Original subtitles

1-Adam-12, 1-Adam-12,

possible 459 suspects there now.

1-Adam-12, 1-Adam-12,

a 415, man with a gun.

1-Adam-12, no warrant. Lincoln, X-Ray, Ida 483.

1-Adam-12, a 415, fight group with chains and knives.

Did you call the police?

I sure did. Come in.

It's that creep, Sid Roemer.

I want you to arrest him.

Right now. This minute. Understand?

Not so far.

Why don't you start by telling us

who Sid Roemer is and exactly why you want him arrested?

Sidney Roemer is my next door neighbor.

And I want you to arrest him

for theft, robbery, whatever you call it.

Look, look, this is all very simple.

A man's got a right to his own property.

I mean, the law's very clear about that.

Well, he's got my property

and he won't give it back and I want him arrested.

Miles, you really went and called the police,

after all, didn't you?

I said I would and I did.

You think I was kiddin' or somethin'?

Well, I hope you're satisfied.

I'm sure gonna be.

Oh, boy, this is lovely.

Police car in front of the house,

cops all over the place. This is great.

All right, just take it easy.

Now, we still don't know what's goin' on here.

Can I have your name, please?

Miles Wellman.

Oh, now you're gonna answer for me, huh?

And you are Mrs. Wellman?

Unfortunately.

Yeah.

Well, Mr. Wellman, could you tell us what the trouble is?

I told you.

He's got my property and he won't let me have it.

Exactly what kind of property is involved?

It's that crummy tub.

It's not a crummy tub.

It is one fine boat,

and I'm gonna get it back if it's the last thing I do.

That's what this is all about? A boat?

That's right. My boat.

Look, Officers, I... I appreciate your coming,

but it was a mistake

and I think the best thing for you to do

is to get into your car and leave.

They're staying.

Miles, this has gone far enough.

Wendy was over here, she's fit to be tied!

I've had five phone calls this morning.

The whole neighborhood's in on it.

It's gotta stop.

That's what I'm gonna do. Put a stop to it.

Are you out of your mind?

Take these men and go storming over to arrest?

It's incredible.

I'm not kiddin'. I mean it.

Oh, we're not goin' anywhere

till we find out a little bit more about this.

Now, Mr. Wellman, could you start at the beginning,

nice and slow

and tell us exactly what's goin' on?

Oh.

Okay.

Aggie and I got the stuff out this morning, to go fishing.

And that's another thing.

The beer's probably warm by now.

Put it back in the refrigerator four hours ago.

Oh.

You see, we like to go fishing.

Don't we, honey?

At this point, I don't even care.

We're crazy about it.

Anyway, I went over to get the boat this morning.

We store it over in his garage on a trailer

and I've got the key.

So, what's that creep done?

He went and changed the padlock on it.

Right away, I knew there was something

that was a little funny goin' on,

but I didn't say anything. I went up to him, real nice,

I mean, real nice and I said, open up.

And he tells me to forget about it.

But that was before 9:00 this morning.

I think I'm getting a migraine.

What do you do, rent the garage from him?

No, no. We both have two-car garages.

He said we could store it in his

because one half of mine is all filled.

That reminds me, honey,

we've still got that day-bed of his

and I'm gonna keep that locked up.

Oh, it's been in there a year and a half.

I don't think it'll bother him.

No, I guess not.

What reason did he give for lockin' it up?

No reason. No reason at all. He's just being spiteful.

There's more to it...

The principle is the same.

We only own half the boat.

And Sid owns the other half?

That's not the point.

See, we bought it together about six months ago.

The outboard motor, the trailer, the whole schmear.

We figured, we could use it one weekend,

they'd use it the next,

and it's been nothing but trouble ever since.

Well, I've got a right to half of that boat

and he can't lock it up, can he?

Oh, my...

You've got to hear my side of the story.

Get him out of here. He's lying.

Arrest that man!

Please...

This is my weekend with the boat.

You had that... Please take him out.

You had that last weekend.

You were sick. You said I could have it.

All right, that's enough.

Come on, let's go outside.

Here, look, look at this.

My name, right?

And this date, right?

Now, it's all down in black and white on the schedule.

Let me see some identification, Mr. Wellman?

Pulling a stunt like that.

