Dragnet 1967 (1967) s01e03 Episode Script
The Kidnapping
1
[Friday Narrating]
This is the city— Los Angeles, California.
A lot of people earn a living here,
and there are a lot of ways to do it.
Some of them have jobs
that weren't even thought of
five years ago.
Some of them are learning jobs
guaranteed to be obsolete
in another five.
A few work in
the cleanest places on Earth,
and a few don't.
They all have one thing in common—
it takes a day's work to get a day's pay.
Not everybody buys the idea.
There are a lot of ways around it.
When somebody tries
a shortcut with a gun,
then it becomes my job.
I carry a badge.
It was Thursday, December 15.
It was cool in Los Angeles.
We were working the day watch
out of Homicide.
The boss is Captain Hugh Brown.
My partner's Bill Gannon.
My name's Friday.
We received a phone call
from the city's largest bank.
They had a woman
at one of their branches.
She had a problem.
We had to try and solve it.
[Man Narrating]
The story you are about to see is true.
The names have been changed
to protect the innocent.
[Friday Narrating]
10: 1 7 a.m.
Bill and I left P.A. B.
and took the Hollywood Freeway
toward Lankershim Boulevard.
It took us 18 minutes
to get to the Universal City branch
of the Bank of America.
We identified ourselves
to the branch manager, Ray Righetti.
Righetti explained he had asked the woman
to wait in the conference room.
I wanted as little fuss
here in the bank as possible.
- You understand?
- Yes, sir, we understand.
She didn't want to at first,
but I told her the only thing to do
was to call you people.
- Does she have an account here?
- I think she just came
to the first bank she saw.
This way, please.
Miss Ohrmund,
this is Sergeant Friday,
Officer Gannon.
How do you do,
Miss Ohrmund?
Won't you sit down, please?
I don't know what good you can do.
He's got Miss Vincent.
He's got a gun pointed right at her.
- Could we have your full name?
- Janet Ohrmund.
And your address.
211 Central Park South,
New York City.
O-H-R-M-U-N-D.
Everybody
spells it wrong.
Thank you.
Tell us about it, please.
Well, I guess it was
about 8:30 this morning.
The doorbell rang, and I went to get it
right away before they could ring again
and wake Miss Vincent.
I'd been up for a while.
I couldn't sleep.
I only flew in yesterday afternoon.
I guess I'm still on New York time.
Takes a while to get adjusted.
Well, anyway, I—
I opened the door a little ways,
and there was this young fellow.
Before I could say anything,
he poked a gun in through a crack in the door
and made me let him in.
He said if I did anything cute,
he'd kill me.
- Is that the way he said it?
- His exact words.
Then he made me take him back
to Miss Vincent's bedroom and wake her up.
- You told him she was there?
- Oh, no. He knew it was her house.
He said, "Where's Adele Vincent?
She's the one I want."
Everybody knows her, of course.
Adele Vincent Cosmetics.
My wife has
a small bottle of cologne.
It's a very expensive line.
It's in all the finest shops and salons.
- Then what happened?
- He took us back into the living room
and made us sit on the couch.
He had the gun pointed at us
all the time.
Told Miss Vincent that if she didn't
give him $75,000, he'd kill her.
I tried to tell him it's not easy
to get that much in cash together,
but he said he knew
she had more than that
and that she spends
that much every year on clothes.
She doesn't, of course.
She gets everything at a discount.
Well, anyway, we talked about it
for a few minutes.
Then, just before 10:00, he told me to—
to go out and get the money.
He said,
"Go to a bank or someplace."
Well, he said that I have to be
back with it by 12:00 noon,
or he's going to kill her.
- And he's holding her now?
- He certainly is.
May I have the address, please?
10328 Toluca Lake Avenue.
- Is there anybody else in the house?
- No.
- Can you give us a description of the man?
- Do we have to go through all this rigamarole?
- Yes, ma'am, I'm afraid we do.
- Well, it's using up valuable time.
Well, he's, um—
he's about 5-foot-9
or 10 inches tall.
He's, uh, not bad-looking.
Heavyset.
He weighs somewhere
between 170, maybe 180 pounds.
He's, uh—
He has dark hair.
He's maybe 23,
24 years old.
He looked clean.
At least he shaved this morning.
- Did he ever refer to himself by name?
- No.
Any identifying marks or scars?
No.
Initials on his clothes,
anything like that?
No.
How's he dressed?
Well, he has on a green slipover shirt
with short sleeves.
Um, it's a
dark color—
hunter green, I think.
Uh, Dacron.
And then he has on, um, slacks.
They're gabardine, cocoa brown.
Uh, fairly expensive.
I guess for out here
you'd say he's well-dressed.
- You're staying with Miss Vincent?
- That's right.
