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On January 7, 1961, Alphonse (“Al”) Pacino was arrested in Woonsocket, Rhode Island and charged with carrying a concealed weapon. At the time, Pacino was 21 years old and living in New York City. Pacino and the car’s two other occupants, Vincent Calcagni and Bruce Cohen, were dressed all in black and wearing masks and gloves. The arresting officers witnessed the car circling around the same neighborhood several times before pulling the car over. When the officers searched the car, they found a loaded .38 pistol in the trunk and took the three men into custody. The three men couldn’t raise the $2,000 bail and were sent to jail for three days.

According to arresting officer William J. O’Coin, Jr.’s recollection, Pacino was helpful during interrogation. He explained that Cohen and he had taken a bus from New York City to Providence to visit Calcagni, whom they had met in the service. Some sources report that Pacino claimed the three men were actors and that the weapon was to be used as a prop in their rehearsal, but this is not confirmed by all accounts of the event. As there is no record of prosecution or conviction, it is safe to believe that the charges against Pacino and the others were ultimately dropped.

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