Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. The names have been changed
to protect the innocent. Dragmen.
You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a robbery detail. A gang of truck hijackers
has been working in your city. They've stolen 14 loaded trucks. They've kidnapped and beaten
one of the drivers. There's no clue to their identity. Your job, get them.
It was Wednesday, June 4th. It was warm in Los Angeles. We were working the day 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 9.47 a.m. when
we got to the county hospital. Ward 419. Hi. Mr. Gilmore? Yeah. I know you guys. No sir,
we're police officers. This is my partner Frank Smith. My name's Friday. Hi there sir.
Hello. A couple of stools over there. Drag them up. Sit down. I'll get them. Here you
go. Thanks. How do you feel Mr. Gilmore? Rough. Real rough. I feel like I've ridden 50 miles
in the back of a ready mixed cement truck. Weren't for the pills they'd be giving me.
I think I'd go off my rocker. You want to tell us what happened? Yeah, as much as I can remember.
Only goes so far then there's a room full of black. If you'll tell us what you can please.
Yeah. Yesterday that's when it was. Yes sir. Yesterday morning. I checked in for work.
Had a load I was going to take over to Phoenix. Supposed to shove off about 10, 10.50. Did
you know what you were carrying? Yeah. I saw the way Bill. Some of the stuff they were
loading it. Used furniture. Didn't make any difference to me. They load the truck and
I'll drive it. Uh huh. I went across the street. Little coffee place over there. Got my back
and bottle filled and came back. By that time they had the truck loaded. I signed the way
Bill in the office and went out and got into the truck. The two guys are waiting for me.
They were in the cab of the truck? Yeah. Sitting there kind of scrunched down so you couldn't
even see them from the outside. Yes sir. As soon as I opened the door one of them had a
gun pointed at me. Told me to get into the truck like there was nothing wrong. Just start
the motor and get the truck away from me. Did they get out of the truck at that time? No.
No they were waiting for me when I got there. They told me to drive away and I did. Wasn't
going to mess around with them having a gun. Yeah. Go ahead. I drove about three blocks
and they told me to pull into an alley just off of Santa Fe. Santa Fe in what? Do you
remember? Uh by Porter Street between Porter and Enterprise. I see. Like to go ahead? Then
they told me to pull into the alley and when I did they made me get out of the truck. Put
me around back and broke the seal and told me to get inside. And that's what you did?
Officer if they'd have told me to jump off the city hall out of gun I hadn't done it
with that gun pointed at me. Now I'm a coward. A fellow ways a gun around and nothing's going
to do just like he tells me. Yes sir. Those guys were mean you could tell. How's that?
Oh I'm a kind of a student of phrenology. I could tell about those fellows real plain.
You know what? Phrenology. You know bumps on the head. They all mean something. Of course
I didn't get a chance to make a good examination of these guys but I could see it. Real criminal
heads. Mom stole me some. One fellow had a head that was one of the worst I've ever seen.
Yes sir. He was mean to his mother I could tell. Had a bump right here. Here you see.
Yeah. He was mean to his mother. Yes sir. Well what happened after they tied you up?
Just left me there. I see. You want to go on? Yeah. I must have drove for about twenty
minutes and they stopped. Pulled in some sort of a driveway. How'd you figure that? Well
right after they stopped they made a half U-turn and backed up. Backed up this ramp.
Steep. Then they stopped and took me out of the truck. Blindfolded me and made me get
out of the truck. Now this place where they stopped that's where they unloaded the furniture
did they? Yeah. Must have taken it out of there. Heard them thumping around in the truck.
Sounded like they were unloading it. Now what'd they do after they got all the furniture
out? Put me back in. Drove out to where you found the truck. After they both climbed into
the back. Beat me up. Don't remember much after that. Both of them worked you over huh?
Yeah. Both of them got in their licks. Especially the one who was mean to his mother. He was
vicious. He was mean. They kept hitting me with their fists until I just passed out.
Don't remember anything after that until I came to in the back of the truck. That's
when I called the cops and the guys in uniform came out. I guess they're the ones who called
you. Yes sir. Now is there any way that you might be able to tell us where they took you?
