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2026-09-25 -Lurid Crime Tales-

Marine Officer Stole Helicopter To Stop A Civilian Spree Killer in New Orleans in 1973

[YouTube] Fourteen minutes. Bright, young Navy sailor, angered by the anti-Black racism he was unprepared for, Mark James Robert Essex joined the Black Panthers and was discharged after going AWOL.

January 7, 1973. Downtown New Orleans becomes the center of one of the most extraordinary law enforcement operations in American history.

As a rapidly escalating crisis unfolds at the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge, local authorities face an increasingly desperate situation. With severe weather limiting aerial support, decorated Marine Corps aviator Lt. Col. Charles "Chuck" Pitman makes a remarkable decision.

Without waiting for authorization, Pitman assembles a volunteer crew, launches a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter, and navigates the Mississippi River in near-zero visibility to assist the New Orleans Police Department.

What follows is an extraordinary demonstration of courage, ingenuity, and cooperation between military personnel and local law enforcement.

This is the remarkable true story of the 1973 New Orleans incident and the Marine pilot who risked his career to bring it to an end.

Related: Mark Essex’s Wikipedia page.

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Posted by Clyde Thaviling6482 2026-09-25 00:00|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| ||Comments [42 views ] Top

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