 Joe Hodges and his partner Frank rob the Merrill Construction Co. of $5,000, several boxes of blasting caps, and several cases of dynamite. They stow the explosives in their car trunk, intending to use them in future crimes. When Dan Mathews and Sergeant Williams investigate the theft, foreman George Sharpe explains that the caps are radio activated and could be set off by any unusually strong radio transmission signal. Dan orders his officers not to use their two-way radios and sets up a series of roadblocks, one of which prevents Joe and Frank s escape. Hodges attempts to use the dynamite as a shield in a desperate attempt to secure their release, but Dan s knowledge of explosives helps break the tense standoff.