Which cop gets the credit?

[Jerry Freeman]

 

 Ptm Nick McDonald claimed that he arrested Lee Oswald and handcuffed him and had to go get those handcuffs back at the police station. But those were not the same handcuffs that went on auction as THE cuffs Oswald had on.

A pair of handcuffs used by Dallas police officer Ray Hawkins to arrest accused Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald on
Nov. 22, 1963 are currently being auctioned off online via Goldin Auctions.

Oops! Nick McDonald said those were his. He is gone now and unable to come out with the claim to $50K+

The listing on the Goldin Auctions website states that the cuffs were used by Dallas Police officer Ray Hawkins on Nov. 22, 1963, just hours after President Kennedy and Texas Governor John Connally were both shot in Downtown Dallas while their motorcade drove through Dealey Plaza.  Bidding on the cuffs has started out at $50,000 but they will likely fetch considerably more by the time the auction ends in early December. [this was back in 2016] Included in the auction is a 2004 affidavit signed by Hawkins detailing the provenance of the cuffs.
Hawkins died in Nov. 2015, just days before the anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. He was 83.
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/texas/article/Handcuffs-used-to-arrest-Lee-Harvey-Oswald-nearly-10613742.php

 

One comment states....

This cop's handcuffs can be seen today in the Old Red Museum just off of Dealey Plaza.

So I would like to know who won that auction.
Notice in his video how McDonald laments that he didn't get his picture taken with his prisoner?
McDonald said he was on routine patrol in Oak Cliff at the time of the assassination. Yet R C Nelson said that he [Nelson] and J D Tippit were the only patrolmen in Oak Cliff that day.

[Jerry Freeman]

It is stated in the above post that Ray Hawkins arrested Lee Harvey Oswald.
However for some reason most all the department credit McDonald for the collar.
Mr Hawkins name is not on the arrest sheet.
 
 


Maybe he grabbed McDonald's cuffs and neglected to return them.
As the report was filled out, the charge of investigation the killing of President Kennedy was included..
 Also the assault on Gov Connally. The time of arrest was listed at 1:40 PM.
Those cops were really fast huh?

[Denis Pointing]

It is stated in the above post that Ray Hawkins arrested Lee Harvey Oswald.
However for some reason most all the department credit McDonald for the collar.
Mr Hawkins name is not on the arrest sheet.
 
 


Maybe he grabbed McDonald's cuffs and neglected to return them.
As the report was filled out, the charge of investigation the killing of President Kennedy was included..
 Also the assault on Gov Connally. The time of arrest was listed at 1:40 PM.
Those cops were really fast huh?

Jerry, as far as I'm aware McDonald never claimed to be the officer that actually handcuffed Oswald, he certainly doesn't say that in the vid you posted, only that the cuffs were his. In fact, in McDonald's WC testimony he states clearly that; " Well, the officers that had come to my aid started handcuffing him and taking him out of the theater." Which ties in exactly with officer Hawkins' WC testimony. However, both testimony's do make it quite clear that McDonald was definitely the arresting officer.

[Jerry Freeman]

Jerry, as far as I'm aware McDonald never claimed to be the officer that actually handcuffed Oswald, he certainly doesn't say that in the vid you posted, only that the cuffs were his. In fact, in McDonald's WC testimony he states clearly that; " Well, the officers that had come to my aid started handcuffing him and taking him out of the theater." Which ties in exactly with officer Hawkins' WC testimony. However, both testimony's do make it quite clear that McDonald was definitely the arresting officer.

OK I don't/and didn't disagree with that. It is a moot point because arrest strictly means 'to take into custody'.
@3:25 McDonald states the handcuffs were his. I just wondered why the claim.. "the handcuffs used by Ray Hawkins" which would indicate that he at least assisted in taking a prisoner into custody giving credence to a great value of the item..and yet his name does not even appear on the arrest sheet you see?
I do not know the outcome of that auction that on the surface appears to give Hawkins credit for the collar.
I have always been curious why if the suspect was wanted for killing a policeman..why McDonald did not have his sidearm drawn and ready to put down this violent offender and yet chooses to allow himself to get punched and then performs some sort of dance around the theater seats with such a presumably dangerous partner?? In other words...looked like another dumb cop.

