LA: A City Under Siege
In the shadowy streets of 1949 Los Angeles, crime had taken on a new form. The city’s justice system had been deeply compromised by a powerful figure—mobster Mickey Cohen. Once a low-level enforcer from Chicago, Cohen had risen through the ranks to become the undisputed kingpin of the West Coast. His ambition was clear: complete control over California’s criminal underworld.
The Los Angeles Police Department struggled to mount any meaningful resistance. With witnesses silenced, judges bribed, and police officers placed on Cohen’s payroll, law enforcement found itself paralyzed. Legal prosecution proved ineffective, and the grip of corruption tightened with every passing day.
A Hidden Offensive Is Formed
In response to the growing threat, LAPD Chief Bill Parker authorized the creation of a secret task force. This unit would operate outside the boundaries of law and procedure. Badges were discarded, and rules were left behind. Its leader was chosen carefully: Sergeant John O’Mara, a decorated veteran of the Office of Strategic Services during World War II, known for his strategic thinking and unshakeable integrity.
O’Mara’s selection was influenced by his wife, Connie, who also assisted him in assembling the team. The recruits were chosen not for their adherence to standard procedure but for their loyalty, resourcefulness, and bravery. Among them was Detective Jerry Wooters, another veteran of the war, whose attitude was more relaxed but whose aim and instincts were unmatched.
They were joined by Lieutenant Coleman Harris, a blade expert known for his discipline; Conwell Keeler, a wiretap technician and devoted family man; Max Kennard, an aging sharpshooter with a gunslinger’s confidence; and Navidad Ramírez, Kennard’s youthful protégé. Together, they would become an invisible force—an unofficial “Gangster Squad.”
Initial Strikes and Growing Pressure
Operating in the shadows, the squad began disrupting Cohen’s empire piece by piece. Early efforts were met with resistance, including a failed raid on a casino, disrupted by corrupt officers from neighboring jurisdictions. But momentum soon shifted.
A successful operation shut down Cohen’s wire gambling business, one of his most profitable ventures. A daring infiltration into his heavily guarded mansion allowed Keeler to plant a listening device in the back of a television. As the recordings streamed in, Cohen’s empire began to reveal its fractures.
The discovery of the bug led Cohen to suspect betrayal within his ranks. His paranoia resulted in violent retaliation against those closest to him, including Grace Faraday—his etiquette tutor and companion. Grace had become romantically involved with Jerry Wooters, further complicating the situation.
Betrayals and Losses
To protect Grace, Wooters attempted to help her escape Cohen’s grip, seeking assistance from mutual acquaintance Jack Whalen, a gangster with a moral streak. But Cohen’s ruthlessness remained unchecked. After realizing the attacks on his empire were coordinated and that his home had been bugged, he moved decisively.
False intelligence was leaked to lure the Gangster Squad into an ambush in Chinatown. The trap resulted in failure and, more gravely, the death of Keeler, who was executed by a contract killer. The loss brought new urgency to the mission. Shortly thereafter, Grace witnessed the murder of Whalen at the hands of Cohen himself. Motivated by justice and love, she agreed to testify.
Closing In on the Kingpin
With evidence mounting and public tension rising, O’Mara made a bold move. A corrupt judge, Carter, was coerced into signing a warrant for Cohen’s arrest. The final confrontation would take place at the Park Plaza Hotel, where Cohen had entrenched himself with a heavily armed entourage.
The resulting gunfight was brutal and sustained. Members of the squad fought valiantly, with both Wooters and Kennard sustaining injuries. Amid the chaos, Cohen and his enforcer, Karl Lennox, managed to flee. But their escape was short-lived.
O’Mara rammed their car into a decorative fountain in the hotel plaza. A final act of loyalty came from Navidad, who helped a mortally wounded Kennard fire a fatal shot at Lennox. The bodyguard was neutralized. A violent hand-to-hand fight erupted between O’Mara and Cohen in full view of reporters and bystanders.
Cohen, once protected by layers of corruption, was beaten by O’Mara and arrested on the spot.
A Legacy Kept Quiet
The arrest marked the collapse of Cohen’s grip on Los Angeles. Sentenced to life at Alcatraz, he was later attacked by fellow inmates with lead pipes—many of whom had been friends of Jack Whalen.
As for the members of the Gangster Squad, their names and deeds were kept out of the public record. The operation remained classified, its existence officially denied. But its results reshaped the criminal landscape of the city.
Lieutenant Harris and Navidad Ramírez were partnered for routine patrols, a quiet return to normal duty. Wooters continued his relationship with Grace Faraday, the two seeking peace after the violence they had endured. John O’Mara resigned from the LAPD and chose a quieter life with his wife and newborn child, no longer a soldier but a man at peace.