Battle of Sunset Strip
| Battle of Sunset Strip | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | June 21, 1947 – February 23, 1956 | ||
| Location | Los Angeles | ||
| Causes | Crime syndicate control dispute | ||
| Result | Cohen's faction victory | ||
| Parties to the civil conflict | |||
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| Lead figures | |||
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The Battle of Sunset Strip was a conflict between the two Los Angeles underworld bosses—Mickey Cohen and Jack Dragna—after the murder of their boss Benjamin Siegel on June 20, 1947.
Even though Cohen had more soldiers and allies on his side, including the Chicago Outfit and the Luciano crime family, he suffered heavier casualties than Dragna and was losing the war. Even though he had more men and allies, the only reason why Cohen was able to win, was because Dragna died of a heart attack on February 23, 1956.
Background
Death of Siegel
On June 20, 1947, an assailant fired at him through the window with a .30 caliber military M1 carbine, hitting him many times, including twice in the head.[1] The only witness in the same room as Siegel was longtime associate and friend Allen Smiley; Virginia Hill's brother, Charles "Chick", was upstairs when the murder happened.
War
After the murder of Siegel, Cohen was the obvious heir to his criminal empire. But, Dragna had other plans; he started moving in on Cohen's territory. When Cohen blockade L.A., Dragna was caught in it and he declared war.
Assassinations and retaliations
On August 18, 1948, Fratianno used his wife and daughter to set up Cohen at his haberdashery store. Luckily, Cohen was washing his hands in the bathroom, due to a phobia of germs, after shaking Fratianno's hands. As Fratianno left, he signaled Dragna gang members and they rushed into the store. Frank Bompensiero stuck a sawed-off shotgun in Hooky Rothman's face and ordered him to get back into the shop. As two other hitmen ran past him, Rothman swung at the shotgun causing it to go off obliterating his face, killing him instantly.[2]
On July 20, 1949, a failed shooting attempt was made with several people injured: reporter Florabel Muir, Dee David (an actress), Cohen, Harry Cooper (a bodyguard assigned to Cohen by Frederick N. Howser), and Herbert was injured. But, later, Herbert died of his wounds that night.[3][4]
On July 24, 1949, as Cohen pulls into the driveway of his Brentwood home, another attempt on his life is made when he is met with gunfire from hitmen targeting his Cadillac. Cohen narrowly escapes by quickly putting his vehicle into reverse, driving blindly out of his driveway.
On February 6, 1950, another failed attempt on Cohen's life was made when his home in Brentwood fitted with dynamite under Cohen's bedroom exploded, leaving half the house remaining.
On December 2, 1959, Whalen was shot in and killed at Rondelli's in Sherman Oaks by Sam LoCigno, in the presence of Mickey Cohen and three other of his associates.[5] LoCigno was charged but later acquitted of the murder.
End of war and aftermath
On February 23, 1956, Dragna died of a heart attack in his home in Los Angeles. His death meant the end of the war for the Sunset Strip, making Cohen the winner.
In 1961, Cohen was yet again convicted of tax evasion and sent to Alcatraz. He was the only prisoner ever bailed out of Alcatraz; his bond was signed by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren. After the failure of his appeals, he was sent to a state prison in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1972, Cohen was released from the Atlanta State Prison, where he had spoken out against prison abuse. He had been misdiagnosed with an ulcer, which turned out to be stomach cancer.
Cohen died in his sleep in 1976 and is interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.
Factions
There were two factions in the war: the Dragna faction and the Cohen faction.
Dragna's allies included:
Cohen's allies included:
See also
References
- ↑ Smith, John L. (February 7, 1999). "Bugsy". Las Vegas Review Journal.
- ↑ "Frank Bompensiero: San Diego Hit Man, Boss and FBI Informant" Crime Magazine by Allen May
- ↑ Long Beach Independent, July 21, 1949, pp. 1, 32.
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, Gang Guns Wound Cohen. July 20, 1949, p.1
- ↑ Juvenile Delinquency: Hearings before a Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1971. (pg. 3255)