A scuffle resulted that ended only when an off-duty policeman dropped three clay flowerpots on Heirens’ head, one at a time from the top of the stairs, rendering him unconscious.
According to Heirens, he remembered drifting into unconsciousness under questioning. At one point someone punched him in the testicles causing him to nearly vomit. They also burned them with ether.
On his fifth day in custody Heirens was given a lumbar puncture without anesthesia. Moments later Heirens was driven to police headquarters for a polygraph test. They tried for a few minutes to administer the test but it was rescheduled for several days later after they found him to be in too much pain to cooperate.