The Kidnapping Of Patty Hearst (Part 3)

Summary

Morbid Podcast: "The Kidnapping of Patty Hearst (Part 3)"

Hosts: Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart
Date: September 4, 2025

Episode Overview

In this lively and characteristically comedic installment, Ash and Alaina continue their in-depth exploration into the Patty Hearst saga, specifically focusing on the chaotic aftermath following Hearst’s high-profile kidnapping and descent into revolutionary activity. Part three of four, the episode covers the immediate fallout from the infamous bank robbery, a farcical series of failed getaways, and the catastrophic police raid that left most of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) dead. With signature banter, the hosts balance heavy research, dark humor, and memorable asides, making the madness of 1974 both accessible and compelling.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting the Tone and Season (02:11–05:00)

• The hosts usher in “spooky season” with infectious excitement, hinting at fun upcoming projects and teasing bonus monthly episodes featuring true crime documentaries and spooky content.
  • Notable Quote: “It's motherfucking spooky season up in here.” – Ash (02:15)
• They clarify recent podcast updates—new show dates, ad-free listening options, and platforms.

---

The Current State of Patty Hearst & the SLA (09:11–13:20)

• Context Recap: Patty Hearst’s role within the SLA grows increasingly complex after her participation in a bank robbery—her iconic “revolutionary chic” attire becomes pop culture fodder.

  • Memorable Exchange:
    • Ash: “Damn, that's a good outfit.” (09:45)
    • Elena: “Revolutionary outfits tend to be pretty awesome.” (09:50)

• SLA Struggles: The crew, led by Donald DeFreeze, faces mounting pressure: money is running out, paranoia is up, and the realities of fugitive life sink in.

  • Elena: “It's not giving logical… It's giving scary. It's giving on the run.” (13:04–13:17)

---

The Mel’s Sporting Goods Disaster (14:49–22:04)

• Failed Errands: Bill and Emily Harris, with Patty squatting behind groceries and a pile of guns in the car, run errands that escalate from shoplifting to violence.

  • Life Advice: “Hot tip of the day. If you're on the run, don't shoplift.” – Ash (18:38)

• Shoplifting Gone Wrong: Bill is caught stealing a bandolier; a dramatic confrontation leads to a brawl with store staff.

• Patty’s Reckless Intervention: Hearing the commotion, Patty opts not to flee but instead opens fire into the store with a submachine gun, nearly striking friend and foe alike.

  • Ash: “She pointed the gun out the window of the car… firing about 30 rounds into the front of this sporting goods store.” (20:36)
  • Elena (aghast): “With no regard.” (20:56)

• Aftermath: Miraculously, a store manager survives a bullet to the chest, thanks to a pen in his pocket.

  • Ash: “That pen should be framed.” (21:31)

• Hero Clerk Tony: As Bill drives off handcuffed, Tony the clerk gives chase, displaying remarkable pluck:

  • “Tony, our guy, a criminal justice student who had an eye on the police academy, fired two shots at them from his own gun, jumped in his own car, and started tearing after them.” – Ash (22:23)

---

Carjacking Mayhem & the Saga of Grandpa Tom (25:40–34:19)

• String of Carjackings:
  • An attempted car theft from a “fuck you” Trans-Am driver (26:10–26:27).
  • Stalled escapes and further botched attempts, including a failed theft from a sobbing hippie, and then from Tom Matthews, a high school baseball player.
• Grandpa Tom Legend: The hosts delight in the story of Tom, kidnapped for a “test drive,” whose only request is to make his baseball game.
  • Elena: “I have tears running down my face because I love that Bill was just like, totally get it. We'll get you back.” (31:39)
  • Tom even hacks off Bill’s handcuff and requests it as a souvenir!
  • Ash: “He said, hell yeah, brother, you asked me. Had the souvenir. To prove what he'd been through.” (32:43)

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The Police Raid & House Siege (35:05–47:35)

• Tracks Lead Home: The SLA’s abandoned car (complete with a parking ticket) leads hundreds of law enforcement to their LA safe house.
• Botched Hideout: DeFreeze and the remainder of the SLA seek refuge in an unsuspecting family’s home, offering $100 for shelter. Neighbors and locals (surprisingly) flock to the house for a glimpse of the infamous SLA.
  • Ash: “The house started to just fill with curious friends and neighbors.” (39:09)
• Motherly Intervention: The homeowner’s mother confronts DeFreeze and then promptly reports the group’s location to police.
  • Ash: “She went up to Donald DeFreeze and was like, what are you doing? This is incredibly dangerous, and you're disrupting our community.” (41:08–41:15)
• The Siege:
  • Repeated police demands for surrender are refused; tear gas is deployed; a protracted gun battle follows, the largest shootout (in rounds fired) in US history.
    • Ash: “…expending what was to that point, the most rounds fired in a single incident in USA history.” (43:43)
  • The house is eventually set ablaze, the SLA continue to resist with gunfire, and ultimately perish in the inferno.
  • Legendary cameo: “It was only then that the last remaining civilian, Christine Johnson, emerged from the house. She had been inside and so drunk that she slept through the entire fight.” (44:59)
    • Elena: “Christine's a legend. Christine is a legend.” (45:49)

---

The Fallout: Patty, the SLA, and Public Reaction (47:35–54:35)

• Patty’s Emotional Spiral: Watching raid coverage from afar, Patty blames Bill’s “bad at errands” shoplifting for the catastrophe, and, in a rage, demands retribution against police. Bill and Emily Harris manage to calm her.

  • Ash, with gallows humor: “He thought it was his fault for being so bad at errands, he said, I'm the worst.” (47:53)

• Mythmaking & Martyrdom:

  • The deaths of the six SLA members galvanize support among some radical groups, leading to new recruitment and the formation of the “Malcolm X Combat Unit of the Simba Liberation Army” under the “New World Liberation Front” umbrella.
  • Patty’s Eulogy on Tape:
    • “Greetings to the people. This is Tanya. I want to talk about the way I knew our six murdered comrades. Because the fascist pig media have, of course, been painting a typically distorted picture…” (51:32–52:51)
    • “I died in that fire on 54th Street. But out of the ashes, I was reborn. I know what I have to do.” – Patty Hearst, tape recording (53:19)
  • The hosts are taken aback:
    • Elena: “You okay, Patty?” (53:19)

• Chaos After DeFreeze: The leadership void sets the stage for even more disorder and violence, to be covered in part four.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|-------|---------| | 02:15 | "It's motherfucking spooky season up in here." | Ash | | 09:45 | "Damn, that's a good outfit." | Ash | | 13:17 | "It's giving scary. It's giving on the run." | Elena | | 18:38 | "Hot tip of the day. If you're on the run, don't shoplift." | Ash | | 20:36 | "She pointed the gun out the window of the car… firing about 30 rounds into the front of this sporting goods store." | Ash | | 21:31 | "That pen should be framed." | Ash | | 22:23 | "Tony, our guy, a criminal justice student who had an eye on the police academy, fired two shots at them from his own gun, jumped in his own car, and started tearing after them." | Ash | | 26:10 | "'We're the sla. We need your car.' And the man did not care. He looked up at Bill and just said, fuck you." | Ash | | 31:39 | "I have tears running down my face because I love that Bill was just like, totally get it. We'll get you back." | Elena | | 44:59 | "It was only then that the last remaining civilian, Christine Johnson, emerged from the house. She had been inside and so drunk that she slept through the entire fight." | Ash |

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Major Segment Timestamps

• Intro & Spooky Season Vibes: 02:11–05:00
• Recap and SLA Update: 09:11–13:20
• Events at Mel’s Sporting Goods: 14:49–22:04
• Carjackings & “Grandpa Tom”: 25:40–34:19
• Police Raid & Siege: 35:05–47:35
• Aftermath, Martyrdom & Closing: 47:35–54:35

---

Tone and Style

Ash and Alaina maintain their signature mix of heavily-researched storytelling and playful, irreverent banter. They expertly use comic relief to offset the intense subject matter, humanizing the minor players (“Grandpa Tom,” Christine Johnson) and deftly weaving pop culture references and life tips into the narrative. Yet, they don’t shy away from the gravity of violence and trauma, offering sharp commentary on reckless behavior and the ripple effects of radicalization.

