A break in the "Mulholland Mauler" case when a victim survives provides details about the car, etc. Adam-12 is asked to patrol the area to look for suspects. They ticket a young girl for hitchhiking and warn a young couple parked in the hills to leave. A car pulled over over matches the description but there is no conclusive evidence. He is the most likely suspect of the several men picked up. They find an empty car owned by a young woman and locate her friend at a nearby service station. They persuade the suspect to show them where the missing girl was dumped and find her alive.

Reed is shaken by a child molester and learns valuable lessons on controlling his emotions. They handle a potential dead body, father-son robbery team and a pair of black men who shoot a pair of store owners and try to create a race riot.