From the Files of Joseph Wambaugh: A Jury of One (1992) - full transcript
An action-drama about an LAPD Homicide Detective and his struggles with gang related crime on the streets, the difficulties of working within the legal system and his own personal conflict about the accidental shooting death of a fellow officer.
Hello, I'm Joe Wambaugh. For
14 years, this was my world.
A good cop needs three
qualities that can't
be taught:
common sense, a sense of humor
and a bit of compassion.
Weapons more important than
a gun and handcuffs.
Our story tonight deals with
Detective Mike Mulich.
On June 17th, 1987, this cop
forgot that sometimes
compassion is needed
for oneself.
Where should we start?
Lunch, or dinner?
Why don't you get yourself a
good Italian wife?
Then you wouldn't be hungry
all the time.
Why don't you give me yours?
She wouldn't have you.
Oh, a present for you.
What? What do you got there?
Not bad.
Where did you get this?
I took it off that bloated
wino they pulled out of
McArthur Park last night.
I brushed the worms off.
You're a sick man.
RADIO DISPATCH: All units in
the vicinity of 299 Beverly
and 2 Adam 49
211 in progress in Western
Payroll Services. 2 Adam 49,
your call is code 3.
That's right up the street.
This is 2 W 57. Code 6 in
the area of 299 Beverly
in plain clothes.
Get out! Get out, Mike!
Get out!
Run! Come on, let's go!
This is 2 W...
Get down, Mike!
This is 2 W 57, officers need
help. Suspects:
two white males
one dressed in blue jeans...
Mike! Mike!
Hey, watch it!
What are you doing?
Mike! Mike!
Ah, man!
Move, man!
You all right?
Yeah.
All right.
[GUNSHOT]
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry. I'm just a little
nervous. You know, I'm...
It's like I'm uptight
I'm going to get through this,
I know it.
Come on, honey, come back
to bed.
Look. You wanted this to work.
I wanted this to work.
Let's face it
it's not going to work.
Dammit, Rita. I think our
marriage is worth saving.
We're married eight
months, Mike. Not eight years.
Be thankful.
I mean, there's no house, no
property, no kids.
God knows there's no money
to fight over.
There's nothing to save.
We got off cheap, Mike.
Okay, at least, let's wait
till tomorrow, huh?
We'll talk about it then.
I'm not willing to live with
your ghosts anymore.
That bed's just not big enough
for all of us.
Goodbye, Mike.
Don't leave me, okay?
Please.
[DOOR CLOSES]
-I told you, three o'clock!
-Listen up, kid, you'll give
yourself an ulcer.
Mendelssohn.
Who we got?
We're dead.
Mike, please, tell me
you're sober.
Okay, I'm sober. Now let's
go get us a murder indictment.
Glad you could join us,
Detective Mulich.
Your boss here has been kind
enough to cover your butt for
the past 30 minutes.
God bless Eye-talian coppers.
I'm sorry I'm late, but my
mother died.
Oh, no, I'm sorry.
When did it happen?
Twelve years ago this April.
Let's hear what you've got.
Be as brief as possible.
Okay. On September 15, one
definite slime ball named
Sidney Joseph Raymond
a.k.a. Mean Sid, entered the
Adams Hotel at
9915 Pico Boulevard
to consummate a drug deal with
one Walter Simplat,
a.k.a. Dumb Wallie.
Skip.
The drug deal went sour, and
they started to argue about...
Skip.
Mean Sid stabbed the victim
twice in the chest with an
eight-inch buck knife.
The victim turned and took
another stab wound to the
right buttocks...
Skip.
...before taking the only
escape route, which was an
eight-story plunge
through a closed window.
The cause of death is
officially listed as a fall
from a high place.
Hell, if he was stabbed, we
wouldn't know it anyway.
They had to take him away
in pieces.
-We've got a witness.
-Who's a drug dealing junkie
himself,
currently on parole, with a
sheet that includes perjury.
Great witness!
No murder one,
no murder two...
At least give us attempted
murder and let a jury decide.
Hell, let's get the creep off
the street before he kills
somebody else.
I don't doubt the man
committed the crime.
But when we walk into a
courtroom, we want to be
95 percent certain we're going
to convict.
-I'm just not comfortable...
-You know, me and my partner
have just invested three weeks
of work to put this
psychopath in jail.
Now you're telling me
you and your boss need a 95
percent conviction rate to
get re-elected?
I'm not comfortable with that.
It's just one junkie killing
another one.
Right. Not even murder, yeah?
Just ecology?
Cleaning up the environment?
Take it easy!
Mike!
Mike. Mike, the man was just
doing his job,
for Pete's sake.
So was Manuel Noriega.
Hey. Hey! That is the nature
of the business. You get a
paycheck. You're a cop
not a caped crusader.
All this must be my supervisor
talking because my former
partner would know
exactly how I feel. I think
you've been a desk jockey
too long.
Yo, Reno.
I want one for me.
I want one for Sparky.
No, no.
I'm buying.
Please, to show my
appreciation for you guys in
blue going out there
protecting me...
Shh!
You know, I'll let you in on
a little secret.
It ain't the bad guys
that the cops worry about.
It's cops like me that cops
worry about.
Ha!
If that don't scare you
enough, see these?
They don't do you any good.
Sparky, you always wanted to
be a cop, right?
They're yours.
Hell, I'll even throw in
the cuffs.
Gee, Mike! Thanks!
Hey, you're welcome. Now you
go, you put some bad guys
in jail.
'Cause I sure as hell can't.
[LAUGHING]
[DRUNKEN CHATTER]
-How's he doing?
-We need to pull the plug on
him again.
You don't need to come down.
Hell, you got a family, too.
Yeah. My kids are grown,
Tommy, and Maria, she
understands the situation.
Go ahead. Go home.
You're officially relieved.
All right. Thanks, boss.
Tommy.
Yeah.
Mike wasn't always like this.
Before the shooting, well,
he was something special.
You know, he won't even talk
to me about the shooting.
And then he goes over and sits
in front of the widow's house.
Don't go in, don't talk to
her. Just sits there like a
damn ghost.
And then he drives off.
I don't know.
When he's straight and sober
he's the best.
But then, he goes off.
I don't know.
I don't know.
Sweetheart, at closing time,
everybody is kinda cute.
Hey, Mike.
[GUNSHOT]
[YELLS]
[ALARM CLOCK RINGS]
Geez, Mike, what are you doing
out of your coffin?
I'm looking for a transfusion.
[CHUCKLES]
What the hell is this!
What's the matter?
-This is not coffee.
-It's just decaf, Mike,
Janie got it for me.
She says it wouldn't hurt any
of us to cut down on
our caffeine.
What did you lose?
Nothing. I just...
I misplaced something.
No big deal.
Don't sit down. Drive-by just
occurred. 1700 block,
Rockwood Street. One dead.
Another gang task force?
Couldn't Crash handle this?
Crash had two fatals last
night, another one early
this morning.
They're booked solid.
Sounds like another wild and
crazy night.
Yeah.
Oh, Mike!
Oh, I knew I put
them somewhere...
You and I, my friend, need to
have a serious talk about
career choices.
Call my secretary.
We'll do lunch.
I'll do that. Real soon.
Oh, you still chasing that
burglar over on Wiltshire?
Yeah. Why?
If you get some spare time,
I want you to sit on this
place on Mantigua for me.
It's a townhouse, and I'm
interested in number 7.
Who comes and goes?
Thanks a lot.
Yeah, sure.
You don't stake out your
own wife.
And you're not my mother,
okay?
Okay, okay. Nice.
[RAP MUSIC PLAYING]
Morning.
Morning.
You on the primary call?
Yes, sir. 0706 hours.
His eyes did one big back
flip, and he went flat line.
-Hey, Tim.
-I still haven't gotten those
pictures from
that stabbing over
on Normandy.
That's SWAT, Mike. ASAP, huh?
[CHUCKLING]
What is that big, ugly,
throbbing thing sitting
between your shoulders?
It feels like it should have
"Goodyear" written across it.
When did you start working
Crash calls?
Well, I guess they want this
one solved.
We covered every inch of the
block, Mike.
Went all the way around.
None?
No casings.
Usually these gang-bangers
leave more casings around than
peanut shells at
baseball games.
No witnesses, either.
A lot of people heard a big
boom, that's about it.
Check out his pockets for
Rolaids. I feel a bad case of
heartburn coming on.
One shot. Went in like a
Volkswagen there on
his forehead
exited like an 18-wheeler
out the back.
Looks like he got hit with an
elephant gun. One shot?
Nice and neat for a change.
Had a gang-banger last night
with eight holes in him.
Another had six. Beirut six.
Rudy, that look they get in
their eyes, right when the
lights go out.
Maybe they're looking
into eternity.
Yeah, well, whatever they're
looking at, I don't want to
see it.
Look at this.
It was stuck in his belt.
I see he was also
a businessman.
Rock, about what? Five, six
grams? How big's the splash?
Three hundred and forty bucks.
All in tens.
Pedro Luis Madrid, 22 years
old. He lived a few blocks
from here. Home boy.
Yeah, well, I'd love to stay
and chat with you fellas but
unlike detectives, coroner
investigators have to work for
a living.
You take the gun,
I take the rest.
You call fondling dead bodies
work? I thought it was more
of a calling.
Please bite me where I'm
most tender.
Okay. You're the ex-Crash cop,
gang expert.
What's wrong with
this picture?
Time of day, for one.
Most drive-bys don't go down
at seven in the morning.
And they used a large-caliber
weapon. Gang guys prefer
small-caliber stuff
22s, 25s, 38s, 9 mm...
Rule number one: just when you
think you got the rules
down pat
they change the game on you.
Let's ask some questions.
Somebody had to see something.
I'll take this end.
-Pardon me, ladies.
-We didn't see anything.
Nothing.
-Did anyone see anything,
anyone coming, anyone going?
-No, nothing.
My name is Mulich.
Detective Mulich.
Yes, sir.
Detective Mulich.
It's not that we don't want to
help. It's just that the gangs
make everyone afraid.
-They see you talking to
the police...
-Yeah, I hear you.
You didn't happen to witness
the shooting, did you?
No. I was just on my way to
open my shop and saw the
police cars.
Oh! Did you know the boy that
was shot?
Him? Just another Vato.
[CHATTER IN SPANISH]
[KNOCKING AT DOOR]
[KNOCKING AT DOOR]
[WOMAN CRYING]
Senora Madrid?
Spanky was my husband.
This is his mother.
Lo sentimos mucho.
Hablas ingles?
Speak English, Mama.
My Spanky,
he's a very good boy.
When he got out of jail,
he worked very hard.
He pays our rent.
[SPEAKS SPANISH]
Do you have any idea who might
have done this to
your husband?
Everybody knows who did it.
The 187s. And they were paid,
the bastards.
You policemen are more
helpless than we are.
My Spanky will be avenged.
They will pay.
[PEOPLE ARGUING]
Stop, boys, or I'll have them
shackle your legs.
Hey can't stand to be away
from me, Tommy?
I love you guys so much,
I have dry dreams about you.
