by Hal Erickson
synopsis
Keeping officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) on their toes in this episode is a very clever--and very elusive--teenaged purse snatcher (Gary Morgan). The young offender seems to get his kicks more from outwitting the cops than the actual thefts themselves. In fact, the kid is using his current crime wave as a stepping-stone to becoming a career criminal--and he's not about to let anyone, policeman or civilian, get in his way.

