Ep002 | "The Nickel Plated Gun"

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

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SPEAKER_2 (0:29)

Hello and welcome to Dragnet from otrpodcast.com. Today's episode will begin after a brief message from our sponsor.

SPEAKER_3 (0:36)

Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

SPEAKER_5 (0:59)

Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime, investigated and solved by the men who unrelentingly stand watch on the security of your home, your family, and your life.

For the next 30 minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case from official police files, from beginning to end, from crime to punishment. This is the story of your police force in action.

SPEAKER_6 (1:40)

It was Tuesday, March 25th. It was cold in Los Angeles. We were working the night watch out of Homicide. Detectives in Los Angeles work in pairs. My partner is Ben Romero. He's a sergeant, so am I. My name's Friday. The boss is Ed Backstrand, chief of detectives.

I was on the way back from the record bureau, and it was 13 minutes past 11 when I got to room 42

Homicide.

SPEAKER_3 (2:04)

That's a hot shot, somebody grab it.

SPEAKER_6 (2:07)

I got it.

SPEAKER_7 (2:13)

Ed.

SPEAKER_3 (2:13)

At 1-2-4-5 East Ohini Street, two officers shot.

SPEAKER_7 (2:18)

At 1-2-4-5 East Ohini Street, two officers shot.

SPEAKER_3 (2:22)

What have you got, Friday?

SPEAKER_6 (2:23)

Read it.

SPEAKER_3 (2:26)

Two officers shot.

SPEAKER_5 (2:27)

Where's Romero? Okay, you've got one to roll on.

SPEAKER_3 (2:31)

Get going.

SPEAKER_6 (2:36)

Both Ben and I knew where we were heading. We'd recognized the address. It was the Trap Door Cafe, a joint in the south end of town that did business with a pretty rough crowd.

Thirteen minutes later, we pulled up in front.

Two patrolmen had the crowd pretty well pushed back. It was a cruiser car in front of the cafe. The car door was open, and an officer was sprawled across the seat. He was conscious but weak, and one of his pant legs was pretty red.

SPEAKER_7 (3:03)

Hello, Sarge.

SPEAKER_6 (3:05)

How you doing?

SPEAKER_7 (3:06)

I've done better.

SPEAKER_6 (3:06)

Yeah, well, what happened?

SPEAKER_7 (3:08)

Williams and I were cruising. We've been keeping an eye on this cafe lately.

SPEAKER_6 (3:13)

Tonight, we decided to take a look.

SPEAKER_7 (3:15)

And just as we went in, two guys left in a hurry, the back door.

We followed them out into the alley. It was dark out there, and I called to them.

SPEAKER_6 (3:23)

I said, hey, fellas, just a minute.

SPEAKER_7 (3:25)

I want to talk to you.

SPEAKER_6 (3:26)

They stopped?

SPEAKER_7 (3:27)

I'll say.

SPEAKER_6 (3:28)

One of them whirled.

SPEAKER_7 (3:29)

He had a gun in his left hand. He shot both of us.

SPEAKER_6 (3:31)

Left hand, huh?

SPEAKER_7 (3:33)

Williams went down and out. I went down, but I took a shot at them. No effect.

And I started crawling out here to the car so I could crawl in.

SPEAKER_6 (3:41)

You started crawling?

SPEAKER_7 (3:42)

Yeah.

SPEAKER_6 (3:43)

Oh, wait a minute, Emerson, weren't there any people around by that time?

SPEAKER_7 (3:45)

Oh, yeah, quite a few ran out after the shots.

SPEAKER_6 (3:48)

You mean nobody would help you to the car? That's right. Did you get a good look at either of the gunmen?

SPEAKER_7 (3:55)

Well, one of them was tall.

SPEAKER_6 (3:57)

I think he was a redhead.

SPEAKER_7 (3:59)

There was something funny about his nose.

That's all I saw. It's too dark out there. Williams was closer. I think he got a good look. Joe, the other officer Williams, he's in pretty bad shape. Is he breathing?

He's still alive, Emerson. I don't know how much time he's got.

SPEAKER_6 (4:13)

Ambulance?

SPEAKER_7 (4:13)

On the way.

SPEAKER_6 (4:14)

Okay, let's round up all the men who were in the cafe. We're taking them in.

We took all the men back to the city hall. There were 23 in the trap door cafe at the time of the shooting. We questioned all of them. One of them said there had been a redhead in the place, but he couldn't describe him. Ben and I left the interrogation room, and we went back to the squad room.