Hey, Mikey. You taking good
care of our home boys?
I am, but it's frustrating.
I spend all my time trying to
break him of the bad habits
he picked up in here.
Hey, Dick. Does the name
Pedro Luis Madrid ring a bell?
No. Of course, my bell's been
rung so many times, I wouldn't
know if it's ringing or not.
Is he the victim on your
Rockwell Street drive-by?
Yeah. How about your drive-by
last night?
Any of them involved?
Vatos Locos vs.
187 Barrio Boys?
Desert Street Winos vs.
Black Shoe.
Any luck?
Not yet.
They got over 600 gangs
here now.
Most of them pretty small,
10 or 25 people.
Then we move up to the big
boys, like the Vatos Locos.
They got 1200 members.
And that's just the ones with
bonafide cards.
Bang! Got him!
Pedro Madrid, a.k.a. Spanky.
This is definitely our boy.
Listen up, people. Sometime
over the weekend, the National
Guard armory in Compton
was broken into. Among the
items missing are a case of
hand grenades
two dozen M-16 rifles and
a dozen pair of combat boots.
Captain! They take any Scuds?
'Cause if they did, I want my
own Patriot missile battery.
Knock them suckers out of
the sky.
I gotta get the hell out of
here. I've got some place
I gotta go.
Okay.
I'll catch you tomorrow?
Excuse me, gentlemen.
-You look like hell, Mulich.
-Yeah?
And that's just the outside.
I'm with you, boss.
You doing okay with Mike?
Yeah. Why?
Well, ever since that shooting
thing, the guy goes through
partners like Kleenex.
Mike's had some problems.
He's working them out.
Hey. Did Rita happen to call?
No. But some other woman did,
though. Said she'd call
back later.
Spanky Madrid's rap sheet.
Nothing unusual. Just your
run-of-the-mill gangbanger.
Well, I'm not a speed reader,
so I'm just going to assume he
was a bad boy.
Hey, Mike. I got the medical
examiner on the line here.
They're posting your drive-by
at two o'clock today.
Pedro Madrid.
Thanks.
Wait a minute.
I'll call you back.
Pedro Madrid? This wouldn't be
the National gangbanger they
call Spanky, would it?
-You knew him?
-Well, about six months ago,
we questioned Spanky
concerning a drive-by on
Valencia Street.
Jose "Joe Loco" Sanchez got
his head blown off, and
Spanky was a friend of his.
-Head blown off.
-Yeah. One shot, splat. They
cleaned it up with a hose.
-High powered rifle.
-We never recovered the
bullet, but my guess
is definitely a high caliber
weapon of some kind.
Did you nail anybody?
NSN. Nobody saw nothing.
-You want me to pull the book
on it?
-Yeah, I'd appreciate it.
This is Alomar. One moment.
Mike, it's that woman who
called earlier.
Mulich, Homicide...
Yeah, it is.
Yes, I do remember. Yes,
I would be very interested.
I understand. Why don't you
meet me at Hollywood
and Vermont
across the street from the
Hollywood carwash.
Nobody will know you're there.
Let's say about 20 minutes?
Hollywood carwash. Thank you.
The day is looking up, kid. We
got a witness to our drive-by.
We don't dare talk to the
police where the gangs can
see us.
It took a lot of courage to
meet with us. Thanks.
The one who was shot walked
right by my house.
I was going to work. That's
when I saw the two boys.
I didn't pay much attention
until this car came by, full
of boys.
They all started shouting,
"187 rules,"
"Vatos number one."
Lots of swearing.
Did you see the car?
It was dark blue with a
picture on the hood.
An eagle, I think.
The boy doing most of the
yelling, he came into the
restaurant where I work.
He wears cowboy boots made
of snakeskin.
They went up the hill, and
then I walked just a little
ways further.
[GUNSHOT] One shot?
Yes, and very loud.
And then the other boy came
running back down the hill.
The other boy.
The one from the car?
No. The one who was walking
with the boy who was shot.
There was somebody with
Spanky Madrid?
Yeah.
I thought I told you that.
What did he look like?
He was young, short, he didn't
have a shirt on, tan pants.
Like the gang boys dress,
you know.
Could you identify him if you
saw him again?
A woman, a friend of mine,
called the police to get
the gang boys to leave
her building.
They hang around, sell drugs,
buy, you know.
The police come,
make them leave.
Same day, two girl gang
members come to her apartment
and push their way in.
She had soup heating on
the stove.
They girls, they took the
boiling soup and poured it on
her baby.
I have children, too.
The boy who ran off,
he limped.
I'm sorry to bother you,
Mrs. Madrid. I know that
you're still in mourning
but no one will speak to us,
and the only way we're going
to find your son's killer
is if someone cooperates. Now,
what we're looking for is who
might have been with Spanky
when he was shot.
We know nothing, Mama.
Do any of your son's friends
walk with a limp?
I told you, we know nothing,
nada.
Nada?Gloria, please, take the
baby next door.
I do not hear what the
policiasay.
[DOOR CLOSES] Mario Garcia
is the name of the boy who was
with my son.
He was born with a leg shorter
than the other.
They call him "Little Junior."
And the woman that was here
yesterday, the one that Gloria
was arguing with?
She's nothing but a whore.
Es una putawho tried to break
my son's marriage
and then she comes to our
door. Putais not good enough
for that kind of woman.
[KNOCKING AT DOOR]
Teresa Ramirez?
Who is it?
Nothing. Just a salesman.
What you selling?
Time shares.
[SPEAKS SPANISH]
We're investigating the murder
of a man named Spanky Madrid.
Never heard of him.
Yeah, well how about your
wife? She know him?
I know nothing.
Over half of his brain is
gone. No other signs of trauma
to speak of.
There's a small scratch on the
forearm here but, other
than that...
Wait a minute! What's this?
What? What you got?
There's something under the
skin. I didn't notice
it before.
What is it?
Could be a fragment. You're
the detectives. You tell me.
Yeah, it's a fragment,
all right.
Looks like a piece of the
outer wrap of a
steel-jacketed bullet. See?
It's too small a piece to get
a caliber fix, but it looks
like a metal wrap.
Like you'd see on an
armor-piercing round.
Military ammo?
Like maybe an M-16?
Like maybe from the National
Guard armory in Compton?
That's an interesting thought.
Think we'd better find the
rest of that slug.
There you go.
How you doing, boy?
I'm wasting my time.
So far, I've found an earring,
17 cents, and 15,000 beer
bottle caps.
We're trying to locate that
slug from our drive-by.
The way these yahoos shoot up
this neighborhood, they oughta
use recyclable bullets.
Oh. Do me a favor, will you?
If it means I don't have to
work or gut you somebody's
lame dog.
No. Put out the word that I'm
looking for a 187 Barrio Boy
who drives a new blue car.
Possibly a Trans-Am with an
eagle design on the hood.
The driver wears snakeskin
cowboy boots.
I'm also trying to locate a
Vatos Loco named Mario "Little
Junior" Garcia.
Eighteen to twenty, five two,
110. Walks with a limp.
He might be my only witness.
I'll do her. You wanna do a
couple of beers, tonight?
Yeah, why not?
Mike!
What was that about a needle
in a haystack?
You actually found it?
[LAUGHING]
When I was born, God asked my
mother whether she wanted me
to be handsome or lucky.
She said, "Both."
[LAUGHING]
Yes!
Way to go!
Made any progress on
your drive-bys?
Well, we've got a high-caliber
slug, if SID can tell us what
it is.
We've got a witness if we can
find him. We've got an irate
husband. Nothing like
a cheating wife to bring out
the worst in a guy.
You can ask me, I'm an expert.
Well, if this thing turns into
a dead horse, don't keep
kicking it.
People out there are dying for
our business.
I need your bodies.
Hey, Andy, here's the
interesting thing.
About six months ago
a good friend of our victim,
a guy named Joe Loco,
turns up dead.
One shot, high-caliber weapon,
early a.m. occurrence.
-Makes you think, huh?
-Interesting.
Keep me up to date.
Hey, Mike, some cute little
process-server wanted me to
give this to you.
-Thanks.
-Rita called.
Said it was important.
Yeah?
Another subpoena? What trial?
Mine.
-What's with him?
-Rita served divorce papers
on him.
Wait.
I'll catch you later.
Mike Mulich, this is Dr. John
Carillo. John, this is Mike.
Look, I've got a patient in
recovery I'd better check on.
I tried to call you today to
let you know that you were
going to be served today.
I'm sorry you weren't in.
Yeah?
I thought we were going to try
to work this out.
No, you did. Not me. There's
nothing to work out.
It's over. Just let it go.
I don't want to let it go!
Dammit, Rita, I think that
our marriage is worth saving.
I know that the hours in
Homicide, they're crazy,
so I promise.
I'm going to ask for a
transfer into a
different department...
Mike! It's not the hours.
I'm a surgical nurse. My hours
aren't exactly normal.
And it's not your job,
it never was.
Then what is it?
What the hell is it?
I think we both know what it
is. You're so overwhelmed with
guilt. You let it
control your entire life.
You can't even make love
to me, for God's sake!
Oh, God! Here we go with
the psychological
insights again.
Fine! Don't face it! All
right, Mike, don't face it.
Just walk down to your cop bar
and drink yourself into
a stupor.
Because the truth is that that
dead cop is the only company
that you keep.
That's your life, not mine.
Not anymore.
I need you.
Mike, when I first came into
your life, you had just driven
your car through
the front window of a K-Mart.
Besides a hell of a hangover,
you had three broken ribs
a concussion, and you needed
a nurse. You still do.
But I'm a nurse here all day
long and, when I go home
at night, I just want to be
a wife.
Goodbye, Mike.
Have a good life.
[CAR ALARM SOUNDS]
Why didn't you tell me the
truth, you bitch!
-He won't go for it,
but I'll ask.
-Okay.
See you tonight, baby.
See you. Bye!
CHILD: Bye!
[HONKS HORN]
How you feeling?
Never better.
Hey, Mike, a cousin of
Delfina's just moved up here
from Kentucky.
She's living with us until she
can find a place of her own.
Name's Christine.
Now, I was thinking, or hoping
-that maybe you'd take
her out.
-What?
-She's a sweetheart, man.
-Look, Tom, Tommy, Tommy,
a blind date?
Please. No thank you.
Give her a break.
Her husband was killed in the
Persian Gulf.
An Army lieutenant.
Tank commander.
Took a direct hit fired from
one of our own choppers.
Friendly fire incident.
Friendly fire.
My, but your grip is awfully
strong this morning!
I just got a call from Rita.
My God, Mike, you are damn
lucky she called me and not
the captain.
You'd be looking at a
suspension right in the face.
Hey! I lost my temper, okay?
No, it's not okay!
What the hell is it going to
take to wake you up?
If you force her to get a
restraining order, you're
done, man, you're done.
I will pay for the
damn window.
You bet your sweet ass you'll
pay for the window and
I'll tell you something else
you're gonna do.
You're going for help, Mike.
What? You too? What is it
with everybody? You all think
you got my problems down pat?
I'm not done.
Look, we shared the same car
for 12 years.
We got no secrets.