---

Conclusion

This episode manages to traverse multiple genres—chaotic action, dark comedy, and true crime tragedy—while faithfully recounting the historical events that marked one of America’s most infamous kidnapping cases. Listeners walk away with a clear picture of both the absurdity and horror of the SLA’s final days, capped by anticipation for the dramatic fallout that awaits in part four.

---

Next up: Part 4 promises to deliver the serious aftermath of these catastrophic events, addressing the legal, psychological, and social ramifications of the Patty Hearst saga. Stay tuned, “keep it weird,” and don’t run errands like the SLA.

Transcript

[Elena]

Okay.

[Ash]

Last night I had such a conflict in my life. I was wearing this brand new really cute set. It was pink and like really cozy. But I was also making a red sauce. And for some reason, even on simmer, that sauce was bubbling all over the place and it popped up big giant bubbles of red tomato sauce all over my brand new light pink set. And I was really angry for a second, but then I said, it's actually fine because I use tide free and gentle and Tide free and gentle has your back, honey. It delivers a powerful clean without perfumes, dyes or irritants tints. It's 100% hypoallergenic care, which is good because I also have sensitive skin. There's a lot going on in my life. It's a concentrated formula and that means less waste, zero extra water, and more time for your next true crime Deep dive. It even works in cold water. Talk about cracking a cold case, honey. No cover ups or compromises here. If it's got to be clean, it's got to be tide free and gentle.

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These Doritos Golden Sriracha aren't that spicy.

[Ash]

Sriracha sounds pretty spicy to me.

[Doritos/DSW Advertiser]

Um, a little spicy, but also tangy and sweet.

[Ash]

Maybe it's time to turn up the heat.

[Doritos/DSW Advertiser]

Or turn it down. It's time for something that's not too spicy. Try Doritos Golden Sriracha.

[Ash]

Spicy but not too spicy. Hey, weirdos. I'm Ash.

[Elena]

And I'm Elena.

[Ash]

And this is Morped.

[Elena]

This is morbid. And it's officially spooky season, y'. All.

[Ash]

It's motherfucking spooky season up in here.

[Elena]

September 1st always feels glorious. Just like a new. A new day, a new dawn, a new life. I feel like I can't just let that go.

[Ash]

I know I need to stop singing because I. It's funny. I listen to podcasts where sometimes people sing and I'm like, ugh, who does that?

[Elena]

And you're like, me.

[Ash]

And I'm like, I do.

[Elena]

I do. But yeah, yeah, you don't need to stop singing. It's fine, thank you.

[Ash]

No, no one does.

[Elena]

Yeah, no one does. Sing your life away.

[Ash]

Keep singing. Keep singing. We're all gonna die someday.

[Elena]

We're on a floating rock in space.

[Ash]

It's crazy. You know what's really exciting? It's September 1st, so that means all of my fucking bins that have been collecting dust in the basement.

[Elena]

Oh, yeah.

[Ash]

Are coming on upstairs tonight.

[Elena]

The Halloween decorations have begun.

[Ash]

It's about to go hard.

[Elena]

Oh, I just. I have needed this season.

[Ash]

No, I can't wait.

[Elena]

I've needed this season. The last three years or so have been rough and I needed a good restart fall season.

[Ash]

Yes.

[Elena]

And we have some really, really fun things that are coming down the pipe there.

[Ash]

I know.

[Elena]

I'm pretty excited about. We can't tell you about them yet, but I promise they're really close.

[Ash]

In a couple weeks, we'll be able to tell you.

[Elena]

Don't worry.

[Ash]

They're actually. I'm thinking of like, multiple right now that I'm like, fuck, yeah.

[Elena]

Yeah. There's a lot of fun things. Like, it's going to be a fun season. It's going to be a fun end of the year.

[Ash]

It is. Yeah. So one exciting thing that we already told you about, but that, of course, I'll have to remind you about, is that we added a second show we.

[Elena]

Did at the wilba.

[Ash]

At the wilba. So we are already doing the Friday show, which you guys already sold out, which is. Christ cry. Yeah.

[Elena]

You sold it out in three minutes.

[Ash]

Under three minutes.

[Elena]

I don't think we've given you guys the credit that is deserved for that.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

Brava.

[Ash]

Brava. Thank you so much for wanting to see us like that. We want to see more of you. So we added another show and that's going to be the Sunday, which is the 28th.

[Elena]

Yes, the 28th.

[Ash]

And tickets for that are going to go on sale next Monday, September 8th at noon. Also, how fun is it that when I say to you, next Monday, it's next Monday for all of us.

[Elena]

It's next Monday for everyone.

[Ash]

We are current with you.

[Elena]

We are with you in your ears.

[Ash]

It was so many years of not being current with you that I forgot what you look like.

[Elena]

You don't have to hear us say, I don't know when this comes out.

[Ash]

Because I do know when it comes out. I think. I'm pretty sure this comes out on Thursday.

[Elena]

I know when this comes out.

[Ash]

Mikey, does this come out on Thursday?

[Elena]

It does.

[Ash]

It comes out on Thursday. Thursday.

[Elena]

We know when it comes out.

[Ash]

It's crazy.

[Elena]

We're with you.

[Ash]

Oh, my God.

[Elena]

I love it. Yeah. We get to talk about all the. All the. That's currently happening.

[Ash]

Hell, yeah.

[Elena]

Like, have you guys watched. I haven't watched it yet, but I've heard a lot about it. There's a new documentary called Unknown Number. It's like a catfish documentary.

[Ash]

The high school catfish one.

[Elena]

I haven't watched it, but I've gotten a lot of tiktoks about it and I know what goes on in it.

[Ash]

And holy shit, I gotta watch that one.

[Elena]

Holy shit.

[Ash]

I got a few tiktoks about it, but then I kept scrolling because I was like, don't spoil it for me.

[Elena]

Oh. I immediately got like. The first words out of most people's mouths are like, that's the thing.

[Ash]

That's why I'm always like, yeah.

[Elena]

I just was like, cool.

[Ash]

We just had such a good idea. Like, collectively in this room. We have a bonus episode now that's gonna be coming out next Friday. So we could probably talk about that documentary if we wanted to. And then Elena was just saying we could probably talk about a few documentaries.

[Elena]

Yeah. We could just kind of have a little roundup of the. Of the crazy documentari are floating around here.

[Ash]

Yeah. So if you guys want to give us any suggestions or anything, like, leave it in the comments.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

Of what you want us to watch, and we can kind of incorporate that into bonus episodes.

[Elena]

Yeah. Because bonus episodes, the one that's going to happen, we'll have a bonus episode once a month, in case you missed that in the last announcement. And the bonus episodes, just in addition to all of our other episodes, just an extra episode every month. And it's just going to be whatever we want it to be. And, you know, it might be spooky, it might be true crime, it might be horror, it might be Halloween this season. It could be anything.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

So maybe we'll do that for the first. It's limitless. We might have a lot of guests on those episodes. It'll be limitless. So maybe that could be one of the ones we do.

[Ash]

We should also talk about the Amy Bradley documentary.

[Elena]

I was literally just gonna say that.

[Ash]

Have you watched it yet?

[Elena]

No, not yet.

[Ash]

It's three parts, so it's a long one. But it's so good.

[Elena]

I know. I have to catch up on these things, guys.

[Ash]

I can't wait to talk to you about it, actually.

[Elena]

Yeah. So many people are involved in this.

[Ash]

Yeah. Maybe we should talk about, like, those two, now that I think about it, because I Think that could take up probably a full episode?

[Elena]

Yeah, for sure.

[Ash]

All right. And then one more little bit nasty thing. A lot of our international listen listeners were like, no, like, we can't get serious.

[Elena]

Like ab Free serious.

[Ash]

You can get afri. Serious girls and boys. And they. You just look up Sirius XM on Apple Podcasts and you can. You'll see that there's like a monthly subscription right there that you can set up on Apple Podcasts and then you can get the ad free as well.

[Elena]

Y.

[Ash]

We would never leave you out.

[Elena]

No, ever. And if you're not getting like, ad free or you don't want to get ad free, we're free everywhere.