- You're a friend of hers?
- No, I work for her. I thought I told you that.
I've been with her for 11 years.
I run her New York salon.
- Can you describe her?
- Well, she's lovely, of course.
She's taller than I am.
She's, uh, maybe 5-foot-6
in her stocking feet.
She's 34 years old.
She's blonde, fair.
- A brilliant woman.
- And you're out here on business?
Sergeant, I told this gentleman—
I-I'm sorry.
Righetti.
I—I guess you can see
how upset I am.
I told Mr. Righetti
that I'd let him call you
because he said I couldn't
get the money unless he did.
That's the only thing
that's important right now—the money.
These questions can wait.
- I'm afraid they can't, ma'am.
This is just routine.
- It's perfectly ridiculous.
- You said it yourself, Miss Ohrmund.
- What?
It's not easy
to get this much money.
Do you have any identification,
Miss Ohrmund?
Oh, I see.
Well, I'm not a crank
or anything like that.
- I guess you do come up against them.
- Yes, ma'am, we do, on occasion.
Here is my driver's license,
my Social Security card,
my library card,
my credit cards.
You see, Miss Vincent
has 14 salons around the country.
The main office is here, of course.
Once a year, each of her managers
has to come out and spend
three or four days with her.
That's why I'm here.
I don't mind telling you it's no picnic.
She goes over your entire operation
with a fine-tooth comb
all day and half the night.
Sometimes I have a headache the whole time
till I get back on the plane again,
the way she orders you around—
fix coffee for her, things like that.
- Why didn't you go to the main office?
- Well, it's downtown.
- I hardly know how to get there.
- Could have telephoned.
Well, they wouldn't have
$75,000 in cash on hand.
- They have a bank.
- Well, I don't know.
All I could think of was to hurry.
I'd seen this place when I was passing by,
and so I came here.
Mr. Righetti, I wonder if you have
a private phone we might use.
- Yes. There's one outside, just to your left.
- Thank you. Excuse us.
Sergeant?
Yes, ma'am?
I guess it's important that you have
all this information exactly correct.
- Yes, ma'am.
- Well, don't say where you heard it,
but, uh, Miss Vincent
really isn't as young as I am.
She's 37 if she's a day.
Joe. You think
she's telling the truth?
Yeah, I do.
[Friday Narrating]
I reported the information
we had to Captain Brown.
He agreed we had to accept
Miss Ohrmund's story.
He recommended that we make
no attempt to move in on the house
or to arrest the suspect
until we had done everything we could
for the safety of Miss Vincent, the hostage.
The captain also decided
we should try to get the money
and deliver it to the suspect.
It was just possible
he'd release the two women.
10:57 a.m.
We continued questioning Miss Ohrmund.
He wants the money in old 10s and 20s—
no consecutive serial numbers.
- What kind of car did he drive?
- I'm pretty sure he walked to the house.
Did he say what he was gonna do
after he gets the money,
how he was gonna leave?
- No.
- Are there cars at the house?
Yes, Miss Vincent has two cars.
A white Mercedes-Benz
and a gold Imperial
with a black vinyl top.
- I don't suppose you know the license numbers.
- The Mercedes is outside. I drove it here.
Are they registered
to Adele Vincent?
I don't think so. They're probably owned
by the firm. It's a tax thing.
They must have
a record of it downtown.
Could you call and get
the license number of the Imperial for us?
- I'll try.
- [ Phone Ringing]
Use mine,
Miss Ohrmund.
Right this way.
Gannon.
Right here.
It's the skipper.
[Friday Narrating]
Captain Brown contacted
Police Chief Thad Brown.
The chief agreed we should try to
get the suspect to release
the two women he was holding
before we attempted
to make an arrest.
We were authorized
to make arrangements with the bank
to borrow $75,000
in used 10 and 20-dollar bills.
1 1:04 a.m.
I asked Mr. Righetti to find out
how quickly we could get the money
and what the procedure was.
He said it wouldn't be that easy.
We don't have
that much surplus cash.
I don't understand.
We hardly ever
carry that much extra.
None of the branches do.
We don't have any call for it.
We do now. Is there
someplace you can get it?
The central cash vault.
Would you see
what you can do?
It'll take time, Sergeant.
That's something
we don't have much of.
Here's what's happening.
The skipper's called
the North Hollywood Division,
getting one of their area maps.
He's keeping all the black-and-white units
away from the house,
out of the area altogether.
Nobody's to make any direct mention
on the air about the kidnapping
or what's happening,
handling all communications about it
by telephone.
They've alerted six detective units so far.
They're probably calling in now.
They'll cover the roads away from the house,
try to pick him up when he leaves.
Skipper got Ed Parker at home.
It's his day off.