Now, you're walking the edge,
man, and I am sick and tired
of walking it with you.
Me and the other guys in the
squad room. We've covered
for you long enough.
Mike, don't you see what's
going on? You're becoming the
squad room joke.
It ain't funny.
Now, get the hell out of here.
Mulich, Homicide.
Hey, Tommy, Mike's, uh...
You sure?
M-16? Listen, the
possibility's good enough
for me.
Thanks, and thanks for getting
back so quickly.
Bless you, my son.
You're sounding better.
Thank you. That was just SID.
They said the bullet that
killed Spanky Madrid
was definitely fired from a
high-caliber military type
rifle, possibly an M-16.
Great!
Found this in the gang file.
Yes! Little Junior Garcia, our
missing witness.
Get these blown up and into
cars. The kid's the key.
Without him, we've got zip.
We got this.
Oh, this is the
jealous husband.
Long-time Vatos Locos gang
member. A real veterano.
Our boy's done four years in
Folsom for armed robbery and
various weapons charges.
He's currently on parole.
Mike.
Okay. Call his PO, find out
if he's working.
Her name is Dr. Janice
Whitman. She's the...
She's the department shrink, I
know. She's big on ink blots.
You have an appointment with
her today at 5:30.
And what if I don't keep it?
Keep it.
Hi, this is Detective Tom
Alomar, Ramparts Homicide.
I'm looking for the parole
officer for Ramirez, Alfredo.
Is he currently employed?
Where does he work? Thanks.
What?
This is a little awkward,
here.
I, look, Al, I can be direct,
or I can hem and haw.
Go for it.
We hear your old lady was
steaming up car windows with
Spanky Madrid.
Hey, hey. Be cool, homes.
Be cool.
What my old lady does or
doesn't do is none of your
damn business.
Your boss says you were a
no-show the morning
Spanky Madrid got shot.
I had a cold. Still got it.
Still into guns, Al?
How about rifles?
Military rifles?
I'm a straight arrow now.
Ask my PO. He checks on me
every other day.
Hey, Al. I like your new
army boots.
Planning on going into combat?
So, about that thing we
talked about?
Thing? Thing? What thing?
Christine, Delfina's cousin?
Oh, come on, Tommy!
Look at me. I'm 45 years old.
I got gray hair, it's falling
out. I got a pot gut, I got
bags under my eyes.
Look, you'd be doing this
woman a disservice.
Forget it, Tommy, okay?
Okay, okay, different tack.
I'm putting out
an "Officer needs help" call
here, partner.
Things are a little crowded at
home, you know?
-My kids, Christine,
her kid...
-She's got a kid?
A boy, five. And, with
everybody around, it's...
Look. The kids are going to
my mom's, and I need you
to take Christine out of my
house for a couple of hours.
So, as a favor to me, to save
my marriage, would you please
take her to dinner?
Okay. Just this once.
And don't ever do this to
me again. I mean it.
You're going to meet her at
the Atitlan over on Alvarado
at 7:30.
I could kiss you on the lips.
Mouth open.
Oh, Mike, that's nasty.
Oh, I don't even want to think
about it.
Good evening. May I help you?
Oh, Detective Mullock, right?
Yes, sir, Mulich.
How did you know?
Mulich.
-I saw you on Rockwell Street
at the shooting.
-Oh, right, right.
[SPEAKS SPANISH]
I just bought myself a snack.
So how are you doing?
Fine, thank you.
Is there something here I can
help you with?
Yeah, there just might be.
I have this dinner date
across the street.
Aha! Here it is!
Blind date.
Well, the blind also
appreciate flowers, you know.
The smell...
Oh, no, I didn't mean she
was blind.
Forgive me. I was just making
a small bad joke.
You can never go wrong giving
roses to a woman, you know.
The question is, how many?
That is the key. Now.
A dozen? No, that would be
somewhat pretentious for the
first date.
A single rose?
No, much, much too intimate.
But three roses.
Ah. One for her, one for you
and one for your future.
You sold me.
That's a good-looking boy.
Yeah, that's my boy, Martin.
Rocco, you can go home now.
Would you happen to know this
kid? Mario Garcia, he belongs
the Vatos Locos.
They call him "Little Junior"?
This one I don't recognize.
He walks with a very
pronounced limp.
Did he kill that boy over
on Rockwell?
He was a witness, a friend of
the deceased.
Well, I'm sorry, I wish I
could be of more help to you.
So, how much do I owe you?
Oh, no, really...
Nada.
It is my pleasure. If my roses
help you with your blind date,
come back and pay me.
But, if they don't work,
I'll take the loss.
You're on. Thanks.
Mike?
What?
Christine Avila. Hi.
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
What do we got here?
Three winos?
187! [SPEAKS SPANISH]
Vatos Locos!
[GUNSHOTS]
[SCREAMS]
This is for Spanky, ese!
-You want some ice cream?
-No, I'm stuffed.
But I'll watch you eat some.
No, no.
How long were you married?
Eight months.
No, you look up great husband
in the dictionary, my picture
won't be there.
Rita's a great gal. See, I was
a confirmed bachelor up until
a year ago.
And then, one day, I woke up
and I was 44 years old, alone.
I guess I took it as an omen.
I don't know, maybe I rushed
into it. Enough about me!
What about you?
Hopes, dreams, fears?
Hopes. I hope I can give my
son a good life.
See him grow into a good man
like his father.
Dreams. I'd like to go back to
college, learn
about computers.
Fears. Sometimes, I fear
I won't forget the past and
get on with my life.
Here's my car.
Well, thank you.
I had a very nice time.
Hey, uh, maybe we could do
this again sometime? I mean,
if you're not too busy?
I'd like that.
Christine?
May I ask you a
personal question?
-Tommy said that your husband
was killed by...
-Friendly fire.
Yeah.
Did you ever think about the
helicopter pilot? The American
who fired the missile?
My husband was a soldier
killed in a war.
What difference would it make
if the missile had been fired
by an Iraqi?
Wouldn't make him any
less dead. I've got to go.
Thanks again.
Good night.
Hey, what's happening?
Bill.
Yo, Dick, heard you had a good
one, huh?
No, just your average inner
city firefight. One of them
had some kind of uzi.
I mean, we picked up, count
'em, 57 9-mm casings.
-Whoa.
-Yeah, your victim's a
14-year-old 187
name of Cesar Munoz. Come and
look at this over here on
the wall.
Vatos Locos. Definitely got a
war going, guys.
This could be retaliation for
the hit on your Rockwell
Street victim Spanky Madrid.
Could be, or is?
The shooter was described by
witnesses as being a very
short Latino male
who walked with a
pronounced limp.
Little Junior Garcia.
Ha!
My bell's ringing!
Ding, ding, ding!
I love it when this happens,
man. Just like in the movies.
Ding, ding, ding!
So you figure Little Junior
was specifically after
your victim?
Hey, 60 rounds fired, we
figure he was after anybody
he could get.
Yeah, well I hope you have
better luck at finding him
than we have.
We're done here. We'll get
him. We're going to go inside.
We'll see you guys later, huh?
Oh! We've got the go-ahead for
the surveillance team on
your ex-con Alamirez.
All I had to do was mention
M-16 rifles and combat boots.
The captain was frothing at
the mouth. Anything breaks,
we'll let you know.
Yes!
Hey, Tommy, look over there.
It's got an eagle on the hood.
2-W-5-7 requesting DMV check
2 Queen Robert 4-4-5.
Roger.
Here we go.
Looks like a war party.
Look at the big one with
the boots.
Hold it! Police!
Hey! What are you doing, man?
Police.
Hey, I didn't know you guys
were cops.
Rafael Ruiz, age 22. They call
you Crazy Cowboy, huh? So what
are you?
Crazy? A cowboy? Both?
I'm gonna run him.
Hey, Cowboy, you wouldn't
happen to have a rifle in your
trunk, would you?
-A high caliber rifle?
-High caliber?
What does that mean?
Oh, that's the opposite of
low caliber.
I told you, man,
guns are against the law.
I have no guns.
Then you don't mind if
I open up the trunk?
No way, man.
You ain't got probable cause,
one, to search nothing.
[LAUGHING]
I know the law.
Hey, you wanna handle
my divorce.
Hey, you wouldn't happen to
know a guy named
Spanky Madrid, would you?
Who?
Spanky Madrid.
The only thing out on him is a
$100 traffic warrant.
-Warrant?
-What did I tell you?
You got nothing, man.
Oh, yeah? Watch this.
Pop the trunk, Mike.
No, Tommy.
We can't do anything illegal.
I'll tell you what I got to
do. I got to take you in
on the traffic warrant.
-I'll post bail in two hours.
-Yeah, I know, but the thing
is, Cowboy
I'm going to have to impound
the car. I'm going to have to
have it taken downtown.
What? No, no, that's okay.
My home boys will take care
of it for me.
No, you see, we leave your
car sitting out on the street,
some bad guy comes along
busts up the window,
I couldn't live with myself.
Yeah. A lawyer like you,
you'd probably sue the city.
Who the hell did that? Hey!
All right. They're here now.
Thanks.
Somebody just posted Cowboy's
bail. He'll be back out on the
street in about 30 minutes.
Well, that's par for
the course.
You think Cowboy pulled the
trigger on Spanky Madrid?
Calls for a little creativity
then, I think.
-What?
-You still have that spare
shirt in your locker?
Within bounds, of course!
Come on, people.
Somebody spot it!
Never a cop around when you
need one.
All right! Back off, Tommy.
[SIRENS]
Ah, man!
-What did I do? I wasn't...
-Can I have your
license and registration?
And please step out of the
car, sir.
Man, I don't believe this!
I wasn't doing nothing, man!
I wasn't speeding or nothing!
Would you step back here, sir?
Right back here, please.
That's fine right there.
Would you like to tell me
what that is?
What the... I... Somebody must
have put that there.
Could you open the trunk,
please?
Open the trunk? But...ah! I
know, one of my friends. This
is a joke they played on me.
So why don't you just pop the
trunk and show us that there's
no body there
then you can go and have a
bunch of laughs with your
home boys
and me and my partner here
can go have ourselves a donut.
Body? There's no body!
You're wasting your time,
I'm telling you!
Get the key. Get the key.
I'm telling you, ese, there's
no body!
That's it, sir. Be quiet.
Step over here, please.
Slowly, slowly.
I hope you're right.
[WHISTLES]
Put your hands over your head,
right now!
WOMAN COP:
Lying, lying and more lying.
What's going on?
They did it, man!
They put that rag on my car!
They probably planted those
guns, too!
Don't you hate a sore loser?
We got a war wagon here.
Check this out.
-2-2-3. This slug is very
close in weight to an M-16.
We've also got enough weapons
violations here to keep him
on ice until we can get this
to SID. Keep your fingers
crossed, Tommy,
we just might have our killer.
Hell of a bust, officers.
Thanks!
Oh, Tommy, can you get this
rifle to SID?
Sure. I'll drop it off on the
way home. Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Mike, Delfina wants me to
bring you home for
dinner tonight.
Oh, tell her I appreciate it,
but I can't tonight.
