Originally Aired: December 27, 1933
Calling All Cars #5, "Cookie Vejar Killing," takes listeners into the violent world of Prohibition-era bootleggers who turn to armed robbery when legitimate criminal enterprise dries up. Petty whiskey peddler Raleigh McAllister and sailor bootlegger James Rogan find their bootlegging business squeezed by federal crackdowns and police pressure. After losing money at Blackie McKnight's illegal gambling establishment on 7th Street, the desperate criminals decide the joint's nightly take of a couple thousand dollars makes it a perfect target for a stick-up. They case the location and return in the early morning hours with guns drawn, forcing everyone inside to sit on the floor and remove their shoes.
The situation turns deadly when the robbers discover one of their victims is Deputy Sheriff Cookie Vihar, who had stopped by the gambling house while looking for a suspect. When Rogan threatens the deputy and Vihar stands up to the armed criminals, the confrontation escalates rapidly. What began as a simple robbery transforms into a cop killing that will bring down the full force of law enforcement across the country, as every officer joins the hunt for those who dared to murder one of their own.