[Denis Pointing]

OK I don't/and didn't disagree with that. It is a moot point because arrest strictly means 'to take into custody'.
@3:25 McDonald states the handcuffs were his. I just wondered why the claim.. "the handcuffs used by Ray Hawkins" which would indicate that he at least assisted in taking a prisoner into custody giving credence to a great value of the item..and yet his name does not even appear on the arrest sheet you see?
I do not know the outcome of that auction that on the surface appears to give Hawkins credit for the collar.
I have always been curious why if the suspect was wanted for killing a policeman..why McDonald did not have his sidearm drawn and ready to put down this violent offender and yet chooses to allow himself to get punched and then performs some sort of dance around the theater seats with such a presumably dangerous partner?? In other words...looked like another dumb cop.

I would suggest McDonald didn't approach with his gun drawn because he didn't want to spook the suspect and risk a shoot out with civilians around. The following testimony certainly indicates that McDonald was trying to look as nonchalant as possible; "After I was satisfied that these two men were not armed or had a weapon on them, I walked out of this row, up to the right center aisle toward the suspect. And as I walked up there, just at a normal gait, I didn't look directly at him, but I kept my eye on him and any other persons. And to my left was another man and I believe a woman was with him. But he was further back than the suspect.
And just as I got to the row where the suspect was sitting, I stopped abruptly, and turned in and told him to get on his feet. He rose immediately, bringing up both hands. He got this hand about shoulder high, his left hand shoulder high, and he got his right hand about breast high. He said, "Well, it is all over now." Sounds like good policing practice to me and possibly saved some innocent lives that day even though he was putting his own life at risk. A "dumb cop" or a good cop? Make your own mind up on that.

PS Jerry, you expressed interest in who purchased the handcuffs at auction so I've sent an email to the guy who wrote the article you linked, Craig Hlavaty. If he gets back to me I'll let you know. OK. 

Hi Craig, I've been reading your article about officer Hawking's selling the Oswald handcuffs via auction. I was hoping you might know the name of the person who brought them? I don't plan to contact the purchaser, this is purely for research purpose. I understand if you don't feel able to reveal a name but any information at all would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. I won't contact you again.

[Jerry Freeman]

PS Jerry, you expressed interest in who purchased the handcuffs at auction so I've sent an email to the guy who wrote the article you linked, Craig Hlavaty. If he gets back to me I'll let you know.

That would be interesting though if genuine..the item should go to a local museum [my take]
Regarding the arrest. I remain suspicious of the complete scene. So little radio contact..yet squads of armed police.. various agencies FBI ..even the Criminal Investigation Department converged on the Texas Theater regarding a person who failed to buy a ticket. How did they all get there so fast? No one was that good [especially in 1963] Even today Feb 2019 with cell phones..SWAT..surveillance detection..facial recognition ...an on site active shooter- of known ID took the cops 1-  1 1/2 hours to round up. [Of course that was in Illinois] I grew up in Dallas and will testify..the police weren't that good and they weren't that lucky then either.
 

[Denis Pointing]

That would be interesting though if genuine..the item should go to a local museum [my take]
Regarding the arrest. I remain suspicious of the complete scene. So little radio contact..yet squads of armed police.. various agencies FBI ..even the Criminal Investigation Department converged on the Texas Theater regarding a person who failed to buy a ticket. How did they all get there so fast? No one was that good [especially in 1963] Even today Feb 2019 with cell phones..SWAT..surveillance detection..facial recognition ...an on site active shooter- of known ID took the cops 1-  1 1/2 hours to round up. [Of course that was in Illinois] I grew up in Dallas and will testify..the police weren't that good and they weren't that lucky then either.

Jerry, you know as well as I do that the cops didn't rush to the TT because someone "failed to buy a ticket" that's plain ridiculous. It was because someone was reported as acting suspiciously and then ducking into the TT when he saw police cars rushing by with sirens blaring. As a police officer had just been shot in the immediate vicinity, of course the police rushed to the scene. Did they get there particularly fast? I don't think they did considering McDonald was only seven blocks away; "After I was satisfied that this teenager that had run into the library didn't fit the description, I went back to my squad car, put my shotgun back in the rack. Just as I got into the squad car, it was reported that a suspect was seen running into the Texas Theatre, 231 West Jefferson.
So I reported to that location Code 3. This is approximately seven blocks from the library, seven blocks west." How long would you expect that to take at high speed?

[Jerry Freeman]

Jerry, you know as well as I do that the cops didn't rush to the TT because someone "failed to buy a ticket" that's plain ridiculous.

Oh ...I agree. The fail to pay story was made tongue in cheek.

1 :46 Dispatcher    10-4. We have information that a suspect just went in the Texas Theater on West Jefferson.

Six minutes later Oswald was under arrest. Never mind the guy in library.. never mind the car with the gun in the back seat. Go figure.