The Big Strip

Originally Aired: February 1, 1953

Dragnet #189, "The Big Strip," Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith are working auto theft detail, tracking a professional gang of car strippers who have stolen over $12,000 in automobile accessories across Los Angeles. While staking out a parking lot late one Tuesday night, they spot a suspect breaking into a Cadillac. When they move in to make the arrest, the young thief flees in the stolen vehicle and crashes into traffic at a crowded intersection.

The suspect, sixteen-year-old Charles Roxford, dies from his injuries before reaching the hospital. Friday and Smith must deliver the devastating news to his mother, who cannot believe her son was capable of such a crime. Mrs. Roxford struggles with shock and grief, having thought Charles was simply going to a show that evening. As Friday reflects on the tragedy, he notes they met the boy too late to help him, suggesting someone should have intervened long before. Meanwhile, the professional stripping operation continues, and Friday and Smith still have no solid leads on the gang despite weeks of investigation and witness interviews.