Dragnet 49-12-29 031 The Roseland Roof Murders

Summary

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Podcast Summary

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode: Dragnet 49-12-29 031 The Roseland Roof Murders
Date: August 22, 2025
Theme:
A classic Dragnet radio episode dramatizing the step-by-step investigation of "The Roseland Roof Murders," focusing on the pursuit and capture of a violent robbery gang in postwar Los Angeles. The episode showcases the methodical, often tedious realities of police work, from endless nights of surveillance to high-stakes arrests and the ensuing hunt after an explosive jail break.

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Main Storyline Overview

The episode follows Detectives Joe Friday and Ben Romero as they attempt to halt a ruthless gang responsible for a string of armed robberies culminating in murder. The investigation takes them across Los Angeles in a detailed, authentic style, with the drama unfolding through stakeouts, interviews with witnesses, careful evidence gathering, and a tense final confrontation. The story also highlights the aftermath, including the trial and a daring escape attempt by the suspects.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: A Hot Los Angeles Night

• The episode immerses listeners in the atmospheric heat of July 21st, with detectives staked out near potential crime sites, mindful of a string of weekend robberies.
• Quote:
  • Joe Friday: “It was Saturday. July 21st was hot in Los Angeles. We were working the night watch out of robbery detail.” [02:41]

2. The Tedious Work of Stakeouts and Waiting

• Joe Friday and Ben Romero join a massive police operation, covering drugstores across the city.
• The episode emphasizes the slow, monotonous hours officers spend waiting, occasionally broken by small observations or musings about the nature of police work.
• Quote:
  • Ben Romero: “I wonder how much time the average cop spends waiting... Put it all together and make a fine vacation.” [06:46]

3. The Murder at the Bank

• The action ramps up with a shooting at a bank’s night depository.
• Friday and Romero respond, finding an elderly man—Walter Conroy, dance hall owner—killed during a robbery.
• They gather information from the only eyewitness, a sailor named Sergeant Don Basie.
• Quote:
  • Witness Sgt. Don Basie: “Well, before I got to the corner, I saw this man ahead of me. He across the street... Then this car pulled up and some guys got out. They ran over to the man and it looked like they were frisking him... All of a sudden I heard shots...” [09:44–10:14]

4. Chasing Leads—The Maroon Pontiac

• Investigators work through the evidence: a partial car description (a maroon 1940/41 Pontiac sedan, license ending in 699) and a thin suspect pool.
• The search for the vehicle requires painstaking elimination of 123 possible owners—underscoring detective work’s patience and uncertainty.
• Quote:
  • Joe Friday: “Well, they looked up the possible combinations of 19, 40 or 41 Pontiac sedans with the number 699 on the license plate. Yeah, 123 possibles to check.” [13:07]

5. Narrowing Down Suspects

• The car is traced through several owners, eventually linking to Emil Thurston. Cross-checks reveal extensive criminal backgrounds for him and his associates.
• The suspects are described as “gun happy,” all previously arrested while heavily armed.
• Quote:
  • Ben Romero: “See? Mm. Thurston, heavily armed at time of arrest... This one, Lacombe, heavily armed. This one on Newton, same thing.” [16:10–16:14]

6. Sting in the Garage: The Arrest

• Detectives stake out a garage where the suspect’s car is being repainted to evade detection.
• Joe and Ben hide for hours in a cramped paint locker, waiting for the suspects to arrive.
• When Thurston and gang arrive at night, a tense confrontation ensues, culminating in their arrest after a brief chase.
• Quote:
  • Joe Friday: “25 yards is a long way to walk when you’re approaching a murderer and you know that he won’t hesitate to kill you in order to escape.” [23:39]
  • Ben Romero: “Look out, Joe. Got one of them.” [24:08]

7. Confessions and Trial Preparations

• Of the arrested men, only the youngest, 19-year-old Harold Steeves, breaks down and turns state’s evidence, corroborating the gang’s involvement in both the robberies and the murder.
• Quote:
  • Chief Thad Brown: “Gentlemen, what did the boy tell you?”
    Ben Romero: “Just about everything, boss. They pulled the drugstore hold ups and they killed that dancehall owner, Walter Conroy.” [26:14–26:18]