I'm telling you, Mike, her and
Christine make Mexican food
like you wouldn't believe.
I got something I gotta do
tonight. I will take a
rain check, though.
All right. Some other time.
Come on, honey.
Get cleaned up.
I'm telling you guys.
Retirement is something
I wouldn't recommend.
I wouldn't waste your time on
my mother-in-law,
god rest her soul.
[DRUNKEN MUMBLING]
What?
Reno!
Look at this here! I'm empty!
Mike, that's it. You're done.
No more.
What? I'm done? I'm fine.
Look at me.
-He's fine!
-So give me the test.
Give me the test.
[ALL TOGETHER]:
Test! Test! Test!
You got it.
Here. No, no help.
He's got to load it himself.
All right, I can load this
myself. I know I can load
this myself.
He's not ready.
All ready on the fire line!
Ready?
Locked and loaded!
Make my day!
Come on, Mike!
[CHEERING]
[LAUGHTER]
I didn't fail. I always hit
what I'm not shooting at.
Hey, Mike. Easy!
It's only a game, partner.
It's only a game.
It's only a game, partner.
That's what it is.
It's only a game.
Hey!
Mike?
Hey! You're the guys!
You're watching my
old lady's place, huh.
-So what's she up to?
-Listen, why don't you go home
and sleep it off, all right?
I know what you're thinking.
You're thinking, "The guy's
old lady, he's...
"She's bouncing on the
mattress with
somebody else..."
-Nobody's thinking anything.
-Well, I don't need
that bitch!
I don't need anybody.
Hey, Mike, why don't I just
drive you home?
Mike! Cool it!
You wanna drive me home?
Easy, easy easy!
Come on, cool it!
Calm down!
I know you feel sorry for me!
You know what? They're right.
You're nuts, Mulich. There's
something wrong with you, man.
-You ought to be suspended.
-You guys made your point!
Move out!
Okay.
Relax.
Come on, Mike.
Let me take you home. Come on.
[BUZZER SOUNDS]
Mike. Hi.
Hello.
May I come in?
Yeah, sure. Come on in.
Tommy called and said you
didn't show up for work today.
I tried to call,
but there was no answer.
I thought maybe you'd like
somebody to talk to.
To tell you the truth,
I'm just about talked out.
Well, good. Then you won't
mind me talking.
Do you have coffee in there?
You asked me a question
the other night.
About the friendly fire.
It was a stupid question.
I'm sorry I ever asked it.
I didn't realize until later,
after I spoke to Tommy...
-Do you take anything in
your coffee?
-No, black.
The officer that you shot. Did
you ever talk to his widow?
Face to face?
No, I didn't even go to the
funeral. I...
I tried to go to see her,
but I can't do it.
You're so tough on yourself.
What?
If Tommy accidentally shot a
fellow officer, I'd be willing
to bet that
Mike Mulich would be the first
one down there to
offer comfort.
Yeah, but I was careless.
I was stupid.
I should never have fired the
shot that way. I was...
You were what?
I was scared.
My husband chose to be
a soldier.
The man that you shot chose to
be a police officer.
They both knew the dangers.
When people go off to war,
they don't all come back.
You have to honor the dead.
By living your life as fully
as you can.
-You gotta start somewhere,
right?
-Yeah.
If you're telling the truth,
you shouldn't mind going
through it again.
Now, what were you doing
cruising Vatos Locos
territory if you weren't
looking for trouble?
Riding, man.
I'm tired and I'm hungry, man.
We've been here three hours.
Look, I told you. I saw them,
we yelled. They yelled.
They took off running.
We drove off.
Ask my friends, man.
Yeah, I will. I will.
Just stay put.
-How'd it go with Cowboy.
-Well, he's sticking to
his story.
-How about you?
-I've talked to all four of
the guys in the Trans-Am.
They all back his story.
Yes, we were yelling. No, we
didn't shoot nobody no how.
You buy it?
What's to buy? We got diddly.
-We still got the rifle.
-Wrong. SID just called with
your ballistics report.
-Cowboy's rifle was not the
murder weapon. Sorry.
-Dammit! Man!
You feeling all right?
Yes. Why? What!
Nothing. You look almost human
for a change.
Well, I'll be damned. Good,
old fashioned lousy coffee.
I should have known. It's
generic, Mike. Generic. You've
got no taste buds left. None.
Hey, Mike!
Squad room 17's been trying to
raise you on the radio.
They want you to meet them
over at Marathon and Vermont.
They said it's important,
as in, "Get your butt over
here now, y'all."
I should have known.
It's a donut shop.
Well, you know what they say.
If you need a cop, don't call
9-1-1. Call 1-800-donut.
-So what you got?
-We busted come car strippers
earlier this morning.
They had a brand new
Buick Regal up on blocks.
Tires off, doors off, seats
out. I was talking to
one of them.
He was all of 13, mind you. He
told me he'd give me something
good if I let him walk.
I let him walk.
Jimmy Garcia.
That's his girlfriend's
address. She knows
where he's at.
-Whether you get her to talk
or not, that's your problem.
-Thanks, buddy.
All right. Pull around the
corner. Let's see if we can
locate a back door
so we don't spook anybody.
Geez!
-Who is it?
-Hey, lady, your cat was hit
by a car.
Better open up.
He's hurt very bad.
Angel Santos?
What do you want?
He's on the roof!
[GUNSHOTS]
Son of a bitch!
Stop, dammit!
[GUNSHOT]
Out of my way! Police!
[SCREAMING]
Johnny! Johnny!
Take it easy!
No! You killed him!
[POLICE SIRENS]
Hey, Mike?
Yeah?
I'll see you in there.
All right.
Yeah.
Hey, Mike.
I heard about Little Junior.
That's a real bummer.
Now I got more bad news.
I wanna hear it.
Your irate husband, ex-con
Alamirez? Well, while Little
Junior Garcia was getting
his radical lobotomy, we had
four guys watching Alamirez
wheel the barrow.
-Did you guys find anything
worthwhile at the scene?
-No.
No. Incredible.
Oh, guess what? You know the
missing M-16s, grenades,
et cetera from Compton?
Army called. They found them
up at Camp Roberts, man.
They were never missing.
Never, ever, missing.
Excuse me, sir.
Scratch Ramirez.
Damn!
Cowboy's out, too.
He was in custody all day.
Go ahead.
Good. Thanks a lot.
Ballistics is 95 percent
certain that the bullet that
killed Little Junior and the
one that got Spanky Madrid
were fired from the same
rifle. Definitely an M-16.
What are you doing?
I don't know.
I'm just playing.
Joe Loco, Spanky, now
Little Junior. Three amigos.
I wonder what they have
in common?
I mean, besides large-size
holes in their heads.
We're missing something here,
partner. We are
missing something.
Tommy. Mike. Get all your
stuff together on the
Madrid case
including the Little Junior
shooting. It's all going
to Crash.
What?
What are you talking about?
This is our investigation.
This is not a debate, Mike.
This is all gang related
so it's going to the gang task
force. Crash is better
equipped for it.
Besides, I need you
guys elsewhere.
-Come on, Andy!
Where was Crash...
-End of discussion!
Tommy, put those files
together now.
Mike, step into my office.
I want to talk to you.
Seems one of our fellow
officers had to have his lip
stitched the other night.
Seems somebody I know
stepped over the edge.
Yeah, I'll talk to Mathews.
I...
I also called Dr. Whitman's
office. They told me you
missed the appointment
-the other day.
-Slipped my mind.
I had so much...
Well, I made another
appointment. Monday morning,
10 a.m.
You miss this one, Mike
don't bother coming in on
Tuesday. Just go downtown and
turn in your badge.
What? No chicken dinner?
No gold watch, no party,
no bad jokes?
Just like that.
Just like that.
So we'll get the next one.
Don't sweat it.
Tommy, I hear they're opening
a couple of Homicide chairs in
Crash. Maybe you should
throw your hat in the ring.
I mean, with
your background...
What? You're gonna retire?
You're gonna quit? Die? What?
-What is this?
-What?
What are you looking at?
Spanky Madrid's rap sheet.
Look right here.
Do you know what this is?
Oh yeah, yeah.
I saw that the other day.
I thought it was a typo.
What is it?
No.
This means that our boy Spanky
did something that was later
expunged from his records
by order of the
Juvenile Court.
Marilyn Butler. She still work
the Juvenile desk?
-Yep.
-She still got the hots
for you?
Come on.
Well, I...
Mike.
I don't think we should...
If I show you guys sealed
records, I could get canned.
But, if I open it, and you
just happen to have
some questions...
Bingo. Here it is.
Okay, you guys, here goes.
Oh, wow!
What? What is it?
I know this one. The Echo Park
shooting. This was one of
my first cases.
A kid with a baseball mitt.
A 12-year-old boy was playing
baseball in Echo Park with
a bunch of his friends.
Some kind of gang fight goes
down clear across the park.
A big shoot-out ensues.
Of course, not one of the
gangbangers gets hit.
But this poor innocent kid
gets a stray bullet right
through the back of the neck.
So Spanky Madrid was one of
the shooters.
There were two positive IDs.
Both Vatos Locos.
One was Spanky Madrid, and
the other one was, uh.
He had kind of a strange name.
How about Joe Loco?
Joe Loco! That's him.
So they take these two guys to
court. They can't prove that
either one of them fired
the fatal shot. So they walk.
Later, Spanky petitioned the
court to have the charges
expunged, and they were.
Any mention in there about a
gangbanger named Mario
"Little Junior" Garcia?
No other gang member was ID'd.
You got tall ones, short ones,
fat ones.
One reported to have a very
pronounced limp...
That's our boy, Mike.
That's Little Junior.
What was the victim's name?
Martin. Martin Balsidar.
[DOOR BELL]
Ah! The three roses.
They didn't work for your
blind date?
They worked fine,
Mr. Balsidar.
This is my partner,
Detective Alomar.
We dropped by your shop first.
It was closed.
Yes. I took the day off.
May we come in?
Yes, please.
Planning to go out of town?
Out of town?
Oh, you mean the sheets.
No, no. Since Marty died,
I spend most of my time
in the back.
The sheets keep the dust off.
Rosa, his...his mother...
She died ten years ago and...
Well, when she was around
no dust. Not a speck.
War vet, huh?
Isn't that the Silver Star?
Oh, that was a very long
time ago.
I think I was a frightened
child pretending to be a man.
Oh, they don't give the
Silver Star to pretenders.
So, gentlemen, what can I do
for you?
Would you like something?
Coffee? A soft drink?
No. No thanks. Do you own
a rifle, Mr. Balsidar?
Let me show you something.
This is Marty's room.
Rosa and I didn't think we
could have children.
Marty didn't come along until
we were in our 40s.
We called him our
miracle baby.
The animals who murdered him
they weren't even punished.
They left the court laughing.
Laughing at my dead son.
They killed my son.
I'm so sorry.
Mr. Balsidar, if you wouldn't
mind, we'd like you to come
down to the station with us.
There's a few questions we
need to ask you. A few things
we need to clear up.
Before we go, I would like
to make a phone call.
-To your lawyer?