It's like stealing, no difference.

Where do you work?

I sell insurance. I have my own agency.

What's the address?

Here, this is my card.

I even take care of the insurance

and I don't charge him anything for it and how about that?

This thing between you and Roemer

is gettin' hot and heavy.

You better believe it.

Any physical violence?

No.

Has he threatened you in any way?

That little creep, are you kiddin'?

Look, Officer, the only reason I called you

is for you to get my boat back to me.

Well, we can't do that, Mr. Wellman.

This is a civil matter, we can't get into it.

Now, wait a minute, buddy...

Now, look, Mr. Wellman,

you seem like a responsible man.

I do all right.

Well, you know that yelling never settled anything.

Now, this can just go on and on and on

until one of you guys is man enough to step back

and let the situation cool down.

Well, if you expect me...

Miles, will you please listen?

He makes sense.

Look, Officer, I'm a reasonable man, but...

Good, good.

What about the boat?

Well, it's too late to go fishin' now.

Anyway, your wife's all upset.

By tomorrow, maybe things will look different,

you two can get things settled.

How about it?

If he unlocks that door.

I mean, how do I know the boat's still in there?

He could've sold it or somethin'.

Stay here and I'll go check that right now.

Feel like I've been through a wringer.

He's cooled down some.

We ought to check and make sure the boat's still there.

It is. I walked him back to the garage,

I looked through the window.

He still won't open the door, though.

Mr. Roemer, any particular reason you, uh,

put a new lock on the garage?

You're darned right.

I've had it up to here with that guy.

I'm not gonna get pushed around by him anymore.

He's the kind, y-y-you give him an inch

and, uh, the next thing he's got your back teeth.

Agnes is all right. Yeah, I like her.

But that Miles is a lousy mooch.

Pardon my English.

Always brings it back with the gas tank empty.

I... I say to him:

"How about buying some gas once in a while?"

And it's always, "Oh, I forgot."

They've got it two weekends out of three.

It's, "If you're not using it this weekend,

we'll take it." Like that, you know?

I think he conned us on the whole deal.

For weeks there, Miles was talking it up.

You know, boats and fishing.

We're not all that crazy about it.

I like to water-ski, but I get seasick.

Then, it was, "How about we get a boat together?"

W-What it is, is he's just too darned cheap to buy one for himself.

So I locked it up.

What's he want you to do, arrest me?

We're primarily interested in keeping the peace, Mr. Roemer.

I don't think he's gonna try to use it today,

but he would like it if you'd take the lock off the garage door.

I mean, it would be a nice gesture for you to make.

You have to unlock it some time.

Not necessarily.

Oh, don't be silly.

Tomorrow maybe. I'll have to think about it.

Well, that's up to you. We just want to make sure

there's no more disturbance here.

No, I'm not gonna start any trouble.

But I'm not gonna let him push me around either.

Well, it might be a good idea

if you kind of stayed out of sight for a little while.

I'll, uh, I'll see you out.

I'll see what I can do about the key.

Well, one down.

Where's your husband?

He'll be right back.

When he gets these ideas in his head,

I don't know, it worries me.

Unfortunately, there's not a lot we can do.

Oh, boy.

Why don't you have him take you out to dinner, to a show?

I suppose.

It's just a suggestion. But try and get him away from here for a while.

Well, boat's still there.

I saw it. It seems to be all right.

Is the door open?

No, not yet. But if you leave it alone,

I think he'll come around.

He better.

Well, if he doesn't, don't you start anything.

Do you have a lawyer?

Yes.

Let him handle it.

I'm advising you to keep the peace.

You know, a thing like this

can get out of hand very easily.

It isn't a police matter yet.

And you'd be a lot better off if it doesn't become one.

You understand?

Sure, sure.

Okay, then.

Thank you, Officers.

Well, that ought to hold 'em.

For a while anyway.

Hey, how about 7?

Yeah, let's try that place on Lankershim.

With the waitresses, huh?

You said it, partner.

1-Adam 12 requesting Code 7 at 2200 Lankershim.

1-Adam 12, okay 7.

How about that Mrs. Wellman.

Yeah. It's a good thing

her husband didn't hear the news.

He might've kicked the garage door in.

What news?