8. Unexpected Jailbreak

• The case takes a dramatic turn: Thurston and Lacombe break jail while awaiting trial, assaulting a deputy, escaping in an ambulance, then robbing a gas station and stealing a car.
• It launches a city-wide dragnet, culminating in a dangerous car chase and their recapture.
• Quote:
  • Chief Thad Brown: “Slug the deputy when he brought in their lunch. Used a steel leg from one of the benches in the prisoner’s tank. Yeah, they beat the deputy right into the ground, but he held on to Newton. He didn’t get away.” [28:22]

9. Resolution and Justice

• All suspects are ultimately convicted of first-degree murder and robbery; Steeves receives special consideration for his cooperation. Additional charges and life sentences result from the jailbreak.
• Concluding Statement:
  • Narrator: “On March 3, 1947, trial was held in Superior Court... Emil Thurston, John Lacombe and Lloyd Newton were convicted of first degree murder and robbery and sentenced to life terms. For turning State’s evidence, 19 year old Harold Steeves received special consideration...” [32:25]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Day-to-day Police Work
  • Joe Friday: “The popular conception of the working detective rarely includes a glimpse of his everyday run of the mill duties...” [22:08]
• On Facing Violent Criminals:
  • Joe Friday: “Twenty-five yards is a long way to walk when you’re approaching a murderer and you know that he won’t hesitate to kill you in order to escape.” [23:39]
• After Arrest:
  • Ben Romero: “That’s funny. They don’t look very tough.” [30:57]
  • Joe Friday: “I can’t sway their part. They haven’t got their guns.” [30:59]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening and Setup: 02:41 – Story introduction and initial assignment
• Stakeout and Waiting: 05:28 – 07:01
• The Murder and Eyewitness Interview: 07:30 – 11:03
• Gang Car Investigation: 11:59 – 15:23
• Suspect Background Checks: 15:33 – 16:23
• Sting Operation and Arrest: 20:33 – 25:12
• Confession and Charges: 26:14 – 26:39
• Jailbreak and Pursuit: 27:45 – 30:59
• Final Judgment and Sentencing: 32:25 – end

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Episode Tone & Takeaways

• The tone is methodical, matter-of-fact, and tense, characteristic of Dragnet’s commitment to realistic, step-by-step police procedure.
• The episode dramatizes not just the dramatic moments of pursuit and shootouts, but the endless legwork, interviews, paperwork, and split-second danger that define real investigations.
• It delivers a sobering message about the persistence and risks involved in law enforcement, and the unpredictable, sometimes anticlimactic, outcomes of dangerous criminals when the guns are finally removed.

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A classic Dragnet episode—“Just the facts, ma’am”—brought to life with suspense, authenticity, and the staccato rhythm of real detective work in postwar Los Angeles.

Transcript

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[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

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[Detective Ben Romero]

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[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime. 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. Dragnet is the story of your police force in action.

[Detective Joe Friday]

It was Saturday. July 21st was hot in Los Angeles. We were working the night watch out of robbery detail. My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Thad Brown, Chief of Detectives. My name's Friday. I was on the way back from the record bureau and it was 6:55pm when I got to room 27. A robbery detail.

[Detective Ben Romero]

All right, Joe, you ready?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Let's go.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Where'll I dump this topcoat? Yeah, it's too hot out tonight for that.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah, the rest of the guys take off already?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Yeah, we better hustle.

[Detective Joe Friday]

How many men are working this thing tonight?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Must be at least 50 covering every drug store in the south central area.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Which one did we drop?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Naomi and South Alameda Rex Pharmacy. Yeah, parking lot across the street. We can cover the pharmacy from there.

[Detective Joe Friday]

We better check out a Thompson from the Business office first, huh?

