The Big Bop

Originally Aired: September 1, 1953

Dragnet #211, "The Big Bop," Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith investigate a series of holdups that have plagued Los Angeles for three weeks. A lone gunman has been systematically robbing check cashing agencies and small stores at gunpoint, taking only paper currency and leaving no fingerprints. When they arrive at the Harrison Check Cashing Agency on Alvarado and Catalina Street, they encounter the talkative owner Abel Harrison, who has just been robbed of approximately $1,500. Despite his rambling about a sleepless night caused by a noisy neighbor, Harrison provides a detailed description of the suspect: a man around 5'8" to 5'10", 150 pounds, wearing Levi's and a brown leather jacket with a fur collar.

As Friday patiently extracts information from the verbose victim, some curious details emerge. The suspect wore glasses that appeared to be plain glass rather than prescription lenses, and sported a red mustache that seemed oddly out of place with his dark hair and eyebrows. Harrison believes both the glasses and mustache are disguises. The robber carried two wrinkled paper bags for the money and made his victim lie on the floor and count to 100 before leaving, threatening to return if Harrison moved.

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