He's got this panel truck—
Yeah, I know.
He'll be Mobile Unit One.
Hoyt Porter and Bob Hunt
have their own rifles.
They've gone home to get 'em.
Bob's taking a walkie-talkie.
They'll be Outpost One.
[Friday Narrating]
1 1: 10 a.m.
Janet Ohrmund got the license number
of Adele Vincent's 1966 Imperial.
1 1:47 a.m. We continued questioning
Miss Ohrmund about the suspect.
No, the one he has is much larger,
and it's shiny— it's chrome-plated.
- Nickel-plated.
- Which hand is he holding it in?
Right hand. He kept pulling
this thing back with his thumb.
It's the hammer.
I'm getting awfully worried.
It's almost 12:00.
Everybody's doing the best they can,
Miss Ohrmund.
Did he say anything
about an accomplice?
- Somebody waiting for him
with a car, maybe?
- No.
Can you think of anything else he said,
anything he did that might be important to us?
Just as I was going out,
he said not to try anything funny.
- Are those the words he used?
- No.
He said, "I know you're going to try
something funny, but it won't do you
any good, because I'll kill her if you do."
Sergeant Friday,
the money's here.
Henderson.
Good morning.
This way.
What's going on?
Everybody's acting like
it's a matter of life and death.
It is.
[Friday Narrating] 1 1:5 1 a.m.
There were nine minutes left.
How much more time?
- Let's go.
- Joe, I haven't even got
20 of these serials.
Yeah, I know. Now, Miss Ohrmund,
we think he may take one of the cars.
He may leave both of you in the house.
He may take you with him.
We don't know for sure
what he's gonna do.
- We'll have your house
under surveillance at all times.
- I understand.
He may kill us both.
You don't have to say it.
Don't you worry.
We won't let that happen.
I'll do it.
I told Miss Vincent I would.
- Ready?
- Yeah.
Let's go.
Oh! My driver's license.
- Did you give it back to me?
- Yes, ma'am.
We'll follow you part of the way,
Miss Ohrmund.
I don't like her, you know.
Not a bit. Never have.
I'm scared. If you asked me,
I couldn't tell you
why I'm doing this.
Well, you've worked for her
a long time.
Yes.
Habit. That might have
something to do with it.
Sergeant, that's a hell of a lot of money.
Suppose she's not telling the truth.
Suppose she is.
[Friday Narrating]
1 1:56 a.m.
We drove from the bank
and proceeded to Toluca Lake A venue.
We followed Miss Ohrmund's car
toward the Vincent home.
We turned off Toluca Lake A venue
at the 10000 block
and Miss Ohrmund proceeded alone.
We were two and a half blocks
from the Vincent home.
It was as close as we could get
without being seen from the house.
1 1:59 a.m.
We waited.
[Radio: Dispatcher]
All units concerned.
Outpost One reports
a white 1966 Mercedes sedan,
license George-Adam-Nora 589,
has pulled into Vincent driveway.
A woman carrying a briefcase,
or a small suitcase,
has entered the residence.
You know,
we didn't count that money.
Yeah, I know.
Wasn't time.
Something else—
you didn't sign for it either.
What do you mean, I didn't sign for it?
Why didn't you?
It's your baby, Joe.
I know, but, partner,
remember, it's 5-0, 5-0.
I sure wish
we'd counted that money
and you'd signed for it.
Sam-Henry-Adam 501.
That's the Imperial.
Give him a minute.
Let's go.
[ Engine Starts]
1-K-80, 1-K-80.
[Radio: Dispatcher]
1-K-80, go ahead.
1-K-80. We are proceeding
northbound on Toluca Lake Avenue
approaching the 10800 block.
Suspect vehicle in sight
half a block behind us.
It is a gold 1966 Imperial
with a black vinyl top,
license: Sam-Henry-Adam 501.
[Radio: Dispatcher]
Roger, 1-K-80.
Let him close up
a little now.
1-K-80. Suspect vehicle
has turned left onto Riverside Drive
and is now proceeding westbound.
We have him in sight.
[Radio: Dispatcher]
Roger, 1-K-80.
Who's that he's got in the front seat?
It's a woman.
Doesn't look like Janet Ohrmund.
No.
She's a blonde.
1-K-80, 1-K-80.
[Radio: Dispatcher]
1-K-80, go ahead.
Suspect has a woman
in the car with him.
Could be second female victim,
Adele Vincent.
She's in the right front.
Roger, 1-K-80.
Is anybody
checking the Vincent house?
They're doing it now.
1-K-80, roger.
He's probably going
onto the freeway at Laurel Canyon.
Well, let's get up there.
He turned right.
Colfax Avenue.
1-K-80, 1-K-80.
1-K-80,
go ahead.