[Detective Ben Romero]

It's a good idea. We might as well be ready. They are.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Who got the tip the gang was moving into the south end of town?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Johnny Powers, one of his informants.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Okay, here we are.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Yeah, I'll take care of it than.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Hey, Blair, do you want to check out a Thompson Force?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Okay. Funny. Have you done any? Yeah, kind of. There's a sign out book.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Thank you.

[Detective Ben Romero]

You might as well give us a shotgun while you're at it, Blair. Okay. Check these out for an hour. Sounds like a busy night for you fellas.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Maybe.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Thompson's okay. So the shotgun. Want to sign up for the shotgun, too, Joe?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah. Okay. One Thompson submachine gun, one shotgun. You got those serial numbers there, Blair?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Yeah.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Thompson, 678-11-67811. Yeah. Shotgun, 655-228-55228 o Friday. Serial number 2288. Ben Romero. What's your serial number, Ben?

[Detective Ben Romero]

2633.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Oh, yeah, 33.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Six shells for the shotgun, 50 shells for the Thompson.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Okay. All right, I'll sign for him. Okay.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Gang's pretty rough.

[Detective Joe Friday]

I understand.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Gun heavy.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah, that's what they tell us.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Okay. There's the book.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All signed.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Okay. Here you go. A lot of firepower there.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah. Hope you don't have to clean them when we bring him back. We went down to the basement of the city hall, picked up our car, 80k and drove out to Naomi and South Alameda streets. We located the parking lot and pulled in. There were four other cars parked in the lot so we wouldn't be conspicuous. Ben and I got in the back seat out of the light. From our vantage point, we had a clear view of the entrance to the Rex Pharmacy across the street. We had the shotgun and the submachine gun on the seat beside us. We listened to the calls coming on the radio and we waited.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Interference? 14 Jerry standby. It's no cooler here than Disney office.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Hot and sticky, huh?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Yeah. Paper says it's going to be worse tomorrow.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Roll down your window, will you? And get some air in here.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Yeah.

[Detective Joe Friday]

The pharmacy isn't doing much business. Not more than a dozen people in there in the last hour.

[Detective Ben Romero]

No soda fountain again? Sure is hard.

[Detective Joe Friday]

You have to talk about it. What time you got?

[Detective Ben Romero]

10 minutes to 10.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Here. I'll get it. That gang's gonna show up here? Wish they can get it over with.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Bowers might have got a bum tip.

[Detective Joe Friday]

The gang hasn't missed a weekend for two months.

[Detective Ben Romero]

I wonder how much time the average cop spends waiting.

[Detective Joe Friday]

I don't know. Put it all together and make a fine vacation. What do we do? Sit this out till the pharmacy closes?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Yeah. 2:00am always hot. Yeah.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Midnight came and passed. The traffic on South Alameda thinned out. Only an occasional customer entered the pharmacy across the street. Ben kept complaining about the heat. We waited.

[Detective Ben Romero]

That's it, Joe. Go. The last drill. Door's closing.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah. Guy's locking the doors. There he goes.

[Detective Ben Romero]

We might as well shove off, too.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah. Let's get in the front seat.

[Detective Ben Romero]

There's not much go for this shotgun tonight.

[Detective Joe Friday]

There's no use checking it in. Same duty to mine.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Attention all units. All units in the vicinity of a hill on the corner of Hill and Geneva Alley and 211 and shooting code three. Hit the light.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah. Come on, let's rol. Sunday, July 22, 2:15am Ben and I pulled up with a merchant security trust company on the corner of South Hill and Geneva Alley. Two patrol cars were already on the scene, and four uniformed officers were trying to keep back a crowd of people who had gathered at the top of a flight of marble stairs which led off the street down one flight to the bank's ninth Depository. At the bottom of the stairs, an elderly man was sprawled out face down, his right arm twisted under him. The man was dead. Ben counted.

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[Detective Joe Friday]

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[Detective Joe Friday]

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[Detective Joe Friday]

Five bullet wounds in the victim's back. We interview the only witness, a young sailor.

[Witness Sergeant Don Basie]

My name's Basie. Sergeant Don Basie, Quartermaster second class.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Here's my ID card. You saw the shooting? Basic.