-To a priest.
It's very important.
Please!
Sir, I'm sorry...
We'll just wait out in
the hall.
What are you doing?
He could have a gun in there.
What are you thinking?
-Huh?
-I'm thinking that there are
some things that a jury
can't decide.
[GUNSHOT]
Oh, God! Mike!
I gotta go home, mano.
Wash all this off.
See Delfina. Hold my kids.
Hey.
You wanna come home with me?
No. No, thank you, partner.
I got something I gotta do.
Oh, and Tommy, I won't be in
on Monday.
Why? What?
Something the matter?
I got some ink blots to look
at. I'll be in on Tuesday.
I called. She's expecting you.
Go on. I'll wait here.
Wait. Don't forget these.
How you doing?
All right.
[DOOR BELL]
A cop can find a lot of
satisfaction in his job.
But an old sergeant once told
me, "If you're looking
for love
"join the fire department."
This is Joe Wambaugh.
Hope to see you next time.
14 years, this was my world.
A good cop needs three
qualities that can't
be taught:
common sense, a sense of humor
and a bit of compassion.
Weapons more important than
a gun and handcuffs.
Our story tonight deals with
Detective Mike Mulich.
On June 17th, 1987, this cop
forgot that sometimes
compassion is needed
for oneself.
Where should we start?
Lunch, or dinner?
Why don't you get yourself a
good Italian wife?
Then you wouldn't be hungry
all the time.
Why don't you give me yours?
She wouldn't have you.
Oh, a present for you.
What? What do you got there?
Not bad.
Where did you get this?
I took it off that bloated
wino they pulled out of
McArthur Park last night.
I brushed the worms off.
You're a sick man.
RADIO DISPATCH: All units in
the vicinity of 299 Beverly
and 2 Adam 49
211 in progress in Western
Payroll Services. 2 Adam 49,
your call is code 3.
That's right up the street.
This is 2 W 57. Code 6 in
the area of 299 Beverly
in plain clothes.
Get out! Get out, Mike!
Get out!
Run! Come on, let's go!
This is 2 W...
Get down, Mike!
This is 2 W 57, officers need
help. Suspects:
two white males
one dressed in blue jeans...
Mike! Mike!
Hey, watch it!
What are you doing?
Mike! Mike!
Ah, man!
Move, man!
You all right?
Yeah.
All right.
[GUNSHOT]
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry. I'm just a little
nervous. You know, I'm...
It's like I'm uptight
I'm going to get through this,
I know it.
Come on, honey, come back
to bed.
Look. You wanted this to work.
I wanted this to work.
Let's face it
it's not going to work.
Dammit, Rita. I think our
marriage is worth saving.
We're married eight
months, Mike. Not eight years.
Be thankful.
I mean, there's no house, no
property, no kids.
God knows there's no money
to fight over.
There's nothing to save.
We got off cheap, Mike.
Okay, at least, let's wait
till tomorrow, huh?
We'll talk about it then.
I'm not willing to live with
your ghosts anymore.
That bed's just not big enough
for all of us.
Goodbye, Mike.
Don't leave me, okay?
Please.
[DOOR CLOSES]
-I told you, three o'clock!
-Listen up, kid, you'll give
yourself an ulcer.
Mendelssohn.
Who we got?
We're dead.
Mike, please, tell me
you're sober.
Okay, I'm sober. Now let's
go get us a murder indictment.
Glad you could join us,
Detective Mulich.
Your boss here has been kind
enough to cover your butt for
the past 30 minutes.
God bless Eye-talian coppers.
I'm sorry I'm late, but my
mother died.
Oh, no, I'm sorry.
When did it happen?
Twelve years ago this April.
Let's hear what you've got.
Be as brief as possible.
Okay. On September 15, one
definite slime ball named
Sidney Joseph Raymond
a.k.a. Mean Sid, entered the
Adams Hotel at
9915 Pico Boulevard
to consummate a drug deal with
one Walter Simplat,
a.k.a. Dumb Wallie.
Skip.
The drug deal went sour, and
they started to argue about...
Skip.
Mean Sid stabbed the victim
twice in the chest with an
eight-inch buck knife.
The victim turned and took
another stab wound to the
right buttocks...
Skip.
...before taking the only
escape route, which was an
eight-story plunge
through a closed window.
The cause of death is
officially listed as a fall
from a high place.
Hell, if he was stabbed, we
wouldn't know it anyway.
They had to take him away
in pieces.
-We've got a witness.
-Who's a drug dealing junkie
himself,
currently on parole, with a
sheet that includes perjury.
Great witness!
No murder one,
no murder two...
At least give us attempted
murder and let a jury decide.
Hell, let's get the creep off
the street before he kills
somebody else.
I don't doubt the man
committed the crime.
But when we walk into a
courtroom, we want to be
95 percent certain we're going
to convict.
-I'm just not comfortable...
-You know, me and my partner
have just invested three weeks
of work to put this
psychopath in jail.
Now you're telling me
you and your boss need a 95
percent conviction rate to
get re-elected?
I'm not comfortable with that.
It's just one junkie killing
another one.
Right. Not even murder, yeah?
Just ecology?
Cleaning up the environment?
Take it easy!
Mike!
Mike. Mike, the man was just
doing his job,
for Pete's sake.
So was Manuel Noriega.
Hey. Hey! That is the nature
of the business. You get a
paycheck. You're a cop
not a caped crusader.
All this must be my supervisor
talking because my former
partner would know
exactly how I feel. I think
you've been a desk jockey
too long.
Yo, Reno.
I want one for me.
I want one for Sparky.
No, no.
I'm buying.
Please, to show my
appreciation for you guys in
blue going out there
protecting me...
Shh!
You know, I'll let you in on
a little secret.
It ain't the bad guys
that the cops worry about.
It's cops like me that cops
worry about.
Ha!
If that don't scare you
enough, see these?
They don't do you any good.
Sparky, you always wanted to
be a cop, right?
They're yours.
Hell, I'll even throw in
the cuffs.
Gee, Mike! Thanks!
Hey, you're welcome. Now you
go, you put some bad guys
in jail.
'Cause I sure as hell can't.
[LAUGHING]
[DRUNKEN CHATTER]
-How's he doing?
-We need to pull the plug on
him again.
You don't need to come down.
Hell, you got a family, too.
Yeah. My kids are grown,
Tommy, and Maria, she
understands the situation.
Go ahead. Go home.
You're officially relieved.
All right. Thanks, boss.
Tommy.
Yeah.
Mike wasn't always like this.
Before the shooting, well,
he was something special.
You know, he won't even talk
to me about the shooting.
And then he goes over and sits
in front of the widow's house.
Don't go in, don't talk to
her. Just sits there like a
damn ghost.
And then he drives off.
I don't know.
When he's straight and sober
he's the best.
But then, he goes off.
I don't know.
I don't know.
Sweetheart, at closing time,
everybody is kinda cute.
Hey, Mike.
[GUNSHOT]
[YELLS]
[ALARM CLOCK RINGS]
Geez, Mike, what are you doing
out of your coffin?
I'm looking for a transfusion.
[CHUCKLES]
What the hell is this!
What's the matter?
-This is not coffee.
-It's just decaf, Mike,
Janie got it for me.
She says it wouldn't hurt any
of us to cut down on
our caffeine.
What did you lose?
Nothing. I just...
I misplaced something.
No big deal.
Don't sit down. Drive-by just
occurred. 1700 block,
Rockwood Street. One dead.
Another gang task force?
Couldn't Crash handle this?
Crash had two fatals last
night, another one early
this morning.
They're booked solid.
Sounds like another wild and
crazy night.
Yeah.
Oh, Mike!
Oh, I knew I put
them somewhere...
You and I, my friend, need to
have a serious talk about
career choices.
Call my secretary.
We'll do lunch.
I'll do that. Real soon.
Oh, you still chasing that
burglar over on Wiltshire?
Yeah. Why?
If you get some spare time,
I want you to sit on this
place on Mantigua for me.
It's a townhouse, and I'm
interested in number 7.
Who comes and goes?
Thanks a lot.
Yeah, sure.
You don't stake out your
own wife.
And you're not my mother,
okay?
Okay, okay. Nice.
[RAP MUSIC PLAYING]
Morning.
Morning.
You on the primary call?
Yes, sir. 0706 hours.
His eyes did one big back
flip, and he went flat line.
-Hey, Tim.
-I still haven't gotten those
pictures from
that stabbing over
on Normandy.
That's SWAT, Mike. ASAP, huh?
[CHUCKLING]
What is that big, ugly,
throbbing thing sitting
between your shoulders?
It feels like it should have
"Goodyear" written across it.
When did you start working
Crash calls?
Well, I guess they want this
one solved.
We covered every inch of the
block, Mike.
Went all the way around.
None?
No casings.
Usually these gang-bangers
leave more casings around than
peanut shells at
baseball games.
No witnesses, either.
A lot of people heard a big
boom, that's about it.
Check out his pockets for
Rolaids. I feel a bad case of
heartburn coming on.
One shot. Went in like a
Volkswagen there on
his forehead
exited like an 18-wheeler
out the back.
Looks like he got hit with an
elephant gun. One shot?
Nice and neat for a change.
Had a gang-banger last night
with eight holes in him.
Another had six. Beirut six.
Rudy, that look they get in
their eyes, right when the
lights go out.
Maybe they're looking
into eternity.
Yeah, well, whatever they're
looking at, I don't want to
see it.
Look at this.
It was stuck in his belt.
I see he was also
a businessman.
Rock, about what? Five, six
grams? How big's the splash?
Three hundred and forty bucks.
All in tens.
Pedro Luis Madrid, 22 years
old. He lived a few blocks
from here. Home boy.
Yeah, well, I'd love to stay
and chat with you fellas but
unlike detectives, coroner
investigators have to work for
a living.
You take the gun,
I take the rest.
You call fondling dead bodies
work? I thought it was more
of a calling.
Please bite me where I'm
most tender.
Okay. You're the ex-Crash cop,
gang expert.
What's wrong with
this picture?
Time of day, for one.
Most drive-bys don't go down
at seven in the morning.
And they used a large-caliber
weapon. Gang guys prefer
small-caliber stuff
22s, 25s, 38s, 9 mm...
Rule number one: just when you
think you got the rules
down pat
they change the game on you.
Let's ask some questions.
Somebody had to see something.
I'll take this end.
-Pardon me, ladies.
-We didn't see anything.
Nothing.
-Did anyone see anything,
anyone coming, anyone going?
-No, nothing.
My name is Mulich.
Detective Mulich.
Yes, sir.
Detective Mulich.
It's not that we don't want to
help. It's just that the gangs
make everyone afraid.
-They see you talking to
the police...
-Yeah, I hear you.
You didn't happen to witness
the shooting, did you?
No. I was just on my way to
open my shop and saw the
police cars.
Oh! Did you know the boy that
was shot?
Him? Just another Vato.
[CHATTER IN SPANISH]
[KNOCKING AT DOOR]
[KNOCKING AT DOOR]
[WOMAN CRYING]
Senora Madrid?
Spanky was my husband.
