic chemist.
So stipulated.
Mr. Jones, you are the commander in charge of the police department's scientific investigation division.
Is that correct?
Yes, yes.
Jones, I will show you a photograph of an automobile.
California license number 1782804 to be marked people's exhibit C.
Have you ever seen this car before?
I have.
Where and when did you see it, please?
I saw it at the traffic division garage 123 South Figure Ours Street Monday, October 6th this year.
Did you make an examination of this car at that time?
I did.
What did the examination consist of?
And, uh, what were you finding?
I made a systematic examination of the car using oblique lighting from a 500 watt photo flood lamp and a bell type reflector.
I found the following...evidence, excuse me.
On the front bumper of the car, I found fabric marks consisting of 51 threads to the edge.
I then took a perpendicular photograph of those marks with a copy camera.
Here is a photograph of that portion of the bumper containing those marks.
Well, I wish this photograph would mark people's exhibit D for identification.
You can proceed, please, Mr. Jones.
What else did you find in your examination of the defendant's car?
I found fabric marks on the cowling of the car standing back under the hood.
These marks were made by fabric having a weave of 38 ribs to the edge.
I have here a photograph of those marks.
Thank you.
I'm going to ask this photograph to mark people's exhibits E.
So, Mark, what else did you find in your examination of the car, Mr. Jones?
I also noted an indentation in the right portion of the car's hood.
It had the appearance of having been made by a soft object enclosed in fabric striking the car.
A human body struck by a car would make such an indentation?
Yes, it would.
Here is a photograph I took of that indentation on the defendant's car.
I'm going to ask this photograph to mark the people's exhibits M.
So, Mark, all right, continue, Mr. Jones.
On the top of the right-hand fender of the car, I found a lip imprint in red lipstick.
I lifted that print with a piece of cellophane tape,
then placed the tape on a plain white card, which I have right here with me.
Thank you.
I ask that this car be marked with the exhibit G.
So, Mark.
Now, Mr. Jones, these pieces of evidence which you found on the defendant's car,
did you compare them with other objects?
I did.
Will you please state what comparisons you made and your findings?
Well, in the first place, I find that the fabric marks in people's exhibit C,
taken from the bumper of the car,
has the same count per inch as the stockings won by the victim, Sheila Gordon.
Secondly, I found the fabric marks shown in people's exhibit D
from the cowling hood of the car to be the same count per inch as the coat won by the defendant.
I further made a comparison between the lip imprint found on the right fender,
as shown in people's exhibit G,
and various exemplars of the victim's lips.
She made the exemplars by placing her lips against heavy, stiff white paper.
I have those exemplars with me.
I ask that it be marked for people's exhibit C.
So, Mark.
Now, I ask, how did the lip imprint taken from the defendant's car
compare with these sample imprints made by the victim's lips?
I found that there were 17 points of similarity between the two.
These points of similarity consist of various small lines or wrinkles
which match identically, as is maybe seen in the photographs.
Jones, do you have an opinion as to the origin of the lip imprint on the defendant's car,
as shown in people's exhibit G?
I do.
What is that opinion?
It is my opinion that the lip imprint on the defendant's car,
as shown in exhibit G, was made by the lips of the victim, Sheila Gordon.
You're welcome.
Now, Mr. Jones, we recognize, of course, that you're a qualified forensic chemist.
But are you going to set yourself up as an expert on women's lips, too?
Well, I've done some research in that department, so...
Mr. Jones, isn't it possible that any number of lip imprints made by different people
would look exactly alike?
No, it is not possible.
There are no two things in the world exactly alike.
There are no two sets of lip imprints alike.
Well, anyone who's been around at all would know that.
That's all, Mr. Jones. Thank you.
This is a case, Your Honor.
Counsel for the defense?
We will not offer any defense at this time, Your Honor.
It appears to me that a felony has been committed
and reasonable cause to believe that the defendant committed it.
The defendant will be held to answer in Superior Court.
Tuesday, November 4th, suspect Ralph Angelo was arraigned in Superior Court, Department 88,
and the date of his trial was set for December 1st.
During the weeks preceding this set of the trial,
we worked with Lee Jones and the District Attorney's Office preparing the case against Ralph Angelo.
Two days before the trial opened, we had a visit from one of the men from the DA's office, a process server.
Hi, boy.
Hi.
We got trouble.
Yeah?
Sheila Gordon's disappeared.
Wednesday, December 1st, Ralph Angelo's trial opened and Sheila Gordon was called to the stand.
She failed to appear.
We checked her few known friends in the city.
They couldn't help.
She had disappeared from her new address and taken everything with her.
A bench warrant was issued by Superior Court for Sheila Gordon.
The Deputy District Attorney succeeded in having the court grant a delay
in order to find the missing girl, in this case, the complaining witness.
Meantime, we got out a local broadcast and an APB.
We got missing persons detail to help out in the search.
Still, no sign.
Ralph Angelo's lawyer asked the court for dismissal of the hit-and-run felony case
because of Sheila Gordon's failure to appear.
On December the 8th, the court ruled on the motion.
Regarding the motion by the defense for dismissal of hit-and-run felony charges against Ralph C. Angelo,
because of the prosecution's failure to produce the complaining witness, to which Sheila R. Gordon,
the court feels it would not serve the interests of justice to continue the case.
The case is dismissed.
The search for Sheila Gordon went on.
Behind us, we had logged three solid months of police work,
checking and running down more than 4,000 cars, hours of labor in the crime lab,
more hours pounding the pavement, questioning people, checking, rechecking.
Without a trial and a conviction, it didn't mean a thing.
Three days before Christmas, we received information that the missing girl was living in a small town south of Los Angeles.
Ben and I checked the address.
What was the apartment number?
7-A, Wyndon.
Oh, yeah.
Again.
Yeah? Oh, you two, come in, come in.
Sit down, make yourself at home. I'm sorry the place is such a mess.
A little party earlier tonight. It's messed up.
What about the trial? Why didn't you show?
Come on, sit down.
See, I'll tell you what, I'll freshen up a little, put on some makeup.
What about the trial?
I didn't have anything against the guy. I didn't mean to run me down.
You, uh, you wouldn't happen to have a drink on you, would you?
You know better than that.
Why didn't you show up at the trial?
I told you, I didn't have anything against the guy.
What was it, a payoff?
Look, why don't we go out and get something, then we can go back and have a party?
How much did he give you?
$50. He was awful nice.
You agreed not to show in court.
I didn't have anything against the guy, that's all.
Better get your coat.
Why?
That's what the court wants to know.
You're taking me in. Why?
Is there any law against forgiving?
Yeah, when you get paid for it.
The story you have just heard was true.
Only the names were changed to protect the innocent.
On February 3rd, trial was held in Superior Court, Department 88, City and County of Los Angeles, State of California.
In a moment, the results of that trial.
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Long cigarette smokers find that Fatima is extra mild because it's the long cigarette which contains the finest Turkish and domestic tobaccos, superbly blended to make it extra mild.
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It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima.
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Sheila Gordon was returned to Los Angeles and a new date was set for the trial of Ralph Angelo.
Subsequently, he was tried and found guilty as charged.
Angelo was also tried along with Sheila Gordon for compounding a felony.
They were both convicted and received the sentence as prescribed by law.
They are now serving their terms in the state penitentiary.
You have just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files.
Technical advice for Dragnet comes from the office of Chief of Police W.A. Wharton, Los Angeles Police Department.
Fatima cigarettes, the best of all long cigarettes, has brought you Dragnet from Los Angeles.
The halls of Ivy is especially pleasant listening tomorrow on NBC.