[Witness Sergeant Don Basie]

I was about half a block away. I just came out of the bar down the street there. The Top hat?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Yeah.

[Witness Sergeant Don Basie]

Had a couple of beers and I left. And I started walking back to the hotel.

[Detective Joe Friday]

When was that?

[Witness Sergeant Don Basie]

About five after two.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Go on.

[Witness Sergeant Don Basie]

Well, before I got to the corner, I saw this man ahead of me. He across the street and headed over for the bank. Then this car pulled up and some guys got out. They ran over to the man and it looked like they were frisking him.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Yeah.

[Witness Sergeant Don Basie]

All of a sudden I heard shots. Man ran for the stairs here. And it looked like he stumbled and fell. A bunch of guys jumped back in the car and drove away.

[Detective Ben Romero]

What'd you do then?

[Witness Sergeant Don Basie]

I ran up to see what I could do for the old man. He was lying down there where he is now. Nothing I could do for him. I yelled for a cop.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Did you get a look at the man in that car?

[Witness Sergeant Don Basie]

No, I just saw him from a distance. Four of them, maybe five.

[Detective Joe Friday]

What about the car? Did you see the license number?

[Witness Sergeant Don Basie]

The last couple of numbers, that's all. Six, Nine.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Nine.

[Witness Sergeant Don Basie]

Couldn't see the rest.

[Detective Joe Friday]

What was it? A Cooper sedan.

[Witness Sergeant Don Basie]

A sedan. Maroon color. It was a Pontiac. Either a 1940 or 41.

[Detective Ben Romero]

You sure about that?

[Witness Sergeant Don Basie]

I used to own one back in Delaware. 1940 model. I sold it to my brother when I went in the Navy. I'm sure. All right.

[Detective Joe Friday]

And you're sure about the number of men in the car?

[Witness Sergeant Don Basie]

Oh, yes, sir. Four or five. No more.

[Detective Joe Friday]

I see. Thanks. Will you drive back to the office with us and give us a full statement?

[Witness Sergeant Don Basie]

Sure, Sergeant. Anything you say.

[Detective Ben Romero]

You can wait in the car. Basically. We won't be long.

[Witness Sergeant Don Basie]

Sure.

[Detective Joe Friday]

What do you think?

[Detective Ben Romero]

I don't know. Drug store gang said there were four guys. Could be no description.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Maroon car, three numbers off the license plate.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Pretty thin.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah. Looks like a hard summer. We completed our preliminary investigation. The coroner arrived and the body was taken to the county morgue in the basement of the hall of Justice. The victim was Identified as Walter Conroy, the proprietor of the Flowerland Dance hall on South Hill Street. Together with Officers Fremont and Hearst from Homicide. Ben and I spent most of Sunday tracking down employees of the dance hall and interviewing them. We sent a rush teletype, the Department of Motor Vehicles in Sacramento containing a partial license number plus our scan information on the car which the suspects drove early Monday afternoon. Ben and I, along with Captain Ed Walker of Robbery Detail, met with Chief of Detective Stat, Brown.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

What kind of a motive are you working on?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Robbery.

[Detective Ben Romero]

A dance hall manager. Conroy was on his way to the bank's night depository when this bunch caught up with him. He had the night's receipts with him from the dance hall.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

How much they got, Walker?

[Detective Ben Romero]

$350. They missed over a thousand Conroy had in an inside pocket.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

No idea who pulled the sticker.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Could have been that drugstore gang.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Why them?

[Detective Joe Friday]

They haven't missed working a weekend night for two months. There's no sign of any other job that they might have pulled Saturday?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Just a hunch, Chief. Nothing to go on. We'll have to guess our way for a while.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Sacramento Checking the description of the car. The number's off the license plate.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Yeah. Ought to have an answer this afternoon.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Any leads on the drugstore gang at all?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Plenty. None of them good. Suspects are loaded down with guns. That's all we know. Excuse me.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Brown speaking. Just him on Friday.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Speech.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Oh, Keith.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Thanks. Reached.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Over here, Freddie. Yeah, Ralph. How many? Yeah, okay. Thank you. Well, I got an answer from DMV Sacramento about the hold up car.