The radio said they're taking Yellowtail off Long Beach

like you wouldn't believe.

I hate to disturb you

while you're doing your homework, partner.

Yeah.

What?

You forgot to clear us.

I guess I did.

1-Adam-12, clear.

Where are we gonna go now?

I thought we'd drift up to the north end

where they've been having that rash of 459s.

Maybe we can catch ourselves a real live burglar.

Why not?

1-Adam-12, clear. And a call.

A neighbor dispute.

See the woman. 1882, North Academy Drive.

1-Adam-12 handle Code 2.

1882.

1-Adam-12. Roger.

That's the, uh, Wellman place again.

Figures. How long did it take them to start up again?

7358, 7358...

I make it about, uh, 45 minutes.

Sidney, you come back here.

Sidney, you come back here.

Stay where you are!

They're at it again, hurry!

Agnes, come here and help me with this.

That's about enough!

Officers, I can settle this very easily.

I will buy your half of the boat right now for $1,500.

You'll do no such thing!

Spending our good money on that...

You stand back and be quiet.

Mr. Roemer, will you step inside the garage, please?

Oh, have I had it with you.

Now you're going to cut it out,

or I'm leaving tonight. I mean it.

Mrs. Wellman, did you call us?

Yes, I... I heard 'em and came running back here.

They were pushing and shoving at the garage doors

and yelling at each other and wouldn't stop.

So I called the police.

Then I guess Miles went and got the cars.

I didn't keep track of what all happened after that.

Okay, what got it started?

Well, I was getting out my car.

I was going to pick up mother

and, uh, bring her over here for dinner.

And I figured, "What the heck?

I will unlock the boat, too."

Well, he must've been standing over there waiting for me.

Because he came tearing over here

and grabbed the padlock away from me.

And, uh, then he went back and got his car.

He was gonna move the boat out. See?

Well, when he found out he couldn't do that,

he... he started throwing the gear outside

and acting like a wild man.

And that's... that's about it.

What happened to the car?

Oh, well, that was after

I let the air out of the trailer tires.

You know, so he, uh, couldn't move the boat.

Okay, go ahead.

Well, he was going to move it anyway.

And that would've chewed up the tires.

But he didn't care. Oh, no, not him.

So I, uh, smashed his window.

You did that?

Yeah. I picked up a wrench and I smashed his window.

That's our car!

You're a nut, Sidney.

You know that? A genuine nut.

Well, now, this, uh, this is

just all getting out of hand.

I think we may be making some progress.

Reed.

Well?

The ins and outs are kinda complicated.

He claims he was just trying

to take possession of his property.

His wife laid into him pretty good.

I think he's kinda shook.

Hmm. So is the other one.

They're not going to jail, are they?

I think you'll agree they've disturbed the peace a trifle.

And a few other things.

I really wish you wouldn't. Please.

Wendy, come here a minute.

A brand new car!

Can I kill him?

Wendy, they're talking about taking them to jail.

Well, Mrs. Wellman, we can't let it go on like this.

Miles has given me his word

that there won't be any more trouble.

Sid's mother is coming to dinner tonight.

He won't try anything when she's here.

I guarantee I'll have him out and away from here

within 15 minutes. I'll just throw something on.

Now you fellas have had yourself quite a time,

haven't you?

I've seen kids in sandboxes behave better than you two.

And you're supposed to be grown up men.

It's... it's just foolishness. I... I just want to let it drop.

Okay, I'll...

I'll put the gear back in the boat.

I don't want this to go on any longer.

I think you mean it.

But just so that it's absolutely clear to you,

if we have to come back here again,

somebody's going to jail.

1-Adam-12, 1-Adam-12, See the woman.

A 415, fight. 1882, North Academy Drive.

You gave me your word.

Just shut up!

Just wait until your mother hears about this.

Stand back please.

He broke in here. He can go to jail for that.

Did you see him do it?

I heard a lot of banging. I got here just as he opened the door.

He had a hammer in his hand. I want him arrested.

A man's got a right to check his own property, doesn't he?

You understand you're charging him with a felony?

Oh, that's it exactly. All right, all right.

I'm going to charge him with assault and battery.

Assault and battery?

Well, he kicked me.

Eh, how about that, huh?