[Ash]

Exactly.

[Elena]

Yeah. So, like, you can just listen to it wherever, Spotify, all that stuff. Like, whatever. Because people keep asking, like, are you on Spotify? Are you. If you asked, are you on this? The answer is yes. Like, it's just.

[Ash]

Unless it's Wondery. Are you on Wondery Plus? And the answer is nah, baby.

[Elena]

That's the only one that it's a no everywhere else. Yes, yes, we are on all those. Nothing has changed except for where you can get the ad free version.

[Ash]

That's it.

[Elena]

That's it. That's the only thing that's changed.

[Ash]

And if you find out we're not on, we don't even know it, so you should tell us it.

[Elena]

Exactly.

[Ash]

And if you get it through Apple Podcasts, get the Sirius subscription. It's actually the exact same price as our previous partners.

[Elena]

Yeah. So nothing will change at all. So there's that. Yeah. And again, Sirius has some, like, really fun things planned with us. They're already awesome, and they're already, like, really ready to make this experience awesome for you guys as well. So, like, very exciting things to do.

[Ash]

It's actually September 2nd, I think we thought it was the first when we first started this.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

So we've officially been working with them for two days, and we're thriving.

[Elena]

And we're the happiest we've been in a long time.

[Ash]

Yeah. In a few years.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

So with that being said, let's get into the case for everybody.

[Elena]

Let's do it. We're at a Patty Hearst. I almost said we're in a Patty Hearst hole.

[Ash]

Well, yeah, you know, it's like a K hole, but different.

[Elena]

It's different.

[Ash]

Yeah. It's a Patty Hearst hole. Yeah, Actually, yeah, that is.

[Elena]

That's where we are. Okay.

[Ash]

Anyway, here we are. So we're back.

[Elena]

I'm. I'm standing firm on.

[Ash]

She's making it weird immediately. And that's my sister, everyone.

[Elena]

Hell yeah.

[Ash]

So we are back. It is part three. This is going to be part part three of four. I've decided. I think it's just good to break.

[Elena]

It up because I'm sometimes just. It makes sense.

[Ash]

A lot goes down in this story. So I think just to make it palatable, it worked for me to do four parts. And I hope it worked for you too, listener.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

So while the public and Patty's family themselves were debating whether or not she was brainwashed or if she just decided of her own free will to join a terrorist movement.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

Patty was fully immersed now, either way. And she had recently taken part in a pretty intense bank robbery.

[Elena]

Yeah. Where that iconic photo is from.

[Ash]

From that iconic photo and her iconic outfit, a lot of people are like, damn, that's a good outfit.

[Elena]

I mean, it is. Revolutionary outfits tend to be pretty awesome.

[Ash]

They do go like.

[Elena]

They just are.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

Like, that's just facts.

[Ash]

I'm not saying join a revolutionary movement, but I am saying dress like it.

[Elena]

I'm just. I mean, why not dress like revolutionary girl.

[Ash]

Fall chic. Check out the new TikTok trend. Let's go, girls. So by the end of April, the SLA had burned through most of the money that they had stolen from the bank.

[Elena]

Oops.

[Ash]

And with rent on the safe house coming up in a few days, Donald DeFries decided that the best thing to do was probably just abandon the apartment and start searching for a new place to stay.

[Elena]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I just abandoned it.

[Ash]

Yeah, there's a lot going on. So he said we should get out of here. After packing up everything they owned into cars, they filled a bathtub with all the chemicals that they had, stocked everything that was left. And Defreeze left a note on the bathroom wall that said warning to the FBI, CIA, dia, nsa, NSC and cbs, just to name a few. My goodness, there are a few clues in this bathroom. However, you will have to wait until they are dry. An additional word of caution, half pound of cyanide potassium cyanide crystals, has been added to this quote unquote home brew. So, pig drink at your own risk. There are also many additional juicy SLA clues throughout this safe house. However, remember that you are not bulletproof either.

[Elena]

Whoa. That's a lot. I do love the some juicy clues. I know.

[Ash]

Juicy made me feel like a terrorist organization saying juicy clues spread around the apartment. Feels like it's for the lol.

[Elena]

It does. It feels like it's for the LOL for sure. For the plot.

[Ash]

Yeah, it's all for the plot.

[Elena]

It's all for the plot, really.

[Ash]

So a few days later, neighbors started to get, you know, concerned when a ton of cockroaches started coming from underneath the. That apartment door specifically.

[Elena]

Oh.

[Ash]

And they just kept on coming. Oh. So neighbors were like, 91 1, I have an emergency.

[Elena]

Oh, I would 100 call 911 in that situation.

[Ash]

Me, I'd pack up my apartment and find a new one immediately.

[Elena]

Yeah, I would, I call 911 from the next state.

[Ash]

Yes.

[Elena]

Like, I would buy.

[Ash]

I'd call 911 and say, I. I did an arson because cockroaches. I did an arson because cockroaches.

[Elena]

I did an arson.

[Ash]

Well, unfortunately, by the time the police arrived and broke down on May 2, the SLA had been gone for days. Missed him. Yeah. Oh, you just missed them.

[Elena]

You just missed them.

[Ash]

Gotta be quicker than that. So Donald DeFreeze thought that they should get out of San Francisco. The law was pretty hot on their tail. The long term of the law and.

[Elena]

The long arm of the law.

[Ash]

Isn't that always just so funny? The long arm of the.

[Elena]

Because you picture a long arm.

[Ash]

I picture one of those grabber things.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

Like the thing like you pull the trigger and it like grabs you. So he was like, let's head to LA and avoid the long arm of the law. So using the money that they had left, they got a new apartment out there. Everybody was still committed to the cause. They still saw Donald as their leader. But the reality of the situation was starting to take its toll. They were fugitives who had multiple law enforcement agencies on their tail. They had no money, they were dirty from days on the run, and they were being led by a pretty increasingly paranoid and erratic leader. Yeah, like, that's.

[Elena]

It's not. It's not giving logical, it's not giving rational.

[Ash]

It's not giving safe.

[Elena]

No.

[Ash]

It's not giving comfort.

[Elena]

It's giving scary.

[Ash]

It's giving on the run.

[Elena]

It's giving unpredictable. It is.

[Ash]

It was a far cry from the vision they all had of becoming guerrilla fighters. All camped out in a jungle, protected by their common goal and their guns and their.

[Elena]

And their strong leader that they could trust with their lives. Yeah.

[Ash]

Who would never get crazy like a cult leader.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

Never that.

[Elena]

Never that.

[Ash]

So everybody was a little stressed out. So around 4 o' clock on May 16, Patty and Bill and Emily Harris were like, you know, let's go run some errands. Let's kind of get out of here for a minute. Yeah, the safe house. So around la they're like, we gotta get some done. Emily was driving, Bill was in the passenger seat, and Patty really had no choice but to squat on the floor in the back of their Volkswagen because the back seat was taken up by a pile of guns. Obviously.

[Elena]

Yeah, you can't move those.

[Ash]

No, I mean, be careful moving those.

[Elena]

If you're gonna be careful driving with those.

[Ash]

Definitely. Well, first they stopped to buy some groceries, then they moved on to a clothing store where they bought a couple pairs of jeans. Personally, I think the errand order should always be groceries last.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

Because they sit in the car.

[Elena]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Ash]

With your guns.

[Elena]

So with your guns.

[Ash]

You know, I don't know what guns do to groceries or if they, they shoot them. I mean, maybe that's what guns do, but they shouldn't. Your groceries shouldn't just be sitting while you run your other errands.

[Elena]

Absolutely not. In my personal op, they're getting in that danger zone.

[Ash]

That's the thing. And you don't realize how quickly your car can heat up.

[Elena]

Oh, yeah.

[Ash]

Even if it's, if it's like fine outside, the inside gets warm.

[Elena]

Oh, yeah.

[Ash]

And that's where bacteria builds on your, on your roasted chicken.

[Elena]

The danger zone.