[Detective Ben Romero]

What'd they say, Joe?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Well, they looked up the possible combinations of 19, 40 or 41 Pontiac sedans with the number 699 on the license plate. Yeah, 123 possibles to check.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Not my choice.

[Detective Ben Romero]

No car of that description on the hot list.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Killer might be the legal owners. 123. Even after we check him, we still might not have the right party.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

That's right. If we got a better lead, we'll work on it.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Nope.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Well, don't ride this till it falls apart.

[Detective Joe Friday]

For the next 13 days, Ben and I, Fremont and Hearst from Homicide, plus a half a dozen other men hacked away at the list of 123 car registrations. Any one of which could have been issued to the hold up car. The color of the sedan didn't help us much to start with since California vehicle registrations do not include the colors of the cars. After 14 days of gradual elimination of possibles, the field was narrowed to six, then four, then two Aug. 6, Monday, 5:30pm Ben and I were called to Thad Brown's office.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Gentlemen. You checked out that last possible yet?

[Detective Ben Romero]

About 20 minutes ago. It didn't pan out.

[Detective Joe Friday]

What about Hearst and Fremont? They had one left right here.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Could be the answer.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Yeah.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

1940 Pontiac sedan. License number 4XA699. Last registration, San Diego.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Sounds good.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

We teletyped the San Diego police. They say the car has been sold.

[Detective Ben Romero]

To a woman out in Santa Monica.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Anyone checked her? That's what I want you two for. San Diego and Santa Monica. Well, it's in the right area.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Can't afford to miss now. Hope it's the right one.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Well, it's gotta be.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Check it. Ben and I checked the woman in Santa Monica on Mrs. Fielding. She told us that she had sold the car six months before to a friend who lived in Bakersfield. We contacted her friend. He told us the car had been traded in by him to an auto dealer in Pasadena. We checked the dealer. He said the car had been sold off his used car lot two months before. The new buyer had given his name as Emil Thurston. Two names were given as reference. Lloyd Newton and John Lacombe. We ran a routine check through the Record Bureau.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Ran them through. Fellas, here's the packages. Get a make for him on all three.

[Detective Joe Friday]

What'd you find on Thurston? Let's see.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Thurston, two time losers, second time up to Q on five counts of armed robbery. On parole from Quentin. Now how about the other two? Look home. Let's see. Preston Reformatory. Two terms went up three years ago. Violation of Dyer Act. He's on parole too.

[Detective Joe Friday]

What about Newton? Did you make him.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Two terms in Oklahoma? They're looking for him now. Jump parole.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Can I look at that? Just a minute, Frank.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Sure. Have all three of them.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Take a look, Ben. Each one of the mama sheets on these three guys?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Yeah.

[Detective Joe Friday]

From our right here under General M.O.

[Detective Ben Romero]

See? Mm. Thurston, heavily armed at time of arrest.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah. This one, Lacombe, heavily armed. This one on Newton, same thing.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Gun. Happy?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah. Come on. At the time he purchased the car, suspect Emil Thurston listed his home address as 1517 N. Hoover Ave. Previous robbery victims positively identified Thurston and his companions at 1517 North Hoover. The landlady also identified Thurston and his companions as tenants. She told us they drove a red sedan and they parked the car at a Temple street garage. An immediate stakeout was placed on the apartment house and we started the canvas of Temple street garages from Hoover Avenue. Down to Rampart Boulevard. At 4pm Ben spotted the car in Donnelly's garage on Temple street near Michigan Drive. The garage attendant told us that the owner of the car had given his name as Emil Thurston. We showed him the mug shots.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Yeah, used to park his car in here a while back. Then he came in yesterday morning with these two guys and said he wanted a paint job.

[Detective Joe Friday]

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[Detective Joe Friday]

Fantastic.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Detective Ben Romero]

Doesn't look like it needs a paint job to me. They offered me 20 bucks extra if I do it in a hurry. He wants the car painted green.