This is his mother.
Lo sentimos mucho.
Hablas ingles?
Speak English, Mama.
My Spanky,
he's a very good boy.
When he got out of jail,
he worked very hard.
He pays our rent.
[SPEAKS SPANISH]
Do you have any idea who might
have done this to
your husband?
Everybody knows who did it.
The 187s. And they were paid,
the bastards.
You policemen are more
helpless than we are.
My Spanky will be avenged.
They will pay.
[PEOPLE ARGUING]
Stop, boys, or I'll have them
shackle your legs.
Hey can't stand to be away
from me, Tommy?
I love you guys so much,
I have dry dreams about you.
Hey, Mikey. You taking good
care of our home boys?
I am, but it's frustrating.
I spend all my time trying to
break him of the bad habits
he picked up in here.
Hey, Dick. Does the name
Pedro Luis Madrid ring a bell?
No. Of course, my bell's been
rung so many times, I wouldn't
know if it's ringing or not.
Is he the victim on your
Rockwell Street drive-by?
Yeah. How about your drive-by
last night?
Any of them involved?
Vatos Locos vs.
187 Barrio Boys?
Desert Street Winos vs.
Black Shoe.
Any luck?
Not yet.
They got over 600 gangs
here now.
Most of them pretty small,
10 or 25 people.
Then we move up to the big
boys, like the Vatos Locos.
They got 1200 members.
And that's just the ones with
bonafide cards.
Bang! Got him!
Pedro Madrid, a.k.a. Spanky.
This is definitely our boy.
Listen up, people. Sometime
over the weekend, the National
Guard armory in Compton
was broken into. Among the
items missing are a case of
hand grenades
two dozen M-16 rifles and
a dozen pair of combat boots.
Captain! They take any Scuds?
'Cause if they did, I want my
own Patriot missile battery.
Knock them suckers out of
the sky.
I gotta get the hell out of
here. I've got some place
I gotta go.
Okay.
I'll catch you tomorrow?
Excuse me, gentlemen.
-You look like hell, Mulich.
-Yeah?
And that's just the outside.
I'm with you, boss.
You doing okay with Mike?
Yeah. Why?
Well, ever since that shooting
thing, the guy goes through
partners like Kleenex.
Mike's had some problems.
He's working them out.
Hey. Did Rita happen to call?
No. But some other woman did,
though. Said she'd call
back later.
Spanky Madrid's rap sheet.
Nothing unusual. Just your
run-of-the-mill gangbanger.
Well, I'm not a speed reader,
so I'm just going to assume he
was a bad boy.
Hey, Mike. I got the medical
examiner on the line here.
They're posting your drive-by
at two o'clock today.
Pedro Madrid.
Thanks.
Wait a minute.
I'll call you back.
Pedro Madrid? This wouldn't be
the National gangbanger they
call Spanky, would it?
-You knew him?
-Well, about six months ago,
we questioned Spanky
concerning a drive-by on
Valencia Street.
Jose "Joe Loco" Sanchez got
his head blown off, and
Spanky was a friend of his.
-Head blown off.
-Yeah. One shot, splat. They
cleaned it up with a hose.
-High powered rifle.
-We never recovered the
bullet, but my guess
is definitely a high caliber
weapon of some kind.
Did you nail anybody?
NSN. Nobody saw nothing.
-You want me to pull the book
on it?
-Yeah, I'd appreciate it.
This is Alomar. One moment.
Mike, it's that woman who
called earlier.
Mulich, Homicide...
Yeah, it is.
Yes, I do remember. Yes,
I would be very interested.
I understand. Why don't you
meet me at Hollywood
and Vermont
across the street from the
Hollywood carwash.
Nobody will know you're there.
Let's say about 20 minutes?
Hollywood carwash. Thank you.
The day is looking up, kid. We
got a witness to our drive-by.
We don't dare talk to the
police where the gangs can
see us.
It took a lot of courage to
meet with us. Thanks.
The one who was shot walked
right by my house.
I was going to work. That's
when I saw the two boys.
I didn't pay much attention
until this car came by, full
of boys.
They all started shouting,
"187 rules,"
"Vatos number one."
Lots of swearing.
Did you see the car?
It was dark blue with a
picture on the hood.
An eagle, I think.
The boy doing most of the
yelling, he came into the
restaurant where I work.
He wears cowboy boots made
of snakeskin.
They went up the hill, and
then I walked just a little
ways further.
[GUNSHOT] One shot?
Yes, and very loud.
And then the other boy came
running back down the hill.
The other boy.
The one from the car?
No. The one who was walking
with the boy who was shot.
There was somebody with
Spanky Madrid?
Yeah.
I thought I told you that.
What did he look like?
He was young, short, he didn't
have a shirt on, tan pants.
Like the gang boys dress,
you know.
Could you identify him if you
saw him again?
A woman, a friend of mine,
called the police to get
the gang boys to leave
her building.
They hang around, sell drugs,
buy, you know.
The police come,
make them leave.
Same day, two girl gang
members come to her apartment
and push their way in.
She had soup heating on
the stove.
They girls, they took the
boiling soup and poured it on
her baby.
I have children, too.
The boy who ran off,
he limped.
I'm sorry to bother you,
Mrs. Madrid. I know that
you're still in mourning
but no one will speak to us,
and the only way we're going
to find your son's killer
is if someone cooperates. Now,
what we're looking for is who
might have been with Spanky
when he was shot.
We know nothing, Mama.
Do any of your son's friends
walk with a limp?
I told you, we know nothing,
nada.
Nada?Gloria, please, take the
baby next door.
I do not hear what the
policiasay.
[DOOR CLOSES] Mario Garcia
is the name of the boy who was
with my son.
He was born with a leg shorter
than the other.
They call him "Little Junior."
And the woman that was here
yesterday, the one that Gloria
was arguing with?
She's nothing but a whore.
Es una putawho tried to break
my son's marriage
and then she comes to our
door. Putais not good enough
for that kind of woman.
[KNOCKING AT DOOR]
Teresa Ramirez?
Who is it?
Nothing. Just a salesman.
What you selling?
Time shares.
[SPEAKS SPANISH]
We're investigating the murder
of a man named Spanky Madrid.
Never heard of him.
Yeah, well how about your
wife? She know him?
I know nothing.
Over half of his brain is
gone. No other signs of trauma
to speak of.
There's a small scratch on the
forearm here but, other
than that...
Wait a minute! What's this?
What? What you got?
There's something under the
skin. I didn't notice
it before.
What is it?
Could be a fragment. You're
the detectives. You tell me.
Yeah, it's a fragment,
all right.
Looks like a piece of the
outer wrap of a
steel-jacketed bullet. See?
It's too small a piece to get
a caliber fix, but it looks
like a metal wrap.
Like you'd see on an
armor-piercing round.
Military ammo?
Like maybe an M-16?
Like maybe from the National
Guard armory in Compton?
That's an interesting thought.
Think we'd better find the
rest of that slug.
There you go.
How you doing, boy?
I'm wasting my time.
So far, I've found an earring,
17 cents, and 15,000 beer
bottle caps.
We're trying to locate that
slug from our drive-by.
The way these yahoos shoot up
this neighborhood, they oughta
use recyclable bullets.
Oh. Do me a favor, will you?
If it means I don't have to
work or gut you somebody's
lame dog.
No. Put out the word that I'm
looking for a 187 Barrio Boy
who drives a new blue car.
Possibly a Trans-Am with an
eagle design on the hood.
The driver wears snakeskin
cowboy boots.
I'm also trying to locate a
Vatos Loco named Mario "Little
Junior" Garcia.
Eighteen to twenty, five two,
110. Walks with a limp.
He might be my only witness.
I'll do her. You wanna do a
couple of beers, tonight?
Yeah, why not?
Mike!
What was that about a needle
in a haystack?
You actually found it?
[LAUGHING]
When I was born, God asked my
mother whether she wanted me
to be handsome or lucky.
She said, "Both."
[LAUGHING]
Yes!
Way to go!
Made any progress on
your drive-bys?
Well, we've got a high-caliber
slug, if SID can tell us what
it is.
We've got a witness if we can
find him. We've got an irate
husband. Nothing like
a cheating wife to bring out
the worst in a guy.
You can ask me, I'm an expert.
Well, if this thing turns into
a dead horse, don't keep
kicking it.
People out there are dying for
our business.
I need your bodies.
Hey, Andy, here's the
interesting thing.
About six months ago
a good friend of our victim,
a guy named Joe Loco,
turns up dead.
One shot, high-caliber weapon,
early a.m. occurrence.
-Makes you think, huh?
-Interesting.
Keep me up to date.
Hey, Mike, some cute little
process-server wanted me to
give this to you.
-Thanks.
-Rita called.
Said it was important.
Yeah?
Another subpoena? What trial?
Mine.
-What's with him?
-Rita served divorce papers
on him.
Wait.
I'll catch you later.
Mike Mulich, this is Dr. John
Carillo. John, this is Mike.
Look, I've got a patient in
recovery I'd better check on.
I tried to call you today to
let you know that you were
going to be served today.
I'm sorry you weren't in.
Yeah?
I thought we were going to try
to work this out.
No, you did. Not me. There's
nothing to work out.
It's over. Just let it go.
I don't want to let it go!
Dammit, Rita, I think that
our marriage is worth saving.
I know that the hours in
Homicide, they're crazy,
so I promise.
I'm going to ask for a
transfer into a
different department...
Mike! It's not the hours.
I'm a surgical nurse. My hours
aren't exactly normal.
And it's not your job,
it never was.
Then what is it?
What the hell is it?
I think we both know what it
is. You're so overwhelmed with
guilt. You let it
control your entire life.
You can't even make love
to me, for God's sake!
Oh, God! Here we go with
the psychological
insights again.
Fine! Don't face it! All
right, Mike, don't face it.
Just walk down to your cop bar
and drink yourself into
a stupor.
Because the truth is that that
dead cop is the only company
that you keep.
That's your life, not mine.
Not anymore.
I need you.
Mike, when I first came into
your life, you had just driven
your car through
the front window of a K-Mart.
Besides a hell of a hangover,
you had three broken ribs
a concussion, and you needed
a nurse. You still do.
But I'm a nurse here all day
long and, when I go home
at night, I just want to be
a wife.
Goodbye, Mike.
Have a good life.
[CAR ALARM SOUNDS]
Why didn't you tell me the
truth, you bitch!
-He won't go for it,
but I'll ask.
-Okay.
See you tonight, baby.
See you. Bye!
CHILD: Bye!
[HONKS HORN]
How you feeling?
Never better.
Hey, Mike, a cousin of
Delfina's just moved up here
from Kentucky.
She's living with us until she
can find a place of her own.
Name's Christine.
Now, I was thinking, or hoping
-that maybe you'd take
her out.
-What?
-She's a sweetheart, man.
-Look, Tom, Tommy, Tommy,
a blind date?
Please. No thank you.
Give her a break.
Her husband was killed in the
Persian Gulf.
An Army lieutenant.
Tank commander.
Took a direct hit fired from
one of our own choppers.
Friendly fire incident.
Friendly fire.