[Ash]

The danger zone.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

So anyway, as they were driving down Crenshaw Boulevard, Bill spotted Mel's sporting goods store. And he was like, oh, Emily, stop. Like, we could probably find some stuff that we need here. So they parked the car and Bill and Emily got out and insisted Patty wait in the car. Because everybody recognizes. Well, guns. Yes. And also everybody recognizes and is on the lookout for Patty Hearst.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

So they were like, she had to.

[Elena]

Stay in the car for all the errands. I wonder.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

Because like, why would you even go? I'd be like, I'm not.

[Ash]

I mean. Well, that tells you also, though, how shitty things were at the safe house.

[Elena]

Because she wanted to get the hell out of there. Even if it meant sitting in a.

[Ash]

Car and not even like sitting comfortably in a car, just like squatting in the back seat while you like, lean atop a pile of guns.

[Elena]

And groceries. Yeah, yeah.

[Ash]

And groceries are probably stinky at some point. So inside Emily and Bill, they were taking their time. They were just casually wandering up and down the aisles, browsing, probably basking in the enjoyment of being out of the safe house for the first time in a while. And at the front of the store, the Clerk, who is 21 year old Tony shepherd, he looked up into like one of those like mirrors where you can see what people are doing. And he saw Bill take a bandolier off the shelf and slip it into his pocket. That's like a. Like a thing you can wear that has all the. Oh, yeah, for ammunition. Yeah, it's a gun thing.

[Elena]

And he just slipped that into his pocket?

[Ash]

Yeah. I don't know if it came in, like, a package or whatever, but he was gonna shoplift it. So Tony figured he would wait to see if the couple ended up paying for it before he said anything and made a scene.

[Elena]

Yeah, smart.

[Ash]

You know you're not shoplifting technically until you leave.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

So a few minutes later, Emily brought their items up to the counter, and she paid with 220 bills. But Tony noticed that the bandolier wasn't among the items that they paid for.

[Elena]

Oh.

[Ash]

So just as they were walking out of the store, he yelled to another employee, also named Bill, for some backup. Bill Harris thought that Tony was calling out to him, so he whipped his head around. But he felt a little better when he saw the other employee coming. But still, his kind of, like, senses are like, oh, fuck. Does he knew who I am?

[Elena]

Yeah. What's going on?

[Ash]

We're on the run, and everybody knows who I am. So once he realized that Tony didn't actually know his name, he went over to the counter like Tony had asked. And that's when Tony confronted him about shoplifting.

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[Ash]

Now. Like I just said at that time, the FBI posters, their photographs, all that was plastered in post offices, bus stations, all these locations around California. So they were nervous, and any kind of unwanted attention seemed risky.

[Elena]

Which, like, maybe don't shoplift. Yeah, well, if you're not trying to attract attention to you.

[Ash]

1,000 gajillion percent.

[Elena]

Dumbest shit I've ever heard.

[Ash]

Yeah. Hot tip of the day. If you're on the run, don't shoplift.

[Elena]

And like, Bill Harris is the one, if I remember correctly, who seems to be the kindest to Patty. Wasn't he the kindest to Patty? He and Willi Wolf and Willy Wolf. Because I remember Bill Harris was the one that like, held her hand and like calmed her down.

[Ash]

He held her hand and he was.

[Elena]

Genuinely, like she said was like, kinder. Yeah. So I'm like, bill, Bill, what are you doing here? You're ruining my, My vision of you.

[Ash]

You know, I had a good. I had an all right first impression of you. Yeah. You relatively along the way for a kidnapping.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

But you know, hand holding is kind.

[Elena]

We got to look at it like relatively in the situation. If I'm looking at you amongst the others, you're the. You're the star there.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

You know, you and Willie and I would like you to not shoplift and attract attention.

[Ash]

Too late. He already did.

[Elena]

There he is.

[Ash]

And now he decided he was going to make a break for the door, but before he could get there, Tony Shepard and the other clerk tackled him to the ground.

[Elena]

Damn.

[Ash]

Emily jumps in because this is her man. And she tries to pull the man off of Bill. But at that point, another clerk had come from the front of the store and the pile on had escalated into a full blown brawl. Was bad.

[Elena]

Oh, man.

[Ash]

Now, outside in the car with the pile of guns and the rotting groceries, Patty heard the commotion and she looked toward the store and that's when she saw Bill and Emily fighting with these three men. So in that moment, she made one of the most consequential decisions that she had since she joined in on the robbery of the Hibernia Bank. Rather than jump into the front seat of the car and drive away because the keys were literally still sitting in the ignition of the car. Or just get out and walk away.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

She pulled the blanket off the pile of guns.

[Elena]

Oh, Patty.

[Ash]

And she grabbed the largest and heaviest weapon she could find, which was Bill's submachine gun.

[Elena]

Patty, this did not call for that.

[Ash]

She pointed the gun out the window of the car.

[Elena]

No.

[Ash]

Aimed in the general direction of the store and pulled trig, firing about 30 rounds into the front of this sporting.

[Elena]

Goods store where she could have killed a million innocent people. Children, like elderly, just innocent people in general.

[Ash]

Yep.

[Elena]

With no regard.

[Ash]

No regard.

[Elena]

Cool.

[Ash]

Completely shattered the glass. The windows the doors, everything.

[Elena]

Wow.

[Ash]

Bullets were tearing through the building.

[Elena]

That's some dumb, that reaction.

[Ash]

It's some dumb as well, because also, you don't even know if you're gonna hate. Like, it's dumb anyway. And also, you're trying to help your friends, but you could hit them with.

[Elena]

This gun, Both of them.

[Ash]

Some of the bullets actually came within inches of Bill's head.

[Elena]

Of course they did, because she's just fucking willy nilly. Yeah.

[Ash]

Another round hit the store manager squarely in the chest, but luckily, the bullets were deflected by a ballpoint pen that he had in his front pocket.

[Elena]

Never throw that pen away.

[Ash]

That pen should be framed that. That pen pocket.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

Now, when she emptied the clip in Bill's gun, she reached down and grabbed another gun and started firing again. By then, everybody in the store had dropped down to the floor to avoid getting shot, which then gave Bill and Emily the opportunity to run. So as soon as Patty stopped firing for the second time, they jumped up from the floor, ran out of there. But not before my guy, just the clerk at this sporting goods store, Tony shepherd, managed to get a handcuff around Bill's wrist.

[Elena]

Oh, my God. You want Tony working at your.

[Ash]

You want Tony in every situation.

[Elena]

Every situation. Like, Tony is 21 years old, working as a cashier at a sporting goods store, and he's like, nah, I'm going down with this.

[Ash]

Oh, yeah, He. He had goals.

[Elena]

I see. Stopping the shoplifter like that is loyalty.

[Ash]

Oh, you just wa. So he gets the handcuff around Bill's wrist. Bill still manages to make a break for it, but he literally still has a handcuff around his wrist as he's driving. As he, like, shoves Patty away, he throws the Volkswagen into gear, and he speeds away from the seam. He figured they'd be fine as soon as they got out of the area. But to their incredible surprise, Tony, our guy, a criminal justice student who had an eye on the police academy, fired two shots at them from his own gun, jumped in his own car, and started tearing after them. He said, you are not going to shoplift.

[Elena]

You're not taking a bandolier.

[Ash]

And he said, this will get me into the police academy, cuz.

[Elena]

He's like. Cuz at this point, he's like, this is not mere shoplifting anymore. They shot a machine gun into the store. Like, they could have killed everybody in that store.

[Ash]

Yeah. And also, I don't even think he knew who they were at this point.

[Elena]

I think he's just like, you're Crazy like I have to stop you before you hurt. Kill someone. Yeah.

[Ash]

So if they had been in San Francisco, Bill would have known where to go to get Tooney. I was gonna say to get Toonie off his case.

[Elena]

Toonie.

[Ash]

But having just gotten to LA, none of them except Donald DeFreeze were familiar with the area and he wasn't there.

[Elena]

Oh, my God.

[Ash]

So Bill had no idea where he was going.

[Elena]

And it's not like he's got GPS.