[Detective Joe Friday]

When's he gonna call for the car?

[Detective Ben Romero]

About 10 o' clock tonight. These jobs take time. He's not gonna like it if the car's not finished.

[Detective Joe Friday]

He won't like it if it is. Come on, Ben.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

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[Detective Ben Romero]

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[Detective Ben Romero]

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[Detective Joe Friday]

7Pm Tuesday, Aug. 7. Chief of Detective Stat Brown and Capt. Ed Walker swung the entire robbery detail into action. The stakeout at the apartment house on North Hoover Continues. An additional detail of men was stationed in a vacant store on Temple street, directly opposite Donnelly's garage. Donnelly's garage was a small family outfit, and the only spot from which we could cover it thoroughly without being seen was from a large paint locker set up against the right wall. The garage man cleared enough room so that Ben and I could fit into the locker in a half stoop position. Two small latches were rigged up so that we could pull the doors closed from the inside. Four ventilation holes at the top and bottom of the doors provided us with peepholes. At 8 o' clock that night, Ben and I took our places inside the locker. The trap was set. We waited.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Can you see all right, Joe? Yeah, it's hot in here. Stale air, tight fit. I'm getting a clamp in my shoulder.

[Detective Joe Friday]

What time did that garage man say closed?

[Detective Ben Romero]

11 o'. Clock. Lousy paint. Smells.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Stuffy.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Hey, that car pulling in, can you see the driver?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Wait a minute. It's nothing. Somebody getting gas?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Oh, show up. I wouldn't want this to go on another night.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Well, don't count on it.

[Detective Ben Romero]

What's going to sleep?

[Detective Joe Friday]

I just stand still. What time you got?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Let me see. Get the light on in here. 10 minutes to 9.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Thanks. The popular conception of the working detective rarely includes a glimpse of his everyday run of the mill duties. Filling out forms, conducting interviews or waiting long, monotonous hours parked in a car or standing half crouched in a garage paint locker. It's slow, dull and tedious. And it's 95% of the police officer's job. By 10 o' clock that night, there was still no sign of Thurston and his friends. The cramped locker got more cramped with the passing minutes. The air was thick with paint fumes. We waited. At 10:55, a taxi pulled to a stop in front of the garage. Three Men got out.

[Detective Ben Romero]

You see him, Joe?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Wait till they step into the light. There's another guy still in the cab.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Here they come. There's the first guy.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah, it's Thirsty to me.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Fourth guy's getting out of the cab.

[Detective Joe Friday]

That looks like Newton, doesn't it?

[Detective Ben Romero]

That's him.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah, it's lacombe. Right behind Fat guy. Here they come.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Sure do look. The boy.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right, unlatch your door, but don't open it. Quiet, Ben. What's the matter, Matt?

[Detective Ben Romero]

You're stuck. Wait a minute.

[Detective Joe Friday]

You get it?

[Detective Ben Romero]

No, it's really stiff.

[Detective Joe Friday]

When I tap it with your gun stock. Come on, easy. There.

[Detective Ben Romero]

There it is. Just a little slit.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Can you see where they are now?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Yeah, talking to the garage man. Not looking this way?

[Detective Joe Friday]

No, they just stay that way, huh? You ready?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Okay.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Don't tip them off till we're right on top of them. Let him get away from that garage man, huh?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Right.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right, let's. Approximately 25 or 30 yards separated us from the suspects. I glanced across Temple street at the vacant store where Thad Brown and the other men were staked out. 25 yards is a long way to walk when you're approaching a murderer and you know that he won't hesitate to kill you in order to escape. Ben flipped the safety off the machine gun. We were almost halfway across the garage, 15 yards away. Thurston turned and saw us.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Look out, Joe. Got one of them.