Suspect vehicle has turned right
onto Colfax Avenue.
Now proceeding northbound.
We will continue west
on Riverside Drive.
Roger, 1-K-80.
Now where is he
heading?
1-K-80.
This is 1-K-80.
Go ahead.
1-K-80, Unit 4-K-32
now has suspect in sight.
Proceeding northbound on Colfax.
Continue northbound
on Laurel Canyon.
Roger.
Unit 1-K-80.
1-K-80. Go ahead.
15-W-9 has checked
the Vincent house.
No one there.
Suspect probably has
both female victims in vehicle.
One in the right front,
the other, Janet Ohrmund,
in the trunk or on the floor in the rear.
Roger, 1-K-80.
All units concerned,
suspect vehicle has turned
left onto Victory,
now westbound.
15-W-8 has vehicle in sight.
1-K-80, roger.
He's heading for
that freeway, all right.
Well, if he gets on it
it's gonna be rough to catch him.
1-K-80, 1-K-80.
1-K-80, go ahead.
We are now proceeding northbound
on Laurel Canyon toward the freeway.
Have other surveillance unit
meet us at Kittridge and St. Clair.
Roger, 1-K-80.
1-K-80.
1-K-80.
Go ahead.
15-W-1 is en route
to your location.
1-K-80 to Control.
Will proceed to freeway.
We will attempt to block
northbound on-ramp at Victory.
Have other unit
block southbound on-ramp.
Roger, 1-K-80.
What do you got in mind?
Let's try to fake
an accident.
[Friday Narrating]
12:34 p.m.
Sergeant Doug Bentley
and his partner, Al Gastaldo,
met us at the corner
of Kittridge and St. Clair.
We decided to block
the freeway on-ramp
just ahead of the suspect
by faking an accident
between two police units.
This would give the officers
in the pursuing vehicles
the best chance
of approaching the suspect
without alarming him
and afford a little more security
for the two women hostages.
Bentley and Gastaldo
drove ahead of us in the left lane.
A t about a hundred feet up on the ramp,
Bentley cut across in front of us.
Bill eased our vehicle into theirs.
Al Gastaldo remained out of sight
in the front seat.
Doug Bentley, Bill and I
got out to inspect the damage
and exchange driver's licenses.
[ Horn Honking]
There he is—third car down.
[Horn Continues Honking]
Sorry. We've had
a little accident up there.
What's going on?
We've had an accident.
We're gonna be late to work.
I'm sorry. I'm on my way
to call a tow truck now.
We've had an accident
up there.
I can see that.
There's nothing else we could do.
That guy cut right in front of us.
- I'm in a hurry!
- You might try swinging out,
backing off the ramp.
Be glad to
watch the traffic for you.
Is Adele all right?
She's fine.
I heard him say
that if she tried to get help
or if she tried to jump out,
he was gonna empty his gun
into the back of the car,
into the trunk at me.
Yes, ma'am.
Are you all right now?
Yeah.
You guys are really
something else, aren't ya?
What do you mean by that?
You sure don't believe in
giving a guy much of a chance.
How much did you
give those two women?
[Friday Narrating]
12:39 p.m.
It was exactly two hours and 22 minutes
from the time we had first
been notified of the crime.
Neither A dele Vincent
nor Janet Ohrmund had been harmed.
The suspect gave his name
as Donald Joe Albers.
He was informed
of his constitutional rights.
1: 1 7 p.m. We took Albers downtown
to Homicide Division.
He made a complete statement
and was booked on 209 P. C.,
kidnapping for the purpose of robbery.
2:03 p.m.
We met in the captain's office
to return the $75,000.
Everyone concerned waited
while the bank manager,
Ray Righetti, counted it.
That's it.
Right to the penny.
You people, all of you,
are to be complimented.
It's a great deal of money
to have been handled by as many
different individuals as it was.
All of those small bills,
and not a dollar short.
I wonder if you'd mind
signing this receipt.
- Not at all.
- Thank you.
[Righetti]
You're a brave woman,
Miss Ohrmund.
I'm glad it all worked out.
- Friday and Gannon here
will run you back to the bank.
- Fine. Thank you, Captain.
Wanna let me
have that receipt, Gannon?
Oh. Yes, sir.
- Better let me have the other one too.
- The other one?
The checkout receipt for the money,
the one you signed at the bank.
You two know
it's departmental policy.
[Clears Throat]
I'll wait for you outside, Joe.
Uh, Skipper, would you
like the door open or closed?
Closed, with you inside.
[Man Narrating]
The story you have just seen is true.
The names were changed
to protect the innocent.
On March 10, trial was held in Department 183,
Superior Court of the State of California,
in and for the County of Los Angeles.
In a moment, the results of that trial.