[Ash]

To throw on right now. This is the 70s, my guy. So he's just tearing after. He's tearing down one side street after another until they put several car lengths between themselves and Tony. Or Toonie if you're nast. It's old morbid girl. I don't know why that was morbid. We are. We are so back too dasty Toonie if you're nasty. So now, knowing that they couldn't outrun Toonie, Bill threw the car into park and he and Emily grabbed guns from the back and just stood in the middle of the street with their weapons pointed exactly at Tony, who had finally caught up.

[Elena]

Oh, no.

[Ash]

And at this point, obviously he knew he wasn't dealing with ordinary shoplifters anymore. And I think he also just realized he was outgunned. So he just threw his car into reverse and slowly backed away and then started driving in the direction of Mel's.

[Elena]

Toonie's out here making correct decisions.

[Ash]

You know what? Yeah, he said, this is more than I bargained for. Yeah.

[Elena]

Tuni said, Nah, I don't. I don't. I don't like my job this much.

[Ash]

No, he said, I'll. I'll still get into the police academy.

[Elena]

And I'll probably get a raise.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

So.

[Ash]

So relief was short lived for the trio, Patty, Emily and Bill, because they then heard the sound of sirens coming from the direction of Mel's Sporting Goods. Almost immediately, the entire scene from the shooting to the car chase had gone down in broad daylight also. So it was witnessed by multiple people on the sidewalk who could have easily identified them.

[Elena]

Yeah, you guys are killing it so far.

[Ash]

Like you guys are real dumb.

[Elena]

Good job running errands.

[Ash]

Good job running errands. When you really think about it, y' all ran out to get some groceries and. And some random. Good job running errands.

[Elena]

Good job running.

[Ash]

I'm gonna say that to Drew every time he comes back from running errands. Good job running errands.

[Elena]

Good job just running errands.

[Ash]

So. Thinking fast, question mark ish. Bill looked down the street and he Saw a young couple who had just parked their Pontiac Trans Am on the cell. Yeah. Kesha song.

[Elena]

I don't.

[Ash]

Oh, you should. So Bill walked over to the car and pointed his gun at the driver, and he said, we're the sla. We need your car. And the man did not care. He looked up at Bill and just said, fuck you. He looked up at Bill holding a pointed gun at him, and he said.

[Elena]

And he literally said, fuck y'. All. Fuck y'. All.

[Ash]

Y'. All. I want to know everything about that man.

[Elena]

I need to know his entire story.

[Ash]

Unfortunately, I don't know anything about him.

[Elena]

I want to know aside from the.

[Ash]

Fact that he got balls.

[Elena]

He said. Said y'. All.

[Ash]

He said, you.

[Elena]

That's my transom.

[Ash]

He's not. Eventually, he said, it could be your Trans Am. Because I think there must have been something on Bill's face a second or two later. He was like, you know what?

[Elena]

Here you go. And here's the thing. If some. Like, we're laughing because that guy was like, you. If someone holds a weapon to you and says, give me your car, just give them the car. Yeah, give them the car.

[Ash]

I hope you have insurance.

[Elena]

As long as nobody's in the car. Just give them the car.

[Ash]

Exactly. So. So he gave the car eventually, and they were back on the road. It seemed like they'd solved their immediate problem. But just a few blocks down the road, the Pontiac's engine died in the middle of an intersection.

[Elena]

If that is an immediate karma, that man put a hex on them. He said, fuck you.

[Ash]

He said, not my Pontiac. Yeah, my Pontiac only runs for me.

[Elena]

It only will take me from point A to point B. It will not take you, so damn.

[Ash]

So Bill, Emily, and Patty found themselves stranded once again. If anybody has ever watched Frank just gemstones. When he tells bj, you're really bad at being at the lake.

[Elena]

They're really bad at.

[Ash]

Really bad at running. So fortunately for them, Bill spotted a father and son getting out of their car about 100ft away. He rushed over and demanded that man hand over his keys. And this time, the guy noticed the handcuff around Bill's wrist and the two women holding guns. So he was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, totally. But can I just grab my lawnmower out of the back?

[Elena]

That guy is so real for that. Like, that is so real.

[Ash]

He said, you can totally have my car, but, like, not my lawnmower.

[Elena]

He said, I'm with my son. I'm not gonna cause you any issues. You can take that car. Yeah, I just. Can I just have that lawnmower?

[Ash]

And you know what? Bill got it.

[Elena]

Bill did.

[Ash]

He said for sure? For sure.

[Elena]

Here's the thing about Bill. I had no. I had no, like, doubts that he was gonna give this man his lawnmower.

[Ash]

No, he didn't.

[Elena]

He's got a lot of stuff going on.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

He's making a lot of dumb decisions, but I knew Bill was gonna be like. Like, take that long.

[Ash]

Here's one thing about Bill. Bad at running errands.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

Understandable, approachable guy.

[Elena]

Has a strangely sympathetic nature about him, even though he's doing some crazy.

[Ash]

That's true. So having now transferred the guns and the other goods twice, the trio loaded up the third vehicle and drove toward Englewood, hoping they could find another car that they could steal, obviously to throw the police off their trail. A few miles down the road, they spotted two young hippies getting into a camper van. And they pulled into the parking lot behind him because they were like, oh, perfect. Camper van. Love it.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

In the previous carjackings, it kind of seemed like the drivers really didn't register any kind of fear, which is hilarious. If anything, they just seemed annoyed that they needed to give up their cars.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

This time, the young guy at the wheel burst into tears as soon as Bill produced his gun.

[Elena]

Oh, my God.

[Ash]

And for a minute, Bill was like, they're there. I just need to steal the van. Because A, B, C, and D. But the guy was too hysterical to even focus on what Bill was saying. So Bill just gave up.

[Elena]

And here's the thing about Bill. Another carjacker would have just hit him in the fucking face, ripped him out of the car, and stolen his car.

[Ash]

Facts.

[Elena]

I'm not saying Bill's killing it here. I'm just saying Bill is an interesting character.

[Ash]

He really is.

[Elena]

At the very least, he is fascinating.

[Ash]

His nature, he's like, you know what? I'm sorry.

[Elena]

Cause I love that he was like, you know what? I've upset you, so I'm gonna move on.

[Ash]

Keep your hippie then. Okay.

[Elena]

Like, another carjacker in that scenario would have hit him in the face with the gun and dragged him out of the car.

[Ash]

Absolutely.

[Elena]

Wow, Bill. Wow, Bill, you're a fascinating character. He is.

[Ash]

It only gets stranger.

[Elena]

Okay.

[Ash]

So a short time later, Bill spotted another van with a big for sale sign in front of a house in Linwood.

[Elena]

Oh.

[Ash]

So they knocked on the door, and they were greeted by 18 year old Tom Matthews.

[Elena]

Oh, Tommy.

[Ash]

Who said he didn't mind if they took it For a test drive, but he had to go along with them. That was the rub. So once they pulled away from the house, Bill was like, hey, I gotta be honest with you, man. We're the sla, and I don't want to cause you any trouble. As long as you don't cause me any trouble, you won't get hurt. And Tom was like, hey, I get it, man. Totally fine.

[Elena]

Good for Tom.

[Ash]

But I am on my high school baseball team, and we do have a big game tonight. Can you get me back before that. That game starts? Like, is that gonna be an issue? And strangely, Bill said, nah, brother, I got you. He said, we're gonna drive around for a little bit. I don't even really know what the point of keeping Tom was, But, you know, it worked out.

[Elena]

There's so many parts of that that are great. The fact that Tom was just like, nah, it's cool. I get it. He was just like. He was like, I have a game tonight, so could you get me back so that I can just go to my game? Are you just gonna go to your game and be like, what did you guys do today?

[Ash]

I think he did me. I got kidnapped by the sla.

[Elena]

I got kidnapped, like, carjacked by the sla.

[Ash]

I got carjacked and kidnapped by the Mayon Liberation army, and then they got me home in time for the big game. That's a story he told. That's. You know, that meme where it's like, okay, grandma, let's get you back inside. That's Tom.

[Elena]

Okay, Tom, let's get you back inside.

[Ash]

Okay, Grandpa Tom, let's get you back inside. I'm crying.

[Elena]

I have tears running down my face because I love that. Bill was just like, totally get it. We'll get you back.

[Ash]

Bill was like, yeah, you know, I've been there. Probably Bill.