[Detective Joe Friday]

The duck behind the car went up to the stairs. Three of them.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Come on. Where they going?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Up the stairs.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Up this way. Joe.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah? Watch it, Ben.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Get out there somewhere. Back in that corner. Up there. You're tracked. Throw it on your gun.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right, Ben, give it over.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Stop. Hold on. Your guns. Throw them down. There's three of them.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Six of them. All right, now, come on down with your head behind your head. Cover me, Ben. I'll frisk them.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Right. You, up on the end, get your hands in the back of your head.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right, stand still. All right, next one clean. All right, we're cold. Watch him, Joe.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Rest of you stand back. Keep your hands up. You all right, Joe? Yeah.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Two more guns on him.

[Detective Ben Romero]

All right, you two, hold it. Here comes the chief.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah, I'll get these guns together here.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Lacombe. He's not much of a fighter, not without a gun.

[Detective Joe Friday]

The suspects were booked at different divisions to keep them separated. Emil Thurston and Lloyd Newton were taken to Hollenbeck park and booked on suspicion of armed robbery and murder. John Lacombe was booked at Highland Park Jail. On the same charges, the other suspect who had been wounded in the escape attempt was identified as Harold Steeves, 19 years old. He was treated for a leg wound at Georgia Street Receiving Hospital and then transferred to the prison ward at the county hospital. During the next two days, each of the suspects was questioned individually. Thurston, McComb Newton would admit nothing. The 19 year old Steeves broke down and agreed to turn state's evidence. We took his statement to Chief of Detective Stad Brown.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Gentlemen, what did the boy tell you?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Just about everything, boss. They pulled the drugstore hold ups and they killed that dancehall owner, Walter Conroy.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Which one of them?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Well, the kid says Thurston shot him. He says Thurston's the gang leader.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Good.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

You finally get a count on those guns you took off them?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah, 12 of them. Each one of them was ready to go. Bulletin every chamber.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Did you get a complaint from the DA's office yet?

[Detective Ben Romero]

They were ring preliminary hearing set for Monday.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Fine.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

You got him in jail. I'll put them in prison.

[Detective Joe Friday]

The apprehension of the criminal doesn't mean the end of a case for a police officer. He spends just as much time helping to convict the criminal after he's caught. Evidence must be gathered and authenticated and presented to the District Attorney's office. If confessions are possible, they must be obtained and put in order. The officer must also help out in formulating the case and then testifying at the trial of a suspect. On October 30, almost three months after the Thurston Gang was apprehended, they were brought to trial in Superior Court. It was a routine affair. Harold Steeves took the stand and told the story of the gang's activities. The victims identified the suspects and testified to the robberies. Both Ben and I took the stand and testified to the arrest and possession of guns by the defendants. We received no cross examination. On the morning of March 2, the case went to the jury. Ben and I had lunch with Lt. Rombo from robbery in the City hall cafeteria and it was five minutes past one when we got back to the office.

[Detective Ben Romero]

It sure was good soup today.

[Detective Joe Friday]

It was nice lunch. You want to check the mail?

[Detective Ben Romero]

I didn't, Jan.

[Detective Joe Friday]

I'll get it. Robbery Friday? Yeah. When? Right. Lacombe and Thurston, they just broke jail. Within seven minutes, a dragnet for the escaped criminals had been thrown around the entire city. Chief of Detective Stat Brown directed the operation. At 14 minutes past 1, he called us to the photocopy room. The machines were turning out duplicate mug shots of Thurston. And lacombe for distribution at the rate of one every four seconds.

[Detective Ben Romero]

You want us to stand by, Chief?

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

For the moment, yeah. We got all the help we need on the street.

[Detective Joe Friday]

How'd they pull the break anyway?

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Slug the deputy when he brought in their lunch. Used a steel leg from one of the benches in the prisoner's tank. Yeah, they beat the deputy right into the ground, but he held on to Newton. He didn't get away.

[Detective Joe Friday]

How'd Thurston lacombe ever get out of the building?

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

He saw a real freak. They slugged the elevator man and got down to the basement.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Right then.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

An ambulance crew was wheeling a body in the morg. The attendant left the ignition keys in the ambulance.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Shouldn't be too rough to track them if they're in an ambulance.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Tougher than you think.

