Benjamin Hoskins Paddock
Benjamin Hoskins Paddock
Benjamin Hoskins Paddock was a fugitive and a former member of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. He is the father of Stephen Paddock, the perpetrator of the Mandalay Bay Resort Shooting on October 1, 2017.
Criminal Record
Benjamin "Chromedome" Paddock in a newspaper article
In 1960, Paddock was arrested for robbing a Valley National Bank in Phoenix; he was 34 years old at the time. He allegedly stole a total of $4,620 from the 1845 E. McDowell branch on July 26.
He had also been accused of two other bank robberies:
Obtaining $11,210 from the W. Van Buren branch (February 19, 1959)
Obtaining $9,285 from W. Van Buren branch (January 29, 1960)
He was placed in the Federal Correctional Institution in La Tuna, Texas. He was serving a 20-year sentence.
On December 31, 1968, he escaped from prison and spent nearly three years on the run.
He was placed on the FBI Most Wanted Fugitives list.
On February 3, 1969, a warrant was issued in El Paso, Texas for Benjamin Paddock's arrest. He was charged with violation of Escape and Rescue statute. [1]
T he FBI caught up to him in Las Vegas in 1971. According to archival editions of the Tucson Daily Citizen , he tried to run down an agent with his car before getting arrested again.
Psychological Disorder
Paddock was diagnosed as psychopathic. He reportedly had suicidal tendencies, as well.
Palmer M. Baker Jr., an agent in charge of the Phoenix FBI office, described him as "A glib, smooth-talking man who is egotistical and arrogant."
He also made the following statement after he escaped from prison:
Since he has utilized firearms in previous crimes, has employed violence in attempting to evade arrest and has been diagnosed as being psychopathic, Paddock should be considered extremely dangerous.
War Veteran
Benjamin Paddock was an S-2 in the U.S. Navy during World War II. [10]
Personal Life
At one point in his life, Benjamin Paddock lived in Tucson, Arizona with his wife and four children. One of his children, Stephen Paddock was the man behind the mass shooting at the Mandalay Bay Resort on October 1, 2017.
He called himself "Big Daddy" in connection with a night club operation on North 1st Avenue.