[Elena]

Bill confounds me.

[Ash]

Yes, he's a confounding guy. So what started that morning as a simple supply run running errands in just a few hours had devolved into a shootout and multiple carjackings, culminating in their stealing a van from a teenager and low key kidnapping him in the process.

[Elena]

Hey, you're not good at running.

[Ash]

You're really bad at running urns. But here's the thing. All three SLA members really quickly grew to like Tom.

[Elena]

I mean, who wouldn't? I like Tom.

[Ash]

And in the. They let him go with enough time to get to his baseball game. And because of that, he said, you do one for me, I do one for you, Bill. Can I get that handcuff for you that's just hanging around your wrist, Shut the up. He said, there's a hacksaw on the back of the van. I can get it off for you. And he did. But before leaving, he held up the cuff and said, can I keep this as a souvenir? And Bill said, yeah.

[Elena]

He said, hell yeah.

[Ash]

He said, go for it. Hell yeah, brother, you asked me. Had the souvenir. To prove what he'd been through.

[Elena]

Grandpa Tom held up that handcuff.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

Every he. And he waited. I know it. I can see Grandpa Tom sitting there. He's. He's. He's probably just like he smoked a cigarette or a cigar. He's got something.

[Ash]

Oh, a cigar for sure.

[Elena]

Yeah, he's got a cigar. He's telling this story while his grandchildren sit there and are like, grandpa Tom.

[Ash]

You'Re crazy, Grandpa Tom. This is gonna get you in a.

[Elena]

Home grant book, Tom. And then he's gonna go, oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Ash]

And he pulls them out of his.

[Elena]

Pocket and he is right behind him in the seat and he just produces that handcuff and he chingle chingles them.

[Ash]

And it makes sense because it's literally.

[Elena]

Like half a handcuff and it's of the time, so.

[Ash]

And everybody goes, grandpa Tom, moral of the story. Coolest, don't distrust your grandpa Tom.

[Elena]

Coolest fucking Grandpa Tom ever.

[Ash]

And also guarantee they won that baseball game.

[Elena]

Oh, hell yeah.

[Ash]

That adrenaline he had, that's the thing.

[Elena]

That, that, that like, confidence he was bestowed. Yeah.

[Ash]

That's a winning game night.

[Elena]

Come on. He just made some new friends. Yeah. Like he's feeling good.

[Ash]

What a wild day for him.

[Elena]

What a wild day for him.

[Ash]

He never woke up that morning and could have imagined.

[Elena]

That's people helping each other right there. That's. That's humanity right there.

[Ash]

Yeah, that's game scene games.

[Elena]

Somebody saying, you got a big game, I'll get you to that big game. And him saying, you know what? You scratch my back, I scratch yours.

[Ash]

Let me get that for you.

[Elena]

Let's. Can I keep it, though? And he's like, hell yeah, because you got it off.

[Ash]

It's camaraderie.

[Elena]

Wow. Quid pro quo.

[Ash]

Quid pro quo. I'm literally dying.

[Elena]

I love it.

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[Elena]

So.

[Ash]

Bill, Emily and Patty were able to successfully evade the police in that moment. But what they didn't realize was that when they left the Volkswagen behind at Mel's Sporting Goods, or I don't even know where it was at this point, like in a random intersection, they inadvertently left a parking ticket on the dashboard.

[Elena]

Oh, guys.

[Ash]

So that led authorities straight to their safe house, the brand new one in South Central LA. So that night, a horde of more than 500 FBI agents and local police descended on the home.

[Elena]

That's a lot of FBI agents.

[Ash]

It might be the most.

[Elena]

Yeah, that's a. That's a bushel of FBI agents and a Peck. Yeah, yeah.

[Ash]

So after announcing their presence and demanding that everybody inside come out, they got no response. So they quickly fired tear gas canisters into the house in an attempt to draw everybody out.

[Elena]

Yikes.

[Ash]

But by that time, the suspects in the shooting at Mel's Sporting Goods had been identified. And investigators had every reason to believe that the rest of the SLA would be inside too. But what they didn't know was that Patty, Bill and Emily were holed up in a motel room in Anaheim, about a mile from Disneyland.

[Elena]

Oh, look at them. Insane. Terrifying.

[Ash]

And anticipating that police would be coming for them at the safe house because of what happened, the other SLA members had fled into the neighborhood carrying large numbers of weapons and duffel bags in the back of their own van.

[Elena]

Damn.

[Ash]

Yeah. Yeah, they're bad at running errands, but they're good at keeping others updated.

[Elena]

Yeah, they are. They're good at communication sort of a little bit.

[Ash]

So that night, DeFreeze and the others drove around for hours just trying to come up with a plan because everything had gone to hell.

[Elena]

Oh, they're probably so mad.

[Ash]

Yeah, they were probably pissed. All the stress and anxiety seemed to have sapped any enthusiasm that they had once had. But they sported spotted a porch light on at one of the houses. So defree stopped the van and the group approached the house and knocked on the front door. The door was opened by a middle aged black woman, and behind her were her boyfriend and their teenage daughter. Defries introduced himself and the other SLA members and he explained that they needed a place to hide out until the police had left the area.

[Elena]

Wow. He's just. He came with the truth.

[Ash]

He really did.

[Elena]

He said, I don't even have a story.

[Ash]

He Said, this is who we are. This is what has happened, and please.

[Elena]

Can we hide here?

[Ash]

So since Patty's kidnapping, the SLA and their message of a militant black revolution had been all over the news. So it was pretty likely that the occupants of the house knew who they were.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

And what they were all about. But still, the woman at the door was like, I don't know.

[Elena]

I do have a teenage child.

[Ash]

Yeah. And like, there were other kids in the house, too. But Defreeze held up a hundred dollar bill in exchange for the inconvenience, and that's when they were all let inside.

[Elena]

Okay.

[Ash]

Which, like, you know, hard times.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

So the homeowner knew who she was letting into her house at that point, but she was still surprised when the group started unloading one bag after another of just guns and ammunition.

[Elena]

Well, because you can't really conceive of that.

[Ash]

No, you're right.

[Elena]

Even if you know who you're dealing with, conceiving of that is a whole different level.

[Ash]

Agreed. So all through the night and into the next morning, Defreeze and the others were just taking turns watching out the window as the LAPD patrolled around the neighborhood in very large numbers. At one point, one person in the home showed Defreeze a spot, the alley where he could hide their van from sight. And it seemed that they found a pretty good place to lie low until they could make their escape. But unfortunately, the spot where they stashed the van was not as hidden as they had expected. And that morning, two officers on patrol spotted the vehicle and radioed for backup. And at that point, the entire mass of law enforcement that had shown up at the safe house was immediately called back to the area.

[Elena]

Well, and it's like, this is. That's where things get. Get. Get crazy. It's like you will become hostages.

[Ash]

Exactly.

[Elena]

And you have to know that.

[Ash]

Exactly.

[Elena]

Like, they're running from the police. The police show up, you're the hostages.

[Ash]

Right.

[Elena]

That's bad.

[Ash]

That's scary.

[Elena]

Like, that's really bad.

[Ash]

Yeah. It's not worth $100 because you might not be able to spend that if you're a hostage. So by late morning. This is so interesting. The house started to just fill with curious friends and neighbors.

[Elena]

I'm sorry, what? Who were.

[Ash]

They were all interested in meeting the members of the infamous sls. Lie.

[Elena]

I mean. Okay.

[Ash]

Yeah, I mean, I got. I'd be curious. I don't know if I'd go over, but I'd be like, what's going on over there?

[Elena]

Whatever blows Your skirt up, you know?

[Ash]

Yeah. Live your life.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

Any other time, DeFreeze would have welcomed the opportunity to get on his soapbox and preach all about his, you know, re revolutionary rhetoric. But it was clear that the horde of detectives, FBI agents, and SWAP members were closing in on the house. So he was like, yeah, we're gonna be found eventually. So he gave one of the men in the house $500 and asked the guy to go get them a car, and that all went down. While others started making Molotov cocktails in the kitchen and just, like, prepared for the inevitable.

[Elena]

Yeah, that's not good. You don't want the battle to be from your home.