[Detective Ben Romero]

How those copies coming, Frank? Fast as we can make them, Chief. Have another badge for you in a minute.

[Detective Joe Friday]

If you had any reports at all yet.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Boss. Couple.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

They're moving fast.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Frank, you want to get that? I can't see in this dark room.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Yeah, I'll get it. Yeah, Chief Brown in there? Yeah, come on in.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Walker, what do you got?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Kill that dryer, will you? Oh, yeah.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Now what do you got?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Gas station out on Sunset. Lacombe and Thurston just held it up.

[Detective Joe Friday]

We picked up our car in the City hall garage and drove out to the service station on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Lorraine Drive. Detectives Ruiz and Stomwall from robbery were already on the scene. The two escapees had abandoned the ambulance there, robbed the station of 50 in currency and stolen a 1938 gray Packard coupe, license number 7 Robert 6336. We left the station and started to cruise the area. It was 1:55pm Attention all units. Attention all units.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Get it up. 6380 North Sunset at 2:11 progress. 6380 North Sunset. A 211 in progress. Code three. This is a 6100 block.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah. Come on.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

6380.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Yes.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Lurking, baby. Push it. Hey, that car pulling out up ahead there?

[Detective Ben Romero]

A great coupe.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Wait a minute. Seven Robert. That's them.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Life's changing. They can't make it.

[Detective Joe Friday]

They're going through. They're skidding.

[Detective Ben Romero]

They have the lamp post. Broke it off. All right, pull up. Come on. Right.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right, let's go.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Lucky if they live through this one.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah. All right. Come on. Help me with this door.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Yeah. All right.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Can you take him?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Yeah. I'll get lacombe. You look okay. Yeah. Get Thurston.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Out of here.

[Detective Ben Romero]

All right, come on. Come on.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right, lacombe, come on. Oh, sure you will.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Come on. All right.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Don't try to walk. How's thirsty, Ben?

[Detective Ben Romero]

Seems okay. A couple of scratches.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right, sit down over there.

[Detective Ben Romero]

That's funny. They don't look very tough.

[Detective Joe Friday]

I can't sway their part. They haven't got their guns.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

The story you have just heard was true. Only the names were changed to protect the innocent. On March 3, 1947, trial was held in Superior Court Department 91. City and county of Los Angeles, State of California. In a moment, the results of that trial.

[Detective Ben Romero]

It's amazing how many long cigarette smokers are changing to Fatima. Here are the actual figures. New York Division, Fatima sales up 132%. Chicago Division, Fatima sales up 453%. Los Angeles Division, Fatima sales up 545%. Yes. In 1949, more and more smokers discovered that Fatima is the best of all long cigarettes.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

They found Fatima extra mild.

[Detective Ben Romero]

They found Fatima has a much different, much better flavor.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

They found the name Fatima means the best in cigarette quality.

[Detective Ben Romero]

In 1950, enjoy Fatima yourself. Best of all long cigarettes.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Emil Thurston, John Lacombe and Lloyd Newton were convicted of first degree murder and robbery and sentenced to life terms for turning State's evidence. 19 year old Harold Steeves received special consideration. As a result of the jailbreak, Thurston and Lacombe were convicted of assault and escape. They are now serving life terms in the state penitentiary. You have just heard Dragnet a new series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice for Dragnet comes from the office of Acting Chief of Police W.A.

[Detective Joe Friday]

W.H.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Wharton, Los Angeles Police Department. Dragnet honors the city of Pasadena, State of California and the men who make up the Pasadena police force, another of America's great law enforcement agencies. One of these men, Chief of Police Clarence H. Morris, traffic specialist and veteran police administrator, dedicates his life to making yours more secure.

[Detective Ben Romero]

Fatima cigarettes, the best of all long cigarettes has brought you Dragnet. Portion transcribed from Los Angeles.

[Chief of Detectives Thad Brown]

Be sure.

[Detective Ben Romero]

To hear songs by Morton Downey tonight on NBC.

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