You mean when they unloaded the furniture? Yes sir. Well I think maybe I got an idea.
I tried to figure out how fast they was driving. And after you've been a driver for a while
you get to know. I'd say they was going about 20 miles an hour. We were still in town. My
own guess is that they went out of Alameda. Must have gone out Santa Fe and then turned
on to Alameda. I remember hearing kids yelling. That'd probably be Santa Fe High School. Yeah.
I guess we went out Alameda to maybe 43rd or 44th and they turned right. Kind of hard
to figure it then. The truck got tied up in traffic. It was hard to tell if they were
stopping for that or they were just out of light. But I'd say that they were out to about
Avalon. Maybe they went up to San Pedro. I don't think so. I'd say Avalon. Then they
turned left and headed for Hawthorne. I'm not sure how far they went. But I figured
maybe around Rosa Crands and then they turned a couple more times and they stopped and drove
up that steep ramp. You figure they ended up around Rosa Crands and Avalon. Yeah. I guess
that's not much help though. Well it gives us an idea where to start looking. A couple
other things that might help you. What's that? Well it seems that when we started to back
up the ramp I heard a bump. Like they backed into a car. They didn't hit it hard but I
bet they did hit a car. Yeah. After that they pulled the truck forward and stopped and backed
up again. This time they scraped into the side of a house. I could feel it run along
the side of the truck. It sounded like they might have torn up some of the wood on the
house. Yeah. Will that help any? Yes sir. We'll have our crime lab check the truck and see
if they can come up with anything. Sure hope you can. Oh. You talked to my boss yet? No
sir but he's been notified we understand. I bet he's plenty sore about it. Well we wouldn't
know about that but he should understand that it wasn't your fault. He should but he won't.
I know. That right? Yeah. He doesn't understand anything that doesn't go on his way. He's
spotted a mile off. What's that sir? His head. All kinds of books. Ten oh six a.m. We continued
to question the victim Russell Gilmore. He gave us descriptions of the two men who kidnapped
him. He also told us that at one time he heard one of the men call the other by the name
Leo. Further he told us that when the two bandits had taken him from the truck they
placed him in a garage. He was able to feel the wall. He said that he was sure it was
a plaster wall and as much as he could feel the studs and the wire holding the plaster.
He said that at one time he heard a woman come out of a house and say something to the
thieves while they unloaded the truck. He told us that the garage wasn't very large
because there was no echo on the sounds that were made in the building. We called the office
and got out a supplementary broadcast on the thieves carrying their description. Ten forty
a.m. Frank and I left the county hospital and drove over to Central Station. We went
up the crime lab and talked to Ray Pinker. On the right rear fender we found evidence
that the truck had hit a car. Lifted some paint chips. Got them here. Looks like a blue
car huh? Yeah. I checked the paint with a ditch of production color book. Here I'll
show you. I got all the paints cataloged by color. Here. This is the one. Yeah but Ray
there are a lot of blues there. How can you be sure this is it? Well here you see they
got a color patch on each page in the book. Hole in the patch. Oh this little hole here
huh? Mm hmm. Well we just put this chip we lifted from the truck in the hole. Now let
down. Get this lamp. There. Color matches. Got them the same light and you can see they're
the same paint. Huh. Look at that Joe. Same. Yeah I see. Well what do we got out of it
Ray? Car the truck hit was a nineteen fifty three Hudson jet. It was a single tone car.
You know the top color matches the body color. Yeah. You only use this on one color cars
unless you got a special order. Mm hmm. Did you find any house paint on the side of the
truck? Yeah. Over here. Might be able to do a little better on that for you. Mm hmm. House
truck ran into us about thirty six years old. Might be a little more than that but it's
right around there. How did you come up with that? Been painted eighteen times. Figure
once every two years you come out with thirty six. Yeah. How do we know it's been painted
every two years? We don't practice guessing but the layers of paint are pretty even. Might
indicate they did it regularly. You know I didn't let the paint go too far before they
redid it. Oh yeah. Here are the chips of the house paint. Here I'll put one of them under
the microscope. Here take a look Joe. OK. You see OK? I haven't got a. I'm adjusting.
