In the summer of 1924, Little Rock Police Officer Harvey L. Biggs, a male, had been with the department for only four days when he and his partner were assigned to investigate a report of auto parts being stolen. The officers were informed that several men were stripping parts from a car that had been left in a ditch. In an attempt to catch the perpetrators in the act, the two officers decided to wait for the men to come back to the disabled vehicle.
When the suspects returned to the
scene, Officer Biggs and his partner approached them. The situation escalated quickly as the suspects immediately opened fire on the officers and tried to flee. The officers returned fire, wounding two of the men. As Officer Biggs moved in to apprehend one of the injured suspects who was lying on the ground, the man shot him at point-blank range. In the ensuing chaos, his partner pursued another suspect but lost him. Upon returning to the initial location, he discovered that the wounded suspect who had shot Biggs had also vanished.
The man responsible for Officer Biggs's death remained at large for nearly a year. On April 25, 1925, he was located and apprehended in Liberty, Texas. Following his capture, he was brought to justice and ultimately convicted of voluntary manslaughter. For the killing of Officer Harvey L. Biggs, he was sentenced to serve five years in prison.
