NEW YORK GRIME WAVE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20959, 24 August 1931, Page 9

NEW YORK GRIME WAVE.

SIX PEOPLE KILLED.

BANDITS FIRE ON CAR.

FIGHTING IN STREETS.

KEEN PUBLIC INDIGNATION.

MASS MEETING CALLED.

By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright

(Received August 22, 5.5 p.m.) NEW YORK, August 22

The crime wave reached its climax yesterday when gang warfare flared up in five places in the metropolitan area. Two policemen were shot dead, a child killed, mx policemen wounded, three robbers killed arid 15 citizens, wounded.

Three of the injured persons, a policeman, a taxicab driver, and a boy of 13, are now in a critical condition, and likely to die.

The outrages were renewed in the district whore the bandits recently fired into a crowd, killing a child. To-day three robbers raided the Mendoza 1' ur Company's premises, and killed a patrolman who was guarding the pay-roll, which they failed to capture. It amounted to £920.

When they were speeding away the bandits fired on a motor-car carrying a woman, an infant and a fireman, whom the bandits mistook for a policeman. All were badly injured, as the robbers raked the car with a machine-gun. The child died later.

The bandits were brought to bay in the Bronx, after shooting another patrolman, and two of them were killed. All the police reserves were called out.

The dead bandits have been identified as belonging to law-abiding families living in New York. They were 20 years old.

More than 1000 bullets were exchanged in the battle, which extended over 12 miles of streets. The citizens are aroused to an intense pitch. The officers of the American Legion have offered to mobilise 30,000 ex-servicemen, to aid the police in patrolling the streets. A public mass meeting has been called to demand the end of the reign of terror. The New York American, in a black, leaded front-page article, says: "Citizens of New York, this may be tho fate of any of you, unless you band together to put an end to the terrorism of crime. Every man and woman in the city should attend the monster mass meeting tomorrow evening in Central Park." The newspaper adds: "The President, ISTr. Hoover, is shocked at the story of widespread slaughter. He has directed an immediate investigation by Federal detectives.

"Mr. Walter Ferguson, chief of the Secret Service, Eastern Division, has been directed to proceed to New York to cooperate with the police. Officials of the Federal Departmont of Justico have also been designated to investigate the situation."

Far-reaching changes in tho Now York Police Department's signal and patrol system, with the introduction of radioequipped motor-cars for rapid concentration at any part of tho city, have been announced by tho acting-Mayor, Mr. McKee, as the result of yesterday's experience.