When his boss, Benjamin Siegel, moved out to Los Angeles, California, Herbert did the same.

On June 20, 1947, Siegel was murdered by an apparent East Coast Mafia hitman with a .30 Caliber military M1 Carbine.

[3] When Siegel was murdered, his right-hand man, Mickey Cohen became the boss of his criminal empire spanning from L.A. to Burbank to Las Vegas.

Dragna soon began to eliminate Cohen's lieutenants, one-by-one; he ordered the deaths of: Harold Rothman, Frank Niccoli, Anthony Brancato, and several others.

[5] A failed shooting attempt was made with several people injured: reporter Florabel Muir, Dee David (an actress), Cohen, Harry Cooper (a bodyguard assigned to Cohen by Frederick N. Howser), and Herbert was injured.