The suspect was found guilty
on two counts of kidnapping
for the purpose of robbery.
[Friday Narrating]
This is the city— Los Angeles, California.
A lot of people earn a living here,
and there are a lot of ways to do it.
Some of them have jobs
that weren't even thought of
five years ago.
Some of them are learning jobs
guaranteed to be obsolete
in another five.
A few work in
the cleanest places on Earth,
and a few don't.
They all have one thing in common—
it takes a day's work to get a day's pay.
Not everybody buys the idea.
There are a lot of ways around it.
When somebody tries
a shortcut with a gun,
then it becomes my job.
I carry a badge.
It was Thursday, December 15.
It was cool in Los Angeles.
We were working the day watch
out of Homicide.
The boss is Captain Hugh Brown.
My partner's Bill Gannon.
My name's Friday.
We received a phone call
from the city's largest bank.
They had a woman
at one of their branches.
She had a problem.
We had to try and solve it.
[Man Narrating]
The story you are about to see is true.
The names have been changed
to protect the innocent.
[Friday Narrating]
10: 1 7 a.m.
Bill and I left P.A. B.
and took the Hollywood Freeway
toward Lankershim Boulevard.
It took us 18 minutes
to get to the Universal City branch
of the Bank of America.
We identified ourselves
to the branch manager, Ray Righetti.
Righetti explained he had asked the woman
to wait in the conference room.
I wanted as little fuss
here in the bank as possible.
- You understand?
- Yes, sir, we understand.
She didn't want to at first,
but I told her the only thing to do
was to call you people.
- Does she have an account here?
- I think she just came
to the first bank she saw.
This way, please.
Miss Ohrmund,
this is Sergeant Friday,
Officer Gannon.
How do you do,
Miss Ohrmund?
Won't you sit down, please?
I don't know what good you can do.
He's got Miss Vincent.
He's got a gun pointed right at her.
- Could we have your full name?
- Janet Ohrmund.
And your address.
211 Central Park South,
New York City.
O-H-R-M-U-N-D.
Everybody
spells it wrong.
Thank you.
Tell us about it, please.
Well, I guess it was
about 8:30 this morning.
The doorbell rang, and I went to get it
right away before they could ring again
and wake Miss Vincent.
I'd been up for a while.
I couldn't sleep.
I only flew in yesterday afternoon.
I guess I'm still on New York time.
Takes a while to get adjusted.
Well, anyway, I—
I opened the door a little ways,
and there was this young fellow.
Before I could say anything,
he poked a gun in through a crack in the door
and made me let him in.
He said if I did anything cute,
he'd kill me.
- Is that the way he said it?
- His exact words.
Then he made me take him back
to Miss Vincent's bedroom and wake her up.
- You told him she was there?
- Oh, no. He knew it was her house.
He said, "Where's Adele Vincent?
She's the one I want."
Everybody knows her, of course.
Adele Vincent Cosmetics.
My wife has
a small bottle of cologne.
It's a very expensive line.
It's in all the finest shops and salons.
- Then what happened?
- He took us back into the living room
and made us sit on the couch.
He had the gun pointed at us
all the time.
Told Miss Vincent that if she didn't
give him $75,000, he'd kill her.
I tried to tell him it's not easy
to get that much in cash together,
but he said he knew
she had more than that
and that she spends
that much every year on clothes.
She doesn't, of course.
She gets everything at a discount.
Well, anyway, we talked about it
for a few minutes.
Then, just before 10:00, he told me to—
to go out and get the money.
He said,
"Go to a bank or someplace."
Well, he said that I have to be
back with it by 12:00 noon,
or he's going to kill her.
- And he's holding her now?
- He certainly is.
May I have the address, please?
10328 Toluca Lake Avenue.
- Is there anybody else in the house?
- No.
- Can you give us a description of the man?
- Do we have to go through all this rigamarole?
- Yes, ma'am, I'm afraid we do.
- Well, it's using up valuable time.
Well, he's, um—
he's about 5-foot-9
or 10 inches tall.
He's, uh, not bad-looking.
Heavyset.
He weighs somewhere
between 170, maybe 180 pounds.
He's, uh—
He has dark hair.
He's maybe 23,
24 years old.
He looked clean.
At least he shaved this morning.
- Did he ever refer to himself by name?
- No.
Any identifying marks or scars?
No.
Initials on his clothes,
anything like that?
No.
How's he dressed?
Well, he has on a green slipover shirt
with short sleeves.
Um, it's a
dark color—
hunter green, I think.
Uh, Dacron.
And then he has on, um, slacks.
They're gabardine, cocoa brown.
Uh, fairly expensive.
I guess for out here
you'd say he's well-dressed.
- You're staying with Miss Vincent?
- That's right.
- You're a friend of hers?