My, but your grip is awfully
strong this morning!
I just got a call from Rita.
My God, Mike, you are damn
lucky she called me and not
the captain.
You'd be looking at a
suspension right in the face.
Hey! I lost my temper, okay?
No, it's not okay!
What the hell is it going to
take to wake you up?
If you force her to get a
restraining order, you're
done, man, you're done.
I will pay for the
damn window.
You bet your sweet ass you'll
pay for the window and
I'll tell you something else
you're gonna do.
You're going for help, Mike.
What? You too? What is it
with everybody? You all think
you got my problems down pat?
I'm not done.
Look, we shared the same car
for 12 years.
We got no secrets.
Now, you're walking the edge,
man, and I am sick and tired
of walking it with you.
Me and the other guys in the
squad room. We've covered
for you long enough.
Mike, don't you see what's
going on? You're becoming the
squad room joke.
It ain't funny.
Now, get the hell out of here.
Mulich, Homicide.
Hey, Tommy, Mike's, uh...
You sure?
M-16? Listen, the
possibility's good enough
for me.
Thanks, and thanks for getting
back so quickly.
Bless you, my son.
You're sounding better.
Thank you. That was just SID.
They said the bullet that
killed Spanky Madrid
was definitely fired from a
high-caliber military type
rifle, possibly an M-16.
Great!
Found this in the gang file.
Yes! Little Junior Garcia, our
missing witness.
Get these blown up and into
cars. The kid's the key.
Without him, we've got zip.
We got this.
Oh, this is the
jealous husband.
Long-time Vatos Locos gang
member. A real veterano.
Our boy's done four years in
Folsom for armed robbery and
various weapons charges.
He's currently on parole.
Mike.
Okay. Call his PO, find out
if he's working.
Her name is Dr. Janice
Whitman. She's the...
She's the department shrink, I
know. She's big on ink blots.
You have an appointment with
her today at 5:30.
And what if I don't keep it?
Keep it.
Hi, this is Detective Tom
Alomar, Ramparts Homicide.
I'm looking for the parole
officer for Ramirez, Alfredo.
Is he currently employed?
Where does he work? Thanks.
What?
This is a little awkward,
here.
I, look, Al, I can be direct,
or I can hem and haw.
Go for it.
We hear your old lady was
steaming up car windows with
Spanky Madrid.
Hey, hey. Be cool, homes.
Be cool.
What my old lady does or
doesn't do is none of your
damn business.
Your boss says you were a
no-show the morning
Spanky Madrid got shot.
I had a cold. Still got it.
Still into guns, Al?
How about rifles?
Military rifles?
I'm a straight arrow now.
Ask my PO. He checks on me
every other day.
Hey, Al. I like your new
army boots.
Planning on going into combat?
So, about that thing we
talked about?
Thing? Thing? What thing?
Christine, Delfina's cousin?
Oh, come on, Tommy!
Look at me. I'm 45 years old.
I got gray hair, it's falling
out. I got a pot gut, I got
bags under my eyes.
Look, you'd be doing this
woman a disservice.
Forget it, Tommy, okay?
Okay, okay, different tack.
I'm putting out
an "Officer needs help" call
here, partner.
Things are a little crowded at
home, you know?
-My kids, Christine,
her kid...
-She's got a kid?
A boy, five. And, with
everybody around, it's...
Look. The kids are going to
my mom's, and I need you
to take Christine out of my
house for a couple of hours.
So, as a favor to me, to save
my marriage, would you please
take her to dinner?
Okay. Just this once.
And don't ever do this to
me again. I mean it.
You're going to meet her at
the Atitlan over on Alvarado
at 7:30.
I could kiss you on the lips.
Mouth open.
Oh, Mike, that's nasty.
Oh, I don't even want to think
about it.
Good evening. May I help you?
Oh, Detective Mullock, right?
Yes, sir, Mulich.
How did you know?
Mulich.
-I saw you on Rockwell Street
at the shooting.
-Oh, right, right.
[SPEAKS SPANISH]
I just bought myself a snack.
So how are you doing?
Fine, thank you.
Is there something here I can
help you with?
Yeah, there just might be.
I have this dinner date
across the street.
Aha! Here it is!
Blind date.
Well, the blind also
appreciate flowers, you know.
The smell...
Oh, no, I didn't mean she
was blind.
Forgive me. I was just making
a small bad joke.
You can never go wrong giving
roses to a woman, you know.
The question is, how many?
That is the key. Now.
A dozen? No, that would be
somewhat pretentious for the
first date.
A single rose?
No, much, much too intimate.
But three roses.
Ah. One for her, one for you
and one for your future.
You sold me.
That's a good-looking boy.
Yeah, that's my boy, Martin.
Rocco, you can go home now.
Would you happen to know this
kid? Mario Garcia, he belongs
the Vatos Locos.
They call him "Little Junior"?
This one I don't recognize.
He walks with a very
pronounced limp.
Did he kill that boy over
on Rockwell?
He was a witness, a friend of
the deceased.
Well, I'm sorry, I wish I
could be of more help to you.
So, how much do I owe you?
Oh, no, really...
Nada.
It is my pleasure. If my roses
help you with your blind date,
come back and pay me.
But, if they don't work,
I'll take the loss.
You're on. Thanks.
Mike?
What?
Christine Avila. Hi.
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
What do we got here?
Three winos?
187! [SPEAKS SPANISH]
Vatos Locos!
[GUNSHOTS]
[SCREAMS]
This is for Spanky, ese!
-You want some ice cream?
-No, I'm stuffed.
But I'll watch you eat some.
No, no.
How long were you married?
Eight months.
No, you look up great husband
in the dictionary, my picture
won't be there.
Rita's a great gal. See, I was
a confirmed bachelor up until
a year ago.
And then, one day, I woke up
and I was 44 years old, alone.
I guess I took it as an omen.
I don't know, maybe I rushed
into it. Enough about me!
What about you?
Hopes, dreams, fears?
Hopes. I hope I can give my
son a good life.
See him grow into a good man
like his father.
Dreams. I'd like to go back to
college, learn
about computers.
Fears. Sometimes, I fear
I won't forget the past and
get on with my life.
Here's my car.
Well, thank you.
I had a very nice time.
Hey, uh, maybe we could do
this again sometime? I mean,
if you're not too busy?
I'd like that.
Christine?
May I ask you a
personal question?
-Tommy said that your husband
was killed by...
-Friendly fire.
Yeah.
Did you ever think about the
helicopter pilot? The American
who fired the missile?
My husband was a soldier
killed in a war.
What difference would it make
if the missile had been fired
by an Iraqi?
Wouldn't make him any
less dead. I've got to go.
Thanks again.
Good night.
Hey, what's happening?
Bill.
Yo, Dick, heard you had a good
one, huh?
No, just your average inner
city firefight. One of them
had some kind of uzi.
I mean, we picked up, count
'em, 57 9-mm casings.
-Whoa.
-Yeah, your victim's a
14-year-old 187
name of Cesar Munoz. Come and
look at this over here on
the wall.
Vatos Locos. Definitely got a
war going, guys.
This could be retaliation for
the hit on your Rockwell
Street victim Spanky Madrid.
Could be, or is?
The shooter was described by
witnesses as being a very
short Latino male
who walked with a
pronounced limp.
Little Junior Garcia.
Ha!
My bell's ringing!
Ding, ding, ding!
I love it when this happens,
man. Just like in the movies.
Ding, ding, ding!
So you figure Little Junior
was specifically after
your victim?
Hey, 60 rounds fired, we
figure he was after anybody
he could get.
Yeah, well I hope you have
better luck at finding him
than we have.
We're done here. We'll get
him. We're going to go inside.
We'll see you guys later, huh?
Oh! We've got the go-ahead for
the surveillance team on
your ex-con Alamirez.
All I had to do was mention
M-16 rifles and combat boots.
The captain was frothing at
the mouth. Anything breaks,
we'll let you know.
Yes!
Hey, Tommy, look over there.
It's got an eagle on the hood.
2-W-5-7 requesting DMV check
2 Queen Robert 4-4-5.
Roger.
Here we go.
Looks like a war party.
Look at the big one with
the boots.
Hold it! Police!
Hey! What are you doing, man?
Police.
Hey, I didn't know you guys
were cops.
Rafael Ruiz, age 22. They call
you Crazy Cowboy, huh? So what
are you?
Crazy? A cowboy? Both?
I'm gonna run him.
Hey, Cowboy, you wouldn't
happen to have a rifle in your
trunk, would you?
-A high caliber rifle?
-High caliber?
What does that mean?
Oh, that's the opposite of
low caliber.
I told you, man,
guns are against the law.
I have no guns.
Then you don't mind if
I open up the trunk?
No way, man.
You ain't got probable cause,
one, to search nothing.
[LAUGHING]
I know the law.
Hey, you wanna handle
my divorce.
Hey, you wouldn't happen to
know a guy named
Spanky Madrid, would you?
Who?
Spanky Madrid.
The only thing out on him is a
$100 traffic warrant.
-Warrant?
-What did I tell you?
You got nothing, man.
Oh, yeah? Watch this.
Pop the trunk, Mike.
No, Tommy.
We can't do anything illegal.
I'll tell you what I got to
do. I got to take you in
on the traffic warrant.
-I'll post bail in two hours.
-Yeah, I know, but the thing
is, Cowboy
I'm going to have to impound
the car. I'm going to have to
have it taken downtown.
What? No, no, that's okay.
My home boys will take care
of it for me.
No, you see, we leave your
car sitting out on the street,
some bad guy comes along
busts up the window,
I couldn't live with myself.
Yeah. A lawyer like you,
you'd probably sue the city.
Who the hell did that? Hey!
All right. They're here now.
Thanks.
Somebody just posted Cowboy's
bail. He'll be back out on the
street in about 30 minutes.
Well, that's par for
the course.
You think Cowboy pulled the
trigger on Spanky Madrid?
Calls for a little creativity
then, I think.
-What?
-You still have that spare
shirt in your locker?
Within bounds, of course!
Come on, people.
Somebody spot it!
Never a cop around when you
need one.
All right! Back off, Tommy.
[SIRENS]
Ah, man!
-What did I do? I wasn't...
-Can I have your
license and registration?
And please step out of the
car, sir.
Man, I don't believe this!
I wasn't doing nothing, man!
I wasn't speeding or nothing!
Would you step back here, sir?
Right back here, please.
That's fine right there.
Would you like to tell me
what that is?
What the... I... Somebody must
have put that there.
Could you open the trunk,
please?
Open the trunk? But...ah! I
know, one of my friends. This
is a joke they played on me.
So why don't you just pop the
trunk and show us that there's
no body there
then you can go and have a
bunch of laughs with your
home boys
and me and my partner here
can go have ourselves a donut.
Body? There's no body!
You're wasting your time,
I'm telling you!
Get the key. Get the key.
I'm telling you, ese, there's
no body!
That's it, sir. Be quiet.
Step over here, please.
Slowly, slowly.
I hope you're right.
[WHISTLES]
Put your hands over your head,
right now!
WOMAN COP:
Lying, lying and more lying.
