Chapter 1 highlights the explosive surge of bank robberies in Los Angeles during the late 1980s and early 1990s, framing it as a social epidemic. The chapter opens in November 1983 with FBI agents Linda Webster and William Rehder grappling with the “Yankee Bandit,” a charismatic and elusive bank robber who sets a new record by hitting six banks in a single day. This unprecedented spree marks the beginning of a significant rise in bank robberies across Los Angeles, which soon becomes the epicenter of a nationwide crime wave.

Gladwell traces the historical context, noting that while bank robberies were glamorized by figures like Bonnie and Clyde in earlier decades, they had been in decline post-World War II. However, from the late 1960s through the early 1990s, the number of bank robberies surged dramatically, with Los Angeles accounting for a quarter of all such crimes in the United States. The FBI, overwhelmed by the volume, resorted to nicknaming the numerous robbers to keep track of them, highlighting the epidemic’s scale.

The narrative shifts to the emergence of the West Hills Bandits, a two-man gang whose highly organized and violent approach to bank robbery reinvigorates the crime wave.