- No, I work for her. I thought I told you that.
I've been with her for 11 years.
I run her New York salon.
- Can you describe her?
- Well, she's lovely, of course.
She's taller than I am.
She's, uh, maybe 5-foot-6
in her stocking feet.
She's 34 years old.
She's blonde, fair.
- A brilliant woman.
- And you're out here on business?
Sergeant, I told this gentleman—
I-I'm sorry.
Righetti.
I—I guess you can see
how upset I am.
I told Mr. Righetti
that I'd let him call you
because he said I couldn't
get the money unless he did.
That's the only thing
that's important right now—the money.
These questions can wait.
- I'm afraid they can't, ma'am.
This is just routine.
- It's perfectly ridiculous.
- You said it yourself, Miss Ohrmund.
- What?
It's not easy
to get this much money.
Do you have any identification,
Miss Ohrmund?
Oh, I see.
Well, I'm not a crank
or anything like that.
- I guess you do come up against them.
- Yes, ma'am, we do, on occasion.
Here is my driver's license,
my Social Security card,
my library card,
my credit cards.
You see, Miss Vincent
has 14 salons around the country.
The main office is here, of course.
Once a year, each of her managers
has to come out and spend
three or four days with her.
That's why I'm here.
I don't mind telling you it's no picnic.
She goes over your entire operation
with a fine-tooth comb
all day and half the night.
Sometimes I have a headache the whole time
till I get back on the plane again,
the way she orders you around—
fix coffee for her, things like that.
- Why didn't you go to the main office?
- Well, it's downtown.
- I hardly know how to get there.
- Could have telephoned.
Well, they wouldn't have
$75,000 in cash on hand.
- They have a bank.
- Well, I don't know.
All I could think of was to hurry.
I'd seen this place when I was passing by,
and so I came here.
Mr. Righetti, I wonder if you have
a private phone we might use.
- Yes. There's one outside, just to your left.
- Thank you. Excuse us.
Sergeant?
Yes, ma'am?
I guess it's important that you have
all this information exactly correct.
- Yes, ma'am.
- Well, don't say where you heard it,
but, uh, Miss Vincent
really isn't as young as I am.
She's 37 if she's a day.
Joe. You think
she's telling the truth?
Yeah, I do.
[Friday Narrating]
I reported the information
we had to Captain Brown.
He agreed we had to accept
Miss Ohrmund's story.
He recommended that we make
no attempt to move in on the house
or to arrest the suspect
until we had done everything we could
for the safety of Miss Vincent, the hostage.
The captain also decided
we should try to get the money
and deliver it to the suspect.
It was just possible
he'd release the two women.
10:57 a.m.
We continued questioning Miss Ohrmund.
He wants the money in old 10s and 20s—
no consecutive serial numbers.
- What kind of car did he drive?
- I'm pretty sure he walked to the house.
Did he say what he was gonna do
after he gets the money,
how he was gonna leave?
- No.
- Are there cars at the house?
Yes, Miss Vincent has two cars.
A white Mercedes-Benz
and a gold Imperial
with a black vinyl top.
- I don't suppose you know the license numbers.
- The Mercedes is outside. I drove it here.
Are they registered
to Adele Vincent?
I don't think so. They're probably owned
by the firm. It's a tax thing.
They must have
a record of it downtown.
Could you call and get
the license number of the Imperial for us?
- I'll try.
- [ Phone Ringing]
Use mine,
Miss Ohrmund.
Right this way.
Gannon.
Right here.
It's the skipper.
[Friday Narrating]
Captain Brown contacted
Police Chief Thad Brown.
The chief agreed we should try to
get the suspect to release
the two women he was holding
before we attempted
to make an arrest.
We were authorized
to make arrangements with the bank
to borrow $75,000
in used 10 and 20-dollar bills.
1 1:04 a.m.
I asked Mr. Righetti to find out
how quickly we could get the money
and what the procedure was.
He said it wouldn't be that easy.
We don't have
that much surplus cash.
I don't understand.
We hardly ever
carry that much extra.
None of the branches do.
We don't have any call for it.
We do now. Is there
someplace you can get it?
The central cash vault.
Would you see
what you can do?
It'll take time, Sergeant.
That's something
we don't have much of.
Here's what's happening.
The skipper's called
the North Hollywood Division,
getting one of their area maps.
He's keeping all the black-and-white units
away from the house,
out of the area altogether.
Nobody's to make any direct mention
on the air about the kidnapping
or what's happening,
handling all communications about it
by telephone.
They've alerted six detective units so far.
They're probably calling in now.
They'll cover the roads away from the house,
try to pick him up when he leaves.
Skipper got Ed Parker at home.
It's his day off.
He's got this panel truck—
Yeah, I know.
