Harvey McCloud

Real Name: Fred "Harvey" McCloud
Case: Kidnapping, Armed Robbery
Date: January 8, 1996
Location: Modesto, California

Case[]

Details: Harvey McCloud was a sixty-five-year-old cab driver in Modesto, California; he had been driving a cab for over ten years. On January 8, 1996, during a seemingly normal fare, he picked up a man in a turban, fake beard, and mustache. He spoke in a coarse whisper and only had enough money to get half way to where he wanted to go, but he claimed he could pick up the money at his brother's house which was along the route. Harvey followed his directions, and was surprised when he told him to stop. He turned around and the man was pointing a gun at him. The man then chained on a black metal box and keypad and had a wire that went around Harvey's neck and clipped it shut. He then activated the device, telling Harvey that he could detonate it through his cell phone.

Human time bomb1 suspect — Composites of the suspect

Harvey then went back into Modesto and the man told him he was going to have him rob a bank. He had him stop across the street from the First Glendale Bank and gave him the final instructions. Harvey entered the bank and was instructed to hand the manager a note and take the money but leave a second bomb that was in a box. The manager complied with the gunman's demands and gave Harvey the exact amount of money demanded in the letter.
Everything had gone according to plan, except for one act of heroism that Harvey performed. Instead of leaving the bomb in the bank and to prevent possible injury of anyone else there, he took it with him to his cab. In the back, he found a set of type-written instructions. He followed them, driving fifteen minutes away to a hardware store. In the parking lot, he parked the cab, leaving the keys and money behind. He then walked half a mile to a pay phone, where he waited for further instructions that would help him dismantle the bomb.
When no call came, Harvey called his dispatcher. The police soon arrived and the area was evacuated. Bomb experts removed the explosive, which was revealed to be fake. The robbery had worked perfectly, but the gunman had not gone away without being seen. When he was dropped off at the bank, two eyewitnesses saw him enter a van where he took off his turban, fake beard, and mustache as well as a sweater padded to make him look 25 to 35 pounds heavier. He was never found and this case remains unsolved.
Suspects: Witnesses describe the gunman as a six-foot tall man around 160 pounds and with short-cropped salt-and-pepper hair. He would now be in his 60s or 70s, and he drove a dark brown or bronze Ford van with a large "picture window" on the driver side.
Extra Notes: This case first aired on the May 10, 1996 episode.
Results: Unsolved. The statute of limitations eventually expired on the robbery, but not the kidnapping. The gunman remains at large. Sadly, Harvey passed away in 2006.
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