In the wild post-WWII streets of Los Angeles, suitcase snatchers were wreaking havoc at Union Station—until a clever detective and an unsuspecting bobcat teamed up for one of the most unforgettable sting operations in LAPD history. This true tale, straight from Police Pranks, Jokes, and Other Stories Not Suitable for Children from Richard “Buz” Williams, is as wild as it sounds…
1: The Suitcase Surprise
A year or so after the end of World War II, some passengers waiting for buses or taxis at Union Station near downtown Los Angeles had their suitcases stolen from the curb. If the victim, often recently a released soldier or sailor with separation pay in their luggage, was temporarily distracted or had fallen asleep on the bus bench, a vehicle, usually containing two, but often three or four suspects, would drive up and snatch the suitcase and drive off. Stakeouts and other usual methods were unsuccessful in capturing the thieves.
Con Keeler, one of the detectives of the newly formed “Gangster Squad,” had connections with the California State Department of Fish and Game. One of the Fish and Game officers had trapped a live bobcat in a farming area outside the city. Keeler obtained this bobcat and gingerly placed it in a suitcase. A block away, Keeler and some of the other Squad members were watching through binoculars. One of the detectives staggered up to the bus bench and placed the booby trapped, or rather bobcat trapped suitcase next to the bench. He sat down and, after a few minutes, let his chin drop to his chest feigning sleep.
Within ten minutes, a four-door sedan containing four male subjects pulled just past the bus stop. With the motor running the man in the right rear seat got out of the car, grabbed the suitcase, and threw it in the backseat, following it in. The car took off at a high rate of speed. Half a block later the sedan went into a four-wheel skid. All four doors opened and all four suspects went sprinting in four different directions. Con told me that the bobcat jumped out of the car and walked slowly down the street. The car was impounded as an abandoned vehicle. No arrests were made in this case, but the suitcase snatches at Union Station never reoccurred.
If you enjoyed this wild little slice of police history, there’s plenty more where that came from. Police Pranks is packed with true tales from the LAPD that range from clever to downright absurd.
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