He'll be Mobile Unit One.
Hoyt Porter and Bob Hunt
have their own rifles.
They've gone home to get 'em.
Bob's taking a walkie-talkie.
They'll be Outpost One.
[Friday Narrating]
1 1: 10 a.m.
Janet Ohrmund got the license number
of Adele Vincent's 1966 Imperial.
1 1:47 a.m. We continued questioning
Miss Ohrmund about the suspect.
No, the one he has is much larger,
and it's shiny— it's chrome-plated.
- Nickel-plated.
- Which hand is he holding it in?
Right hand. He kept pulling
this thing back with his thumb.
It's the hammer.
I'm getting awfully worried.
It's almost 12:00.
Everybody's doing the best they can,
Miss Ohrmund.
Did he say anything
about an accomplice?
- Somebody waiting for him
with a car, maybe?
- No.
Can you think of anything else he said,
anything he did that might be important to us?
Just as I was going out,
he said not to try anything funny.
- Are those the words he used?
- No.
He said, "I know you're going to try
something funny, but it won't do you
any good, because I'll kill her if you do."
Sergeant Friday,
the money's here.
Henderson.
Good morning.
This way.
What's going on?
Everybody's acting like
it's a matter of life and death.
It is.
[Friday Narrating] 1 1:5 1 a.m.
There were nine minutes left.
How much more time?
- Let's go.
- Joe, I haven't even got
20 of these serials.
Yeah, I know. Now, Miss Ohrmund,
we think he may take one of the cars.
He may leave both of you in the house.
He may take you with him.
We don't know for sure
what he's gonna do.
- We'll have your house
under surveillance at all times.
- I understand.
He may kill us both.
You don't have to say it.
Don't you worry.
We won't let that happen.
I'll do it.
I told Miss Vincent I would.
- Ready?
- Yeah.
Let's go.
Oh! My driver's license.
- Did you give it back to me?
- Yes, ma'am.
We'll follow you part of the way,
Miss Ohrmund.
I don't like her, you know.
Not a bit. Never have.
I'm scared. If you asked me,
I couldn't tell you
why I'm doing this.
Well, you've worked for her
a long time.
Yes.
Habit. That might have
something to do with it.
Sergeant, that's a hell of a lot of money.
Suppose she's not telling the truth.
Suppose she is.
[Friday Narrating]
1 1:56 a.m.
We drove from the bank
and proceeded to Toluca Lake A venue.
We followed Miss Ohrmund's car
toward the Vincent home.
We turned off Toluca Lake A venue
at the 10000 block
and Miss Ohrmund proceeded alone.
We were two and a half blocks
from the Vincent home.
It was as close as we could get
without being seen from the house.
1 1:59 a.m.
We waited.
[Radio: Dispatcher]
All units concerned.
Outpost One reports
a white 1966 Mercedes sedan,
license George-Adam-Nora 589,
has pulled into Vincent driveway.
A woman carrying a briefcase,
or a small suitcase,
has entered the residence.
You know,
we didn't count that money.
Yeah, I know.
Wasn't time.
Something else—
you didn't sign for it either.
What do you mean, I didn't sign for it?
Why didn't you?
It's your baby, Joe.
I know, but, partner,
remember, it's 5-0, 5-0.
I sure wish
we'd counted that money
and you'd signed for it.
Sam-Henry-Adam 501.
That's the Imperial.
Give him a minute.
Let's go.
[ Engine Starts]
1-K-80, 1-K-80.
[Radio: Dispatcher]
1-K-80, go ahead.
1-K-80. We are proceeding
northbound on Toluca Lake Avenue
approaching the 10800 block.
Suspect vehicle in sight
half a block behind us.
It is a gold 1966 Imperial
with a black vinyl top,
license: Sam-Henry-Adam 501.
[Radio: Dispatcher]
Roger, 1-K-80.
Let him close up
a little now.
1-K-80. Suspect vehicle
has turned left onto Riverside Drive
and is now proceeding westbound.
We have him in sight.
[Radio: Dispatcher]
Roger, 1-K-80.
Who's that he's got in the front seat?
It's a woman.
Doesn't look like Janet Ohrmund.
No.
She's a blonde.
1-K-80, 1-K-80.
[Radio: Dispatcher]
1-K-80, go ahead.
Suspect has a woman
in the car with him.
Could be second female victim,
Adele Vincent.
She's in the right front.
Roger, 1-K-80.
Is anybody
checking the Vincent house?
They're doing it now.
1-K-80, roger.
He's probably going
onto the freeway at Laurel Canyon.
Well, let's get up there.
He turned right.
Colfax Avenue.
1-K-80, 1-K-80.
1-K-80,
go ahead.
Suspect vehicle has turned right
onto Colfax Avenue.
