Norco '80 : the true story of the most spectacular bank robbery in American history / Peter Houlahan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Houlahan, Peter, 1961- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bank robberies--California--Norco--Case studies.

Bank robberies.

Violent crimes--California--Norco--Case studies.

Violent crimes.

Bank robberies--California--Case studies.

Violent crimes--California--Case studies.

California, Southern--History--20th century.

California, Southern.

Norco (Calif.)--History--20th century.

Norco (Calif.).

California--Norco.

Louisiana--Norco.

Southern California.

Genre:

Case studies.

History.

True crime stories.

Physical Description:

xiv, 384 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 21 cm

Edition:

First paperback edition.

Other Title:

Norco 1980

Place of Publication:

Berkeley, California : Counterpoint, 2020.

Summary:

Norco '80 tells the story of how five heavily armed young men--led by an apocalyptic born-again Christian--attempted a bank robbery that turned into one of the most violent criminal events in U.S. history, forever changing the face of American law enforcement. Part action thriller and part courtroom drama, Norco '80 transports the reader back to the Southern California of the 1970s, an era of predatory evangelical gurus, doomsday predictions, megachurches, and soaring crime rates, with the threat of nuclear obliteration looming over it all. In this riveting true story, a group of landscapers transformed into a murderous gang of bank robbers armed to the teeth with military-grade weapons. Their desperate getaway turned the surrounding towns into war zones. When it was over, three were dead and close to twenty wounded; a police helicopter was forced down from the sky, and thirty-two police vehicles were destroyed by thousands of rounds of ammo. The resulting trial shook the community to the core, raising many issues that continue to plague society today: from the epidemic of post-traumatic stress disorder within law enforcement to religious extremism and the militarization of local police forces.

Contents:

1. The Jupiter Effect

2. Zeroed Out

3. The RSO

4. Takeover

5. The End of the World

6. Wineville

7. The Graveyard of Cars

8. Interstate

9. Ambush

10. Some Men Never Get to See Their Sons Grow Up

11. Shot Through the Heart

12. The Norco 3

13. Bricks in the Wall

14. Contempt

15. The Investigator

16. On Behalf of the People

17. Friendly Fire

18. Scandal

19. Who the Fuck Is Jerry Cohen?

20. Stockholm Syndrome.

ISBN:

9781640093881

1640093885

OCLC:

1050337760

Publisher Number:

90104330483