Yeah. Ask you what you mean. I noticed the first coat was a cream white. Mm hmm. And
they stuck pretty much to that for the next half dozen paint jobs. And they changed to
a barn red. And to a green and then back to cream white. That goes on for three layers
and then to the blue that's on it now. Yeah. Ray if we find a house can you tell us if
it's the same one? It shouldn't be too hard. There aren't many of them around. Well how
many? Well eighteen coats would be eighteen factorial. That's multiplying eighteen times
seventeen times sixteen times fifteen so on to times one. I got it worked out for you.
I hope you have. I'm not with you at all here. Well look. Works out to one in six quadrillion
four hundred and two trillion three hundred and seventy three billion seven hundred and
five million seven hundred and twenty eight thousand chances of finding its twin. Oh.
That's pretty long odds. Well if every man woman and child on the face of the earth owned
ten houses apiece there wouldn't be another one like it. Eleven thirty seven a.m. We put
in a call to Layton Prince. Harlan Stahl told us that his crew had gone over the truck thoroughly
but had failed to come up with anything. We contacted the stats office and asked them
to make a run on the M.O. that the thieves had used. They told us that the results would
be ready for us late in the afternoon. We contacted hit and run detail but there'd been
no reports that could have been the car that the truck had hit. We went to the office and
got a large map of the city and we drove out to the county hospital to talk to the victim
again we asked him to trace his movements while he'd been held prisoner in the back of
the truck he drew a line down Santa Fe Avenue up to Alameda and over to Avalon Boulevard
on forty third street from there he traced the streets down to Rosecrans Avenue he drew
a circle on the map centered on the intersection of Rosecrans Avenue and Avalon Boulevard he
told us that we'd find the house we were looking for inside the circle. Before we left him
we made arrangements for the mug shots to be taken to the hospital for him to check
for a possible identification of the suspect. Twelve forty p.m. we contacted records and
identification division and asked them if they had any luck on running the name Leo
we were told that they had three possibles for us the addresses on the packages were
not in the area that had been circled by the victim Russell Gilmore we got in touch with
Lieutenant Jack Smires and told him in on the developments he called Metro division
and made arrangements for three additional teams of men to work with us in a search of
the streets within the circle drawn by the victim he also contacted the divisional commanders
and asked for their cooperation the men were instructed to find a residence with a steep
driveway leading to a detached garage the house would have a wooden porch on the right
side of the house as it faced the street it would be damaged to the wood on the porch
also there was a possibility that a Hudson automobile would be parked either in the driveway
or on the street right next to it the car would have some damage done to it by fifteen p.m.
Frank and I got back to the office from the search area and I'm sure time I'm with you
a lot of streets out there yeah a lot of houses on the streets and how the guys met or do
I get it. Robbery Friday yeah. Just a minute let me get there. Yeah OK hang on to it we'll
be right out right. All the Metro boys did some good the house they found it. The address
given us on the phone was fourteen eighty six Cedar Street down in Compton took us thirty
five minutes to get out there from the city hall the officers from Metro division reserves
stood by until we got there we found the house located on Cedar between Dwight Street and
to what I haven't was a one story frame building with a stucco garage in the rear of the lot
on the left front side of the house was a wooden porch which had been straight by some
large object several of the tickets in the railing were broken on the street in front
of the house next door we found a nineteen fifty three Hudson jet painted a light blue
there was a dent in the left rear fend we couldn't tell for certain but the color of
the car and the color of the paint on the porch seemed to match the chips that we've
seen in the crime lab while the officers from Metro covered the rear of the building Frank
and I rang the front doorbell there was no answer we checked the garage but we found
nothing that would tie the house owners in with the robbery kidnapping the interior walls
of the garage were rough wooden studs between them we could see chicken wire embedded in
plaster the physical description of the house the ramp leading to the garage the garage
itself and the car parked on the street matched in every detail the pictures we've been given
by the victim six ten PM we got the name Conrad Lewis from the mailbox in front of the house
and while the officers from Metro checked it with our office Frank and I went next door