I think you both ought to be ashamed of yourselves!

Are you both sure this is what you want?

I'm sure. Yes, sir.

Okay, let's go. Let's go.

They're going to jail?

They both insist on filing a complaint.

For how long?

You can come down later and bail 'em out.

But I'd give some thought

as to how fast you want 'em out.

They have to work tomorrow.

Feeling the way they do, it might be better off

for them to sit there and cool off for a while.

At least they won't be fighting.

Yes, Diana.

That's wonderful.

But y-you've got to get off the phone now.

Uh, don't...

Don't... don't hang it up, honey.

No,

you just let your daddy speak to your mom.

Yeah, I'm... I'm listening.

Yeah, that's very funny, but...

My daughter, she's, uh,

readin' me the funnies.

I think.

Uh, honey.

No... no, s-sweetheart, listen... listen,

I'd like to hear a lot more, but I just can't right now.

No, you put the phone down and go get your mother for me.

Don't put the phone...

She hung it up.

This is ridiculous.

You try to carry on an intelligent conversation

with a three-year-old.

I haven't tried lately.

Well, what's goin' on, my friend?

Well, I got a couple of customers outside.

They, uh, they own a boat together.

And the deal is they both use it on alternate weekends.

But one of them's got it locked up

and he won't let the other one have it.

Sounds like a real mess.

What have you got 'em in for?

Well, maybe you could tell me.

We've been out there three times in the last 24 hours.

The last time, they each insisted

we bust the other one on felony charges.

It's just spite, I think.

You know anything about 'em?

No trouble there before, no priors.

They're both good citizen-types, responsible.

Aren't they all?

Except for the hang-up over the boat.

Well, what do you want me to do about it?

See if either one of them has got a good case.

I think you might be doing them a favor.

No, I mean it.

I... I... I got a bad feeling about this.

Maybe if they were locked up a while, they'd cool off

before something serious happens.

Okay, I'll do what I can.

Which one do you want first?

They're your customers, Malloy.

Mr. Roemer.

Right over there.

Reed, Malloy.

Mr. Wellman, you can wait over there for us.

Changed his mind.

I'm not surprised.

When he heard Roemer dropped his charges,

then he backed off, too.

He's still uptight?

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Well, let's get 'em on home.

It gets worse every time. That's what bothers me.

Well, you talk to 'em.

Sure. I tried to separate 'em.

Told 'em to get a lawyer.

I don't know what else we can do.

Nothing else to do. It's up to them.

There ought to be something we could do about those two.

Like what?

You can't go around locking people up

because you think they might do something.

You'd wind up with half the country in jail.

Yeah. You, uh,

you think there's any chance that they'll, uh, drop it now?

I wouldn't wanna bet on it.

This thing's gotten a lot bigger than just the boat now,

to both of 'em.

1-Adam-12, 1-Adam-12, see the woman.

Unknown trouble. 1882, North Academy Drive.

1-Adam-12, handle Code 2.

1-Adam-12. Roger.

See what I mean?

God! Miles. Miles.

Come on, step up.

Come on.

What happened?

It was Sid. He hit him.

Where's he now?

I don't know. In the house I guess.

Have you called an ambulance?

Oh, dear God!

Have you called an ambulance?

No!

Go in your house and call one right now.

Stay with him.

Police officer. Open up.

It's open. Come in.

On your feet, Mr. Roemer.

Certainly.

Hands behind your head.

There's no need for all this fuss.

Wendy's already pretty upset.

You can see that.

This isn't going to help.

I was...

I was just trying to explain to Wendy

what happened.

Honey, I...

I... I couldn't just

let him keep on pushing me around.

You can see that.

Can't you?

No. No, I can't, Sidney.

I can't see it.

Hey.

I talked to the hospital.

It's homicide. Dead on arrival.

He keeps asking about Wellman.

He knows he hurt him pretty bad,

but figures he'll be okay.

Has he told you anything yet?

Just that he caught Wellman in his garage again,

and Wellman came at him with a boat hook.

And he managed to drop him with a fire extinguisher.

Just keeps sayin' he got tired of being pushed around.

The hospital says

he hit Wellman on the head at least four times.

Well, better go break the news to him.

You can tell him he pushed back a little too hard.