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A BYTE OUT OF HISTORY The Patty Hearst Kidnapping |
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02/04/09 | ||||||||||
Why’d they snatch Hearst? To get the country’s attention, primarily. Hearst was from a wealthy, powerful family—her grandfather was the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. The SLA’s plan worked and worked well: the kidnapping stunned the country and made front-page national news.
Meanwhile, the FBI had launched one of the most massive, agent-intensive searches in its history to find Hearst and stop the SLA. Working with many partners, the Bureau ran down thousands of leads. But with the SLA frightening potential informants into silence, using good operational security, and relying on an organized network of safe houses, it was tough going. A break came in Los Angeles. On May 16, two SLA members tried to steal an ammunition belt from a local store and were nearly caught. The getaway van was discovered, which led authorities to an SLA safe house. The next day, it was surrounded by L.A. police. A massive shootout ensued and the building went up in flames. Six members of the SLA died in the blaze, including DeFreeze. But where was Hearst? She and several others had escaped and began traveling around the country to avoid capture. FBI agents, though, were close behind. Hearst was finally captured in San Francisco on September 18, 1975, and charged with bank robbery and other crimes. Her trial was as sensational as the chase. Despite claims of brainwashing, the jury found her guilty, and she was sentenced to seven years in prison. She served two years before President Carter commuted her sentence. She was later pardoned. And the rest of the SLA? The FBI caught up with them all. The last two members were arrested in 1999 and 2002. Case closed. Resources: - More History stories - FBI History website |
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