to talk with the neighbors. Yeah I wonder if we could talk to you there you are who are
you well it might be better if we got in off the porch you ain't coming in here unless
I know who and what you are the police officers Oh yes ma'am here's our identification Oh
yeah I'll come on in thank you ma'am I'm murder Richard that's my partner Sergeant Friday
on Frank Smith I had to do are you ma'am you just sit down I'll turn off the television
thank you. Comedy I've seen it before a couple of times I always laugh at a beginner funny
yes the great moon to the people television this is only twelve inch but I think maybe
next year I'll get a bigger one maybe even color they got it now you know true color
beautiful yes of course I'm actually seeing it myself I just read about it you know beautiful
I'm great fan I got it on all day right from the early show to the late late show I understand
next week one of them stations going to start early early show and that'll be nice on it
that's ma'am sure I want to be asked a few questions I certainly just go right ahead
that car out front that belong to you the blue one yes ma'am yeah that's my I just got
it a few months ago that's what you hear about her I beg your pardon about how somebody hit
my car big dent and now what you're here for no not exactly do you know who hit your car
no I wish I did if I knew I'd sue him imagine hitting the car this park right at the curb
not leaving a note or something to say who did it person ran into me must be insured
wouldn't cost him nothing all he had to do is leave a card yes ma'am when was the automobile
hit yesterday morning I walked down to the market to do some shopping and get some things
for dinner pretzels potato chips things eat while I watched the TV when I got back the
dent was there did it while I was gone did it and didn't even leave a card yes ma'am
could you tell us who lives next door to you please which side the left side over there
well that's Lewis's house why you asking about them how long have they lived there do you
know yeah I guess then about ten years they moved in right after Conrad that's Mr. Lewis
right after he opened up the new store for a lot of businesses he has well got some kind
of a shipping business has deals with different stores all over the state did you see Mr.
Lewis yesterday yes matter of fact I did he come over like usual at five thirty usually
come over at that time doesn't do is to third and Saturday yeah they see there's TV show
he likes to see I watch it but his wife don't care for it she watches something else so
Conrad comes over here he was here last night you see him during the day at all no I didn't
you know where they are tonight I'm not sure but I think they went to the movies seems
to me Mrs. Lewis said that her and Conrad was going to show over in town that's probably
for us I'll get it I'm adding so anybody come call on me this time that. I was Henderson
Joe I'll be right back right. Have you noticed any trucks in the neighborhood lately Mrs.
Richards oh well I have to think about that for a minute you don't mean like the garbage
you can truck the no large moving van see the others quite a bit yeah well let me see
well there were some people who just moved into a new house down the street that was
about a month ago that now well thank you. Yeah you know yeah excuse me please there's
a good yeah you go ahead. And it's around the name Conrad Lewis to the files he's been
convicted for armed robbery. The record showed that Conrad Lewis had been arrested for suspicion
of armed robbery ten years before he'd been brought to trial convicted and sent to San
Quentin he'd served six years and then he'd been released he was not on parole at the
time Frank and I parked our car down the street from Lewis's house we waited for him to return
at ten fifty seven p.m. we saw a dark colored Lincoln sedan turn onto the street and swing
into the driveway of the Lewis residence a man and a woman got out of the car and entered
the house Frank and I waited a few minutes and then we walked up the front door and rang
the bell. Yeah you Conrad Lewis yeah that's right who are you police officers like talk
to you sure come on. What's all about some rock you own a truck a truck do you own one
no you mind telling me what this is all about can you account for your time since Monday
night why can you look I don't know what this is all about and I'm not going to tell you
a thing until you let me know what you want now what do you want the answers to those
two questions. Twelve fifteen a.m. it had been only a little
over forty eight hours since Russell Gilmore had been kidnapped and beaten and we had a
suspect in custody however Lewis refused to admit any complicity in the crime we talked
to him for several hours but he told us nothing he admitted that he'd been arrested before
and that he'd served time in San Quentin however he stuck to his statement that since his release
he had done his best to live by the law with the evidence at hand he was booked at the
main jail on a charge of suspicion of violation of section two eleven PC we obtained the keys
