Category Archives: LAPD

May 14, 1909: Man Swallows Carbolic Acid on Streetcar, Battles Conductor Before Dying

Posted on May 14, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 14, 1909: A man swallows carbolic acid on a streetcar, smashes windows and battles the conductor and motorman before dying. Continue reading →

Posted in 1909, Front Pages, LAPD, Suicide, Transportation | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Black Dahlia: Teaser for Video Disproving Alleged Dahlia-Zodiac Link and ‘Cracking’ Zodiac’s Z13

Posted on May 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

YouTube teaser for David Oranchak’s video refuting Alex Baber’s claims that he has “solved” Zodiac’s Z13 cipher, and linked the Black Dahlia and Zodiac cases. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Black Dahlia Book Club – Coming May 19, 2026

Posted on May 12, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: I will discuss Jack Webb’s 1958 book “The Badge” and the “Dragnet” radio show in the next session of the Black Dahlia Book Club, Tuesday, May 19, at 10 a.m. Pacific time at http://www.youtube.com/@lmharnisch/streams Continue reading →

Posted in Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

May 12, 1908: Stanford Officials Open Unmarked Graves

Posted on May 12, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 12: 1908: “The Christ Kid” gets his nickname from posing as a preacher to the homeless whenever police are looking for him. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1908, Front Pages, LAPD | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

May 9, 1907: Shriners Present a Colorful Array

Posted on May 9, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 9, 1907: The Shriners convention in Los Angeles was a huge gathering, it’s why Shrine Auditorium (the original, later destroyed in a fire) was built. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

May 7, 1938: Remembering Jack Parsons

Posted on May 7, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 7, 1938: Jack Parsons displays his re-creation of the pipe bomb used in the Harry Raymond bombing. In 1952, Parsons was fatally injured by an explosion in his garage. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, City Hall, LAPD, Science | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

May 6, 1944: Woman’s Body Found in Trunk at Union Station

Posted on May 6, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 6, 1944: A trunk wrapped with wire and tied with rope arrives at Union Station, where people notice that it is leaking — and smells. Sent to the repair department for inspection, the trunk was opened, revealing a woman’s body wrapped in a sheet. Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Crime and Courts, LAPD | Tagged , , | Comments Off on May 6, 1944: Woman’s Body Found in Trunk at Union Station

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, May 2026

Posted on May 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

The Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case for May 2026, focusing on whether the LAPD will release its files on the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

Posted in Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, May 2026

May 1, 1907: Runaway Horses and a Fleeing Motorcyclist on the Dangerous Streets of L.A.

Posted on May 1, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 1, 1907: Miss Gertrude Young, who lives at No. 525 Wall St., was knocked down by a motorcycle yesterday as she stepped from a streetcar at 7th and Hope streets. The rider of the machine hastened away. Miss Young was taken to the Clara Barton Hospital. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, City Hall, Education, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on May 1, 1907: Runaway Horses and a Fleeing Motorcyclist on the Dangerous Streets of L.A.

April 29, 1891: ‘The Chinese Murder,’

Posted on April 29, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 29, 1891: The Times reports the death of a Chinese woman named Ah Gue/Goot Gue, who was shot in the abdomen by her husband, Wong Ark/Gam Duck, outside a brothel on Apablasa Street. Ark allegedly killed Gue because she didn’t give him all the money he wanted for gambling. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1891, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Comments Off on April 29, 1891: ‘The Chinese Murder,’

April 29, 1907: Blanche Hall Draws Crowds to Burbank Theater in ‘When Knighthood Was in Flower’

Posted on April 29, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 29, 1907: Blanche Hall’s performance of ‘When Knighthood Was in Flower’ draws a mile-long line of people hoping to buy tickets at the Burbank Theater at Main and 6th Street. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1910, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, LAPD, Streetcars, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on April 29, 1907: Blanche Hall Draws Crowds to Burbank Theater in ‘When Knighthood Was in Flower’

Reminder — My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is May 5

Posted on April 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: My Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case will be next Tuesday, May 5, at 10 a.m. at https://www.youtube.com/@lmharnisch/streams Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Ask Me Anything, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Reminder — My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is May 5

April 27, 1907: Man Badly Injured in Attack by Mule

Posted on April 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 27, 1907: W.S. Stanton was attacked by a vicious mule at the California Truck Company’s stables last night and seriously injured. When he attempted to take the harness off the animal it leaped to one side and kicked him on the thigh, knocking him down, then walked over him, cutting and lacerating the calves of his legs. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Animals, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Immigration, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on April 27, 1907: Man Badly Injured in Attack by Mule

Voices — Christine Collins, April 23, 1931

Posted on April 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 23, 1931: Walter Collins is “in good condition,” a prison report says. Collins was the husband of Christine Collins, whose story inspired the Clint Eastwood movie “Changeling.” Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1931, Changeling, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Comments Off on Voices — Christine Collins, April 23, 1931

Black Dahlia Book Club for April 2026

Posted on April 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

In the fourth installment of the Black Dahlia Book Club, I looked at the portrayal of Elizabeth Short’s murder in early crime anthologies leading up to Jack Webb’s “The Badge” in 1958. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, books, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

April 20, 2008: Club Mecca Firebombing Victims Remembered

Posted on April 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 20, 2008: Remembering the victims of the Club Mecca Firebombing. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1957, Homicide, LAPD | Comments Off on April 20, 2008: Club Mecca Firebombing Victims Remembered

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, April 2026

Posted on April 14, 2026 by lmharnisch

In this session of the Black Dahlia Ask Me Anything, I address some of the claims in Michael Connelly’s 10-part podcast “Killer in the Code,” claiming a solution in the Black Dahlia and Zodiac cases. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, April 2026

Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is April 14

Posted on March 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: The Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case is a week later than usual, April 14, 2026, at YouTube.com/LMHarnisch at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is April 14

March 30, 1938: Times Opposes U.S. Haven for Jewish Refugees Fleeing Hitler

Posted on March 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 30, 1938: Los Angeles Times opposes U.S. haven for Jewish refugees fleeing Hitler. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1938, City Hall, Downtown, Front Pages, LAPD, Religion, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on March 30, 1938: Times Opposes U.S. Haven for Jewish Refugees Fleeing Hitler

November 12, 1960: Former Mirror Writer Beaten to Death – Update

Posted on March 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

Revisiting a cold case from 1960: The hammer murder of reporter/rewrite man Roby Heard. Continue reading →

Posted in Homicide, LAPD, Obituaries | Comments Off on November 12, 1960: Former Mirror Writer Beaten to Death – Update