Petty thief Louis "Lou" Bloom is caught stealing from a Los Angeles railyard by a security guard. He attacks the guard, steals his watch and leaves with stolen material. After selling the material at a scrap yard, Lou asks for a job, but the foreman says he does not hire thieves. While driving home, Lou sees a car crash and pulls over. Stringers—freelance photojournalists—arrive and record two police officers pulling a woman from the burning wreck. One of the stringers, Joe Loder, tells Lou that they sell their footage to local news stations.

Inspired, Lou steals a bicycle and pawns it for a camcorder and a police radio scanner.