[Ash]

One thing about me is that I don't like other people cooking in my kitchen.

[Elena]

No. I also don't like that.

[Ash]

Especially would hate it if they were cooking Molotov cocktails.

[Elena]

Yeah, that would piss me off.

[Ash]

I would love that.

[Elena]

Yeah. No.

[Ash]

Now, I don't really know if, like, the occupants in the house just didn't understand the seriousness of the situation when it started or if the obvious and very present danger just, they felt, didn't affect them. But whatever the case, onlookers just continued peppering the group with questions and watched as they readied their arsenal. It's like a movie.

[Elena]

This is a wild case of cognitive dissonance. I feel like I'm shocked by this.

[Ash]

And it's this. It was only when Defree started instructing people to get down and away from the windows if they didn't want to die.

[Elena]

That'll do it.

[Ash]

That the assembled crowd started to disperse and all fleet out the back door.

[Elena]

That's when people are like, wait a second.

[Ash]

They were like, oh, shit's getting real. It was so cool to meet you. Thanks for answering our questions. By that afternoon, the homeowner's mother had heard about what was happening in the house, and she went over. Because one thing about a mom is that they will confront a dictator, a cult leader, or, you know, a terrorist organization leader face to face for.

[Elena]

Especially for their kids. You're just not.

[Ash]

That's the thing. Kids and grandkids. She said, I'm. I'm over here.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

So she went up to Donald DeFreeze and was like, what are you doing? This is incredibly dangerous, and you're disrupting our community.

[Elena]

Good for her.

[Ash]

And he tried to calm her down by telling her about his vision for black revolution, but she was like, yeah, I don't want any part of that. And she grabbed the younger children and dragged them out of the house.

[Elena]

Good for her. That's a mama.

[Ash]

That's a mama. And a grandmama.

[Elena]

That's a grandmama. A mama. That's a. That's a woman right there.

[Ash]

That's the Empress.

[Elena]

That's the Empress.

[Ash]

That's the Empress.

[Elena]

That's my girl right there.

[Ash]

Same.

[Elena]

I love her.

[Ash]

Her forever. So it was around 4 o' clock that the house really started to clear out. And what Defreeze and the others didn't know was that the woman hadn't just taken the children out of the house. She had also gone directly to one of the patrols in the neighborhood and gave them the exact address where they could find the five SLA members in her daughter's house.

[Elena]

That's why she got those young children out of the house, because she was like, go get them.

[Ash]

Yeah, exactly. She also was probably like, damn, like, what is my daughter thinking? More than that, though, she also informed them that they were heavily armed with guns and makeshift explosives. So that way the SWAT team knew exactly what they were walking into.

[Elena]

Good for her.

[Ash]

She's like the realest one.

[Elena]

Yeah, she really is.

[Ash]

So within minutes, a mass of 500 law enforcement officers descended on this tiny house, announcing their presence and demanding that to freeze and the others just come out. If they didn't resist, the police said nobody would be hurt and the situation could just be resolved peacefully. Obviously that wasn't going to happen, though.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

From his position behind one of the SWAT vehicles, Sergeant Alp, I think it's Prasado. He could distinctly hear to Free shout, we are not going to surrender. We are going to fight to the death.

[Elena]

Whoa.

[Ash]

At that same time, they could see furniture in the house being moved to obscure sight lines. So they knew that they were ready.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

An hour passed, there was no response. And Prado made another attempt to draw the SLA members outside. And at that point, there was a few remaining occupants still, but they emerged from the front door and were taken into custody.

[Elena]

I'm surprised.

[Ash]

I know. Within the next 10 minutes, Prasado and the members of the SWAT made a SWAT team, made 18 additional attempts to get to freeze and the others to surrender, but they all went unanswered. They really tried to get them out of here without.

[Elena]

Without chaos.

[Ash]

Without chaos and like disrupting an entire neighborhood. But when five more minutes passed without a single sign from the sla, Frasado gave the order to fire tear gas canisters through the window, and all hell broke loose. For more than an hour, the SLA and the LAPD traded fire, expending what Was to that point, the most rounds fired in a single incident in USA history.

[Elena]

Holy.

[Ash]

That's five people inside. That's it.

[Elena]

That's crazy.

[Ash]

It's just five SLA members.

[Elena]

Damn.

[Ash]

One bystander told a reporter from the San Francisco examiner, it was just like another Vietnam.

[Elena]

Wow. Yeah.

[Ash]

Periodically, they would fire additional tear gas canisters into the house, but it apparently did nothing to drive Defreeze and the remaining members.

[Elena]

Wow.

[Ash]

So at about 6:30pm LAPD officer set fire to the house with gas canisters.

[Elena]

Wow.

[Ash]

And the house quickly erupted in massive flames. Which is exactly why you don't let people like this into your house. Obviously, she didn't know that this was gonna happen, but this is a good lesson. It's a good lesson. From inside, agents could hear the sound of ammunition exploding, because, remember, they have tons of ammunition.

[Elena]

Yep.

[Ash]

And Defreeze and the others still continued to shoot from shattered windows, making no attempt to flee.

[Elena]

That's fucked up.

[Ash]

It's insane.

[Elena]

That's crazy.

[Ash]

One sergeant said it was so bad, it was impossible that anyone in there could still be alive.

[Elena]

Wow.

[Ash]

Within a few minutes, though, the hail of bullets from inside the house finally came to an end, and the house just continued to burn and eventually collapsed in on itself.

[Elena]

Wow.

[Ash]

And it was only then that the last remaining civilian, Christine Johnson, emerged from the house. She had been inside and so drunk that she slept through the entire fight. Christine slept through an entire standoff between the LAPD and the SLA where remember the most.

[Elena]

Christine.

[Ash]

The most rounds fired in a single incident in United States history. Christine slept through. She's another one who tells that story in the nursing home. And they say. Okay, Grandma, let's get you back inside.

[Elena]

Okay, Grandma. Chris.

[Ash]

Okay, Grandma. Chrissy, you want another drink?

[Elena]

It was only when they lit the house on fire.

[Ash]

Yeah, just. Christine without.

[Elena]

This is a wild story.

[Ash]

Christine's a legend. Christine is a legend. Christine never. Christine never slept peacefully again. I don't. I don't believe so anyway.

[Elena]

Who partied with Christine the night before? Raise. Come forward.

[Ash]

I don't think they could because I think they all died.

[Elena]

Tell me what happened.

[Ash]

I don't think anyone.

[Elena]

Wow.

[Ash]

Lived partying that hard with Christy.

[Elena]

Want the capabilities of understanding this wild.

[Ash]

We've never known a sleep so deep. We've never.

[Elena]

We have never. We've never known such a restorative sleep.

[Ash]

Do you know what?

[Elena]

Maybe May that sleep never find me.

[Ash]

Nay, I say without.

[Elena]

I'm literally crying.

[Ash]

So firefighters were held back from extinguishing the blaze for for hours for fear that there still might be live explosives inside or other dangers in the rubble. So when they were finally able to put out the fire and sift through the wreckage, they found the charred remains of Donald DeFreeze, Willie Wolf, Patricia Sultzk, Camila hall, and Angela Atwood and Nancy Lang.

[Elena]

Damn.

[Ash]

Yeah. Sorry. There were six. I said before that there was five members. There's six in Anaheim. Bill, Emily, and Patty were watching the news coverage of the siege on the TV in their hotel room. They had been relieved when they saw the earlier coverage of the failed raid on the empty safe house. But obviously, that relief turned to horror when the footage of a second raid on the Johnson house appeared in the news. Bill insisted that they should go back to South Central and fight alongside everybody. But Emily was like, no, we can't do that. Like, obviously, this is done at this point.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

And she said, DeFreeze would want us to carry on the mission of the SLA on our own. But then when the house erupted into flames, all three of them just broke down into tears. Bill thought that it was his fault since he had stolen the bandolier earlier.

[Elena]

Since they were so bad at errands, since he thought.

[Ash]

He thought it was his fault for being so bad at errands, he said, I'm the worst. I mean, ultimately, had he not done.

[Elena]

That, I mean, he.

[Ash]

None of this would.

[Elena]

One thing I can say. He is the worst at errands.