Now proceeding northbound.
We will continue west
on Riverside Drive.
Roger, 1-K-80.
Now where is he
heading?
1-K-80.
This is 1-K-80.
Go ahead.
1-K-80, Unit 4-K-32
now has suspect in sight.
Proceeding northbound on Colfax.
Continue northbound
on Laurel Canyon.
Roger.
Unit 1-K-80.
1-K-80. Go ahead.
15-W-9 has checked
the Vincent house.
No one there.
Suspect probably has
both female victims in vehicle.
One in the right front,
the other, Janet Ohrmund,
in the trunk or on the floor in the rear.
Roger, 1-K-80.
All units concerned,
suspect vehicle has turned
left onto Victory,
now westbound.
15-W-8 has vehicle in sight.
1-K-80, roger.
He's heading for
that freeway, all right.
Well, if he gets on it
it's gonna be rough to catch him.
1-K-80, 1-K-80.
1-K-80, go ahead.
We are now proceeding northbound
on Laurel Canyon toward the freeway.
Have other surveillance unit
meet us at Kittridge and St. Clair.
Roger, 1-K-80.
1-K-80.
1-K-80.
Go ahead.
15-W-1 is en route
to your location.
1-K-80 to Control.
Will proceed to freeway.
We will attempt to block
northbound on-ramp at Victory.
Have other unit
block southbound on-ramp.
Roger, 1-K-80.
What do you got in mind?
Let's try to fake
an accident.
[Friday Narrating]
12:34 p.m.
Sergeant Doug Bentley
and his partner, Al Gastaldo,
met us at the corner
of Kittridge and St. Clair.
We decided to block
the freeway on-ramp
just ahead of the suspect
by faking an accident
between two police units.
This would give the officers
in the pursuing vehicles
the best chance
of approaching the suspect
without alarming him
and afford a little more security
for the two women hostages.
Bentley and Gastaldo
drove ahead of us in the left lane.
A t about a hundred feet up on the ramp,
Bentley cut across in front of us.
Bill eased our vehicle into theirs.
Al Gastaldo remained out of sight
in the front seat.
Doug Bentley, Bill and I
got out to inspect the damage
and exchange driver's licenses.
[ Horn Honking]
There he is—third car down.
[Horn Continues Honking]
Sorry. We've had
a little accident up there.
What's going on?
We've had an accident.
We're gonna be late to work.
I'm sorry. I'm on my way
to call a tow truck now.
We've had an accident
up there.
I can see that.
There's nothing else we could do.
That guy cut right in front of us.
- I'm in a hurry!
- You might try swinging out,
backing off the ramp.
Be glad to
watch the traffic for you.
Is Adele all right?
She's fine.
I heard him say
that if she tried to get help
or if she tried to jump out,
he was gonna empty his gun
into the back of the car,
into the trunk at me.
Yes, ma'am.
Are you all right now?
Yeah.
You guys are really
something else, aren't ya?
What do you mean by that?
You sure don't believe in
giving a guy much of a chance.
How much did you
give those two women?
[Friday Narrating]
12:39 p.m.
It was exactly two hours and 22 minutes
from the time we had first
been notified of the crime.
Neither A dele Vincent
nor Janet Ohrmund had been harmed.
The suspect gave his name
as Donald Joe Albers.
He was informed
of his constitutional rights.
1: 1 7 p.m. We took Albers downtown
to Homicide Division.
He made a complete statement
and was booked on 209 P. C.,
kidnapping for the purpose of robbery.
2:03 p.m.
We met in the captain's office
to return the $75,000.
Everyone concerned waited
while the bank manager,
Ray Righetti, counted it.
That's it.
Right to the penny.
You people, all of you,
are to be complimented.
It's a great deal of money
to have been handled by as many
different individuals as it was.
All of those small bills,
and not a dollar short.
I wonder if you'd mind
signing this receipt.
- Not at all.
- Thank you.
[Righetti]
You're a brave woman,
Miss Ohrmund.
I'm glad it all worked out.
- Friday and Gannon here
will run you back to the bank.
- Fine. Thank you, Captain.
Wanna let me
have that receipt, Gannon?
Oh. Yes, sir.
- Better let me have the other one too.
- The other one?
The checkout receipt for the money,
the one you signed at the bank.
You two know
it's departmental policy.
[Clears Throat]
I'll wait for you outside, Joe.
Uh, Skipper, would you
like the door open or closed?
Closed, with you inside.
[Man Narrating]
The story you have just seen is true.
The names were changed
to protect the innocent.
On March 10, trial was held in Department 183,
Superior Court of the State of California,
in and for the County of Los Angeles.
In a moment, the results of that trial.
The suspect was found guilty
on two counts of kidnapping
for the purpose of robbery.