Evening star., 1937-12-18
D. c. BANDIT DYING
AFTER GUN BATTLE
Police Seek Second HoId-up
Man Believed Wounded
at Police Trap.

One bandit was believed dying today
and his wounded companion was being
sought after q gun battle in liquor
store between the hold-up men and q
precinct detective assigned to special
duty as police sought to put down q
serious crime wave.
Detective Robert v. Murray pumped
five shots into the body of a colored
bandit and wounded his companion in
the attempted hold-up OF the Harvard
Liquor Store at 1901 Sherman avenue
NV. The bandits fired back and
wounded Jacob Stearman, an employe
Of the store.
The store had been held-up on sew
eral occasions in recent months and
Detective Murray was assigned there
to watch for the return of the bandits
Mr.. Stearman, Detective Murray
and Samuel Mostow, another employe,
were in the store when the two
bandits entered shortly before II
o'clock. The officer was concealed in
the rear Of the store.
Murray Demands Surrender.
The two bandits produced revolvers
and ordered Mr.. Mostow and Mr..
Stearmap to stick 'em up" Officer
Murray ran from behind a partition,
gun in hand. He called to the hold
up men to surrender. but one re-
sponded by leveling his gun.
Detective Murray knocked the gun
down and it exploded, the bullet pass
ing into the floor near his feet. The
officer then began shooting. The bull
lets took effect in the bandits scalp
left chest, left shoulder, left arm and
left thigh. The latter shot broke the
mans leg.
Both bandits then ran. The one hit
five times fell on the sidewalk and the
other got to an automobile parked at
the curb and operated by a con-
federate, who drove away. Detective
Murray said the second bandit ran
bent over, as If he might have received
q bullet in the abdomen.
Police canvassed the city's hospitals
and broadcast lookout to doctors to
report to them If the injured bandit
showed up for treatment. His COM
panion, who first gave the name OF
Dan Johnson and later was identified
as George Robinson, "a, was believed
dying today at Freedmen's Hospital,
where he was taken in a patrol wagon.
Stearman's Wound Not Serious.
Mr.. Stearman was treated for a
flesh wound in the right thigh at
GARFIELD Hospital and later sent home
He was not thought to be seriously
hurt.
Shortly before the shooting, the same
bandits walked into the store of Joseph
N. Levy at 909 Quincy street NV.
and forced him at pistol point to hand
over $l33. The two hold-up men were
driven from the scene by an accom-
plice.
Meanwhile, some $50 policemen who
were on day duty yesterday were
pressed into emergency service after
they were supposed to be relieved at
pm The extra men were put to
work guarding stores where bandits
were likely to strike and directing the
heavy holiday traffic.
Inspector L. I. H. Edwards said the
extra force will be kept on only few
days during the rush season, but the
plan may be resorted to later If it i
effective in putting down crime.
Inspector Bernard W. Thompson
announced late yesterday that four
suspects have been captured in con-
nection with the $4,000 robbery on
october l8 Of q Peoples drug store
messenger and the $3.50 robbery OF
Schneider's Restaurant on Eleventh
street NV. last February.
Bond Set at $4,000.
William S. Bradley. colored, OF
Arlington, Va, was being held under
s25,000 bond in connection with the
hold-up Of the messenger, as was
another colored suspect in New York
City.
A colored man was returned here
the first Of the week for questioning
In the robbery Of the restaurant and
another was being held at Charlotte
N. C..
Two white bandits last night forced
themselves into the automobile Of Lex
S. Gunerman, 20, of Arlington, Va.
when Gunerman stopped for q rec
light at Seventeenth street and Penn.
sylvania avenue NV. The motorist
reported they made him drive alonf
the Mount Vernon boulevard and neal
Alexandria robbed him of $37 and q
watch valued at $25.
Returning toward washington, thu
bandits ordered Mr.. Gunerman from
his automobile near the airport. The,
drove off in the car after telling thei,
victim he would find his automobile
near Twelfth and Water streets S.W
The car was not where they said II
would be, however.
Frank w. Biondi of 903 North Caro-
lima avenue Sc. reported to police
early today that a youth whom he
took into his taxicab downtown last
night drew q gun on him at Thirty
fourth and M streets Sc. and forced
him from the cab. The youth, de-
scribed as about 18 years of age, then
drove away in the taxicab II had NOT