[Ash]

Yeah. But overwhelmed by how fast and horribly everything had escalated, Patty just ran to the bathroom and locked herself inside and, like, sobbed for a while. And in that moment, they were the only three people who knew the answer to the question on everybody's mind, though. Would investigators find Patty Hearst body among the ashes and rubble in the house?

[Elena]

The answer is no.

[Ash]

The answer is nay. But only three people knew that, and Patty was one of them.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

So when she managed to compose herself, Patty was more enraged and committed to the cause than she had ever been.

[Elena]

Oh, yeah.

[Ash]

I bet you didn't see that coming.

[Elena]

Yeah, I didn't know that was gonna be the answer.

[Ash]

She insisted that they needed to go back to LA and do a, quote, search and destroy mission on the cops.

[Elena]

I don't know. I. I mean, you just saw how that went, how that all ended.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

I feel like it's time to just be like, you know what? That was a fun part of my life. Let's move on.

[Ash]

Fun question. You know, that was a. That was a part of my life.

[Elena]

That was a part of my life.

[Ash]

Yeah. But in Just over a hundred days, she had transformed from a privileged era heiress and a college student to a kidnap victim and now, finally, a hardcore revolutionary. But the fact remained that aside from firing blindly into Mel's Sporting Goods and wielding a gun at the bank, she obviously knew nothing about revolution.

[Elena]

No, she's just being reckless.

[Ash]

Yeah, she's being super reckless. And watching her friends die in that house fire did seem like it was the final step in her transformation, though. She, at that moment, fully intended to leave her past behind for good. And she wanted to fully commit to the cause of revolution, whatever that meant. Now, fortunately, Bill and Emily Harris were able to talk her down, and she quickly abandoned her demands that they go get revenge on the lapd.

[Elena]

Smart.

[Ash]

They were like, that's not gonna work out. And I think we've done enough today that will end.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

They said today was a very revolutionary day.

[Elena]

It was.

[Ash]

Very much so. Instead, they decided to send another communication to the press, this time in defense of their friends, who were obviously now being maligned in the papers. More than that, though, the consensus among law enforcement seemed to be that now that DeFreeze and the others were dead and Patty was not among them, maybe the entire ordeal had come to an end. An FBI spokesperson told the press, nothing has been confirmed either way, but the family really didn't expect it to end this way. Now, despite what was said about them in the press, the deaths of the six SLA members weren't met with. With universal satisfaction in activist circles and more radical groups. Donald DeFreeze and the others kind of became like martyrs for everybody else's cause.

[Elena]

That coming. Yeah.

[Ash]

On June 2nd, a group of young activists in Berkeley had. They actually had a rally in support of the sla.

[Elena]

Whoa.

[Ash]

Which, like, be. Remember before I was saying, I think in part one, obviously there was tons of, like, radicalized groups happening at this point in time. And everybody was, you know, know, fighting for their own cause. And usually it was like sit ins and things, peaceful things. And people kind of look down on the SLA for being a violent group.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

Now they're kind of supporting.

[Elena]

Now they're having rallies in their name.

[Ash]

Exactly. So things had shifted. And this event confirmed for the three remaining SLA members that they definitely needed to carry on the cause.

[Elena]

Yeah. Because now they're like, obviously people are into it.

[Ash]

So once they made it back to Los Angeles, they immediately reached out to some of those members kind of on the fringes.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

Kathy Salaya, Mike Borton and a few other activists that they had met before. And they Started recruiting new members to join the mission.

[Elena]

Oh, damn.

[Ash]

Yeah. So they're back and better than ever.

[Elena]

They're back in business.

[Ash]

A few days later, on June 7, they delivered their next recording to the press, where they kind of, like, eulogized their friends and announced their renewed commitment to the cause. On recording, it's Patty's voice, and she can be heard saying, greetings to the people. This is Tanya. I want to talk about the way I knew our six murdered comrades. Because the fascist pig media have, of course, been painting a typically distorted pictures. A picture of these beautiful sisters and brothers. Chinke DeFreeze. They all had. They all called each other different names. Okay, so Donald defries was known as Chink. Was in a race with time, believing that every minute must be another step forward in the fight to save the children. Galena, who was Atwood, was beautiful. She taught me how to fight the enemy within through her constant struggle with bourgeois conditioning. I, too, have the same struggle. Gabby, who's hall crouched low with her ass to the ground. She practiced until her shotgun was an extension of her right and left arms.

[Elena]

That was beautiful.

[Ash]

It was beautiful. Zoya, who was salt sick, was a female gorilla. Perfect love and perfect hate reflected in stone cold eyes. Fahiza, I think. Ling taught me to shoot first and make sure the pig is dead before splitting. She was wise and bad.

[Elena]

Dad.

[Ash]

Cujo, who was Willy Wolf, was the gentlest, most beautiful man I've ever known. He taught me truth as he learned it from the beautiful brothers in California's concentration camps, which were prison, not concentration camps. Neither Cujo or I had ever loved an individual the way we loved each other. Our relationship's foundation was our commitment to the struggle and our love for the people. I died in that fire on 54th Street. But out of the ashes, I was reborn. I know what I have to do.

[Elena]

You okay, Patty?

[Ash]

All you can really say to that is okay, Patty?

[Elena]

That's really all you can say?

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

To that.

[Ash]

The message went on to say that with their new formation, quote, the Malcolm X combat unit of the Simba Liberation army proudly picks up the banner of the New World Liberation Front.

[Elena]

Whoa.

[Ash]

So the New World Liberation Front was kind of like an overarching group of the smaller, revolutionary, radicalized groups. Exactly. So in the months that followed, the New World Liberation Front, that name started getting used more and more in the press. And it was usually used in association with these radical acts of violence around the country. And a lot of times it was used even if the perpetrators weren't necessarily involved in that specific movement.

[Elena]

Yeah, it's just under one umbrella now.

[Ash]

It's like a trigger word in the media. So Donald DeFreeze had managed to keep his small paramilitary army, a cohesive group who had a certain set of goals in common, even if the message and the means of getting there was vague and very unorganized, as we saw. But in the wake of his death and the decision to adopt the large, larger banner of the nwlf, things were about to get a whole lot worse than anybody could have ever anticipated.

[Elena]

Oh, yeah. When the cult leader dies.

[Ash]

Yeah. Struggle ensues when the cult leader dies and a new person tries to take over and you have this new overarching.

[Elena]

Everything becomes destabilized and it all starts. Starts to crumble.

[Ash]

Yeah. And it's going to. And that's what we're going to talk about in part four.

[Elena]

This part was my favorite part.

[Ash]

This is my favorite part too, because it was wild. It was insane. It was absolutely insane.

[Elena]

Wildest day of errands I've ever heard of.

[Ash]

They were so bad at running errands.

[Elena]

So bad.

[Ash]

Part four gets like way more. That's the other thing. I really wanted to separate this part in part four because part four gets really serious with what happens. And obviously this is serious. Like six people died.

[Elena]

Yeah, of course, but obviously. But there's like silliness leading up to it.

[Ash]

Exactly.

[Elena]

You know, because nobody dies in the. In the whole thing leading up to it. We have Grandpa Tom.

[Ash]

Grandpa Tom. We have Grandma Chrissy.

[Elena]

We have Grandma Chrissy.

[Ash]

Maybe they found each other.

[Elena]

Maybe they did.

[Ash]

They had different vibes though.

[Elena]

They did. They did have a little bit of different vibes.

[Ash]

But yeah, we covered a lot of business and we covered a lot of shenanigans. Shenanigans. So with that being said, we hope you keep listening.

[Elena]

We hope you keep.

[Ash]

Keep it weird, but not so weird that we don't have you back for part four.

[Elena]

We love Sirius.

[Ash]

I love Sirius so much. It's so fun.

[Elena]

Get yourself ready for a trip through McDonald land. Fix shaped volcanoes.

[Ash]

You'll even find a French fr. Now just turn around and see if you won't find a hamburger patch as you're heading for.

[Elena]

Order the McDonaldland meal today and get the Mount McDonaldland shake with your very own character souvenir kit.

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[Ash]

Loving wide leg jeans.

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