to his place of business and Frank and I went out to check it was a large wholesale store
selling used furniture a search the premises failed to turn up any of the stolen merchandise
while Frank went through the stock rooms I checked the business ledger. Back there either
Joe how'd you do well according to these Lewis does a big shipping business that's what the
woman next door told her been making shipments up to Oakland regular books tell what they
were yeah right here he's been sending large lots of used stuff to a place on MacArthur
Boulevard the whole list of it here tables living room sets TV sets that are getting
caught with the police up there and have him check this place out yeah without that stolen
property we're not going to have a very good case against them you got the address of the
place up north yeah let's go back to the office and get a call in right sure hope they come
up with the answers and if they don't we might be in trouble yeah the DA's office is liable
to throw the whole thing out. Thursday June 5th 820 a.m. we put in a call to captain of
inspectors Tony Bolger in Oakland and asked him to check on the recipient of the furniture
shipment from Lewis we also gave him as detailed description of the stolen merchandise as we
were able to obtain in the meantime Lewis had been admitted to bail and was released
Thursday eleven fifteen p.m. Frank and I got back to the office from checking a lead on
one of the suspects who'd driven the truck. I got it. Robbery Friday yeah yes it is all
right Tony Bolger from Oakland let's hope we called it yeah yeah Tony. Yeah. What do
you say. Well that's the way I look from here but yeah right OK thank you. How about it
when you talk to the man who bought the stuff he's clean about the merchandise itself it's
all stolen. Eleven twenty p.m. we got in touch with the tenants my eyes and filled him in
on the new developments after we talked to him we contacted officers Max Herman and Ed
Benson made arrangements to meet them at the house on Cedar Street it took us less than
half an hour to get out to come the other officers were there by the time we arrived
while they covered the back door Frank and I went up to the front. I think he knows it's
us and I'm going to try to get. The cars in the driveway we know he's in there. Sounds
like somebody's coming out. Yeah what are you doing out here aren't you guys ever going
to get out and talk I got a choice you have it let come on. Want to go through the house
again will be necessary yeah I'm glad of that what's it about this time same as before maybe
you better spell it from we can go that route if that's the way you want it go ahead I like
fairy tale right we got a report from Victor was robbed and kidnapped he was able to give
us a description of this house of your garage and the whole set up you've been on a spike
again you see him we took a sample of the paint from your front porch it matches paint found
on a truck that was hijacked by the houses in L.A. I painted like this one you think you're
going to send me to the joint with a batch of paint going to help look you know I've been
around I've seen enough trouble to know it's rough to get a conviction with circumstantial
evidence that's all you've got with me nothing more now why don't you go home and I'll just
forget you were here tonight we got the plan but we got the plan they moved in on a man
you sold stolen furniture to his willing to test you know we got your cold now why not
cop out that's why it hangs and that's the way all right I'll get my coat and go and
point it out we'll get it for you in the closet never mind. Outside.
He's in his car. He's
heading down to our drugs brands. But it's a sign right. Turning
on the road. Yeah.
I had there. But I'm not going to be.
We're. Right.
Making a coincidence. And Frank.
A lock.
Well, let's get him out of there.
Yeah, that door is stuck.
Wait a minute, I'll give you a hand.
There.
Can you get him?
Better call an ambulance.
The motor's in his lap.
Still alive?
It looks like it.
Can you help me here?
Yeah, let me get in there.
All right.
Come on, let's put him down here.
Yeah.
All right, take it easy, Lewis.
I'll call the ambulance.
Go ahead.
Take it easy, Lewis.
We've sent for a doctor.
I didn't see the sun.
I didn't know the street didn't go through.
Lousy break.
I'd have made it if I stayed off this street.
You'd never got me if I stayed off this street.
I just turned the car and all of a sudden I was on a dead end.
I'm afraid you're wrong there, mister.
Huh?
You've been there a long time.
I've been there a long time.
Conrad Austin Lewis and his confederates were apprehended and brought to trial on 11 counts
of grand theft auto and one count of kidnapping.
They were found guilty and sentenced as prescribed by law.
Grand theft auto is punishable by imprisonment in the state penitentiary for a period of
not less than one nor more than 10 years.
Kidnapping is punishable by imprisonment for a term of from one to 25 years in the state
penitentiary.
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