The Big Partner

Originally Aired: March 1, 1951 Dragnet #90, "The Big Partner," finds Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Ben Romero responding to a brazen jewelry store robbery in broad daylight. When they arrive at City Hall to begin their investigation, the case takes an unexpected turn—a traffic accident at Third and Ditchel leads them straight to their suspect. A truck driver named Lenny Brooks has wrestled down a man who pulled a gun on him after crashing through a red light, and dozens of diamond rings have spilled from the suspect's coat. The man is identified as Vernon Albert McCoy, a two-time loser fresh out of Folsom Prison with a history of armed robbery. The case seems wrapped up until McCoy engineers a daring escape from custody at Georgia Street receiving hospital, overpowering two transportation officers. Within hours, he's suspected in another armed robbery—this time hitting a gas station for quick cash. Friday and Romero trace McCoy's movements to a candy store in Boyle Heights, where the owner, Matthew Hobbs, reveals he saw the fugitive the previous night. As the detectives piece together McCoy's desperate flight through Los Angeles, they must anticipate his next move before this reckless criminal strikes again.