What's going on?
They did it, man!
They put that rag on my car!
They probably planted those
guns, too!
Don't you hate a sore loser?
We got a war wagon here.
Check this out.
-2-2-3. This slug is very
close in weight to an M-16.
We've also got enough weapons
violations here to keep him
on ice until we can get this
to SID. Keep your fingers
crossed, Tommy,
we just might have our killer.
Hell of a bust, officers.
Thanks!
Oh, Tommy, can you get this
rifle to SID?
Sure. I'll drop it off on the
way home. Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Mike, Delfina wants me to
bring you home for
dinner tonight.
Oh, tell her I appreciate it,
but I can't tonight.
I'm telling you, Mike, her and
Christine make Mexican food
like you wouldn't believe.
I got something I gotta do
tonight. I will take a
rain check, though.
All right. Some other time.
Come on, honey.
Get cleaned up.
I'm telling you guys.
Retirement is something
I wouldn't recommend.
I wouldn't waste your time on
my mother-in-law,
god rest her soul.
[DRUNKEN MUMBLING]
What?
Reno!
Look at this here! I'm empty!
Mike, that's it. You're done.
No more.
What? I'm done? I'm fine.
Look at me.
-He's fine!
-So give me the test.
Give me the test.
[ALL TOGETHER]:
Test! Test! Test!
You got it.
Here. No, no help.
He's got to load it himself.
All right, I can load this
myself. I know I can load
this myself.
He's not ready.
All ready on the fire line!
Ready?
Locked and loaded!
Make my day!
Come on, Mike!
[CHEERING]
[LAUGHTER]
I didn't fail. I always hit
what I'm not shooting at.
Hey, Mike. Easy!
It's only a game, partner.
It's only a game.
It's only a game, partner.
That's what it is.
It's only a game.
Hey!
Mike?
Hey! You're the guys!
You're watching my
old lady's place, huh.
-So what's she up to?
-Listen, why don't you go home
and sleep it off, all right?
I know what you're thinking.
You're thinking, "The guy's
old lady, he's...
"She's bouncing on the
mattress with
somebody else..."
-Nobody's thinking anything.
-Well, I don't need
that bitch!
I don't need anybody.
Hey, Mike, why don't I just
drive you home?
Mike! Cool it!
You wanna drive me home?
Easy, easy easy!
Come on, cool it!
Calm down!
I know you feel sorry for me!
You know what? They're right.
You're nuts, Mulich. There's
something wrong with you, man.
-You ought to be suspended.
-You guys made your point!
Move out!
Okay.
Relax.
Come on, Mike.
Let me take you home. Come on.
[BUZZER SOUNDS]
Mike. Hi.
Hello.
May I come in?
Yeah, sure. Come on in.
Tommy called and said you
didn't show up for work today.
I tried to call,
but there was no answer.
I thought maybe you'd like
somebody to talk to.
To tell you the truth,
I'm just about talked out.
Well, good. Then you won't
mind me talking.
Do you have coffee in there?
You asked me a question
the other night.
About the friendly fire.
It was a stupid question.
I'm sorry I ever asked it.
I didn't realize until later,
after I spoke to Tommy...
-Do you take anything in
your coffee?
-No, black.
The officer that you shot. Did
you ever talk to his widow?
Face to face?
No, I didn't even go to the
funeral. I...
I tried to go to see her,
but I can't do it.
You're so tough on yourself.
What?
If Tommy accidentally shot a
fellow officer, I'd be willing
to bet that
Mike Mulich would be the first
one down there to
offer comfort.
Yeah, but I was careless.
I was stupid.
I should never have fired the
shot that way. I was...
You were what?
I was scared.
My husband chose to be
a soldier.
The man that you shot chose to
be a police officer.
They both knew the dangers.
When people go off to war,
they don't all come back.
You have to honor the dead.
By living your life as fully
as you can.
-You gotta start somewhere,
right?
-Yeah.
If you're telling the truth,
you shouldn't mind going
through it again.
Now, what were you doing
cruising Vatos Locos
territory if you weren't
looking for trouble?
Riding, man.
I'm tired and I'm hungry, man.
We've been here three hours.
Look, I told you. I saw them,
we yelled. They yelled.
They took off running.
We drove off.
Ask my friends, man.
Yeah, I will. I will.
Just stay put.
-How'd it go with Cowboy.
-Well, he's sticking to
his story.
-How about you?
-I've talked to all four of
the guys in the Trans-Am.
They all back his story.
Yes, we were yelling. No, we
didn't shoot nobody no how.
You buy it?
What's to buy? We got diddly.
-We still got the rifle.
-Wrong. SID just called with
your ballistics report.
-Cowboy's rifle was not the
murder weapon. Sorry.
-Dammit! Man!
You feeling all right?
Yes. Why? What!
Nothing. You look almost human
for a change.
Well, I'll be damned. Good,
old fashioned lousy coffee.
I should have known. It's
generic, Mike. Generic. You've
got no taste buds left. None.
Hey, Mike!
Squad room 17's been trying to
raise you on the radio.
They want you to meet them
over at Marathon and Vermont.
They said it's important,
as in, "Get your butt over
here now, y'all."
I should have known.
It's a donut shop.
Well, you know what they say.
If you need a cop, don't call
9-1-1. Call 1-800-donut.
-So what you got?
-We busted come car strippers
earlier this morning.
They had a brand new
Buick Regal up on blocks.
Tires off, doors off, seats
out. I was talking to
one of them.
He was all of 13, mind you. He
told me he'd give me something
good if I let him walk.
I let him walk.
Jimmy Garcia.
That's his girlfriend's
address. She knows
where he's at.
-Whether you get her to talk
or not, that's your problem.
-Thanks, buddy.
All right. Pull around the
corner. Let's see if we can
locate a back door
so we don't spook anybody.
Geez!
-Who is it?
-Hey, lady, your cat was hit
by a car.
Better open up.
He's hurt very bad.
Angel Santos?
What do you want?
He's on the roof!
[GUNSHOTS]
Son of a bitch!
Stop, dammit!
[GUNSHOT]
Out of my way! Police!
[SCREAMING]
Johnny! Johnny!
Take it easy!
No! You killed him!
[POLICE SIRENS]
Hey, Mike?
Yeah?
I'll see you in there.
All right.
Yeah.
Hey, Mike.
I heard about Little Junior.
That's a real bummer.
Now I got more bad news.
I wanna hear it.
Your irate husband, ex-con
Alamirez? Well, while Little
Junior Garcia was getting
his radical lobotomy, we had
four guys watching Alamirez
wheel the barrow.
-Did you guys find anything
worthwhile at the scene?
-No.
No. Incredible.
Oh, guess what? You know the
missing M-16s, grenades,
et cetera from Compton?
Army called. They found them
up at Camp Roberts, man.
They were never missing.
Never, ever, missing.
Excuse me, sir.
Scratch Ramirez.
Damn!
Cowboy's out, too.
He was in custody all day.
Go ahead.
Good. Thanks a lot.
Ballistics is 95 percent
certain that the bullet that
killed Little Junior and the
one that got Spanky Madrid
were fired from the same
rifle. Definitely an M-16.
What are you doing?
I don't know.
I'm just playing.
Joe Loco, Spanky, now
Little Junior. Three amigos.
I wonder what they have
in common?
I mean, besides large-size
holes in their heads.
We're missing something here,
partner. We are
missing something.
Tommy. Mike. Get all your
stuff together on the
Madrid case
including the Little Junior
shooting. It's all going
to Crash.
What?
What are you talking about?
This is our investigation.
This is not a debate, Mike.
This is all gang related
so it's going to the gang task
force. Crash is better
equipped for it.
Besides, I need you
guys elsewhere.
-Come on, Andy!
Where was Crash...
-End of discussion!
Tommy, put those files
together now.
Mike, step into my office.
I want to talk to you.
Seems one of our fellow
officers had to have his lip
stitched the other night.
Seems somebody I know
stepped over the edge.
Yeah, I'll talk to Mathews.
I...
I also called Dr. Whitman's
office. They told me you
missed the appointment
-the other day.
-Slipped my mind.
I had so much...
Well, I made another
appointment. Monday morning,
10 a.m.
You miss this one, Mike
don't bother coming in on
Tuesday. Just go downtown and
turn in your badge.
What? No chicken dinner?
No gold watch, no party,
no bad jokes?
Just like that.
Just like that.
So we'll get the next one.
Don't sweat it.
Tommy, I hear they're opening
a couple of Homicide chairs in
Crash. Maybe you should
throw your hat in the ring.
I mean, with
your background...
What? You're gonna retire?
You're gonna quit? Die? What?
-What is this?
-What?
What are you looking at?
Spanky Madrid's rap sheet.
Look right here.
Do you know what this is?
Oh yeah, yeah.
I saw that the other day.
I thought it was a typo.
What is it?
No.
This means that our boy Spanky
did something that was later
expunged from his records
by order of the
Juvenile Court.
Marilyn Butler. She still work
the Juvenile desk?
-Yep.
-She still got the hots
for you?
Come on.
Well, I...
Mike.
I don't think we should...
If I show you guys sealed
records, I could get canned.
But, if I open it, and you
just happen to have
some questions...
Bingo. Here it is.
Okay, you guys, here goes.
Oh, wow!
What? What is it?
I know this one. The Echo Park
shooting. This was one of
my first cases.
A kid with a baseball mitt.
A 12-year-old boy was playing
baseball in Echo Park with
a bunch of his friends.
Some kind of gang fight goes
down clear across the park.
A big shoot-out ensues.
Of course, not one of the
gangbangers gets hit.
But this poor innocent kid
gets a stray bullet right
through the back of the neck.
So Spanky Madrid was one of
the shooters.
There were two positive IDs.
Both Vatos Locos.
One was Spanky Madrid, and
the other one was, uh.
He had kind of a strange name.
How about Joe Loco?
Joe Loco! That's him.
So they take these two guys to
court. They can't prove that
either one of them fired
the fatal shot. So they walk.
Later, Spanky petitioned the
court to have the charges
expunged, and they were.
Any mention in there about a
gangbanger named Mario
"Little Junior" Garcia?
No other gang member was ID'd.
You got tall ones, short ones,
fat ones.
One reported to have a very
pronounced limp...
That's our boy, Mike.
That's Little Junior.
What was the victim's name?
Martin. Martin Balsidar.
[DOOR BELL]
Ah! The three roses.
They didn't work for your
blind date?
They worked fine,
Mr. Balsidar.
This is my partner,
Detective Alomar.
We dropped by your shop first.
It was closed.
Yes. I took the day off.
May we come in?
Yes, please.
Planning to go out of town?
Out of town?
Oh, you mean the sheets.
No, no. Since Marty died,
I spend most of my time
in the back.
The sheets keep the dust off.
Rosa, his...his mother...
She died ten years ago and...
Well, when she was around
no dust. Not a speck.
War vet, huh?
Isn't that the Silver Star?
Oh, that was a very long
time ago.
I think I was a frightened
child pretending to be a man.
Oh, they don't give the
Silver Star to pretenders.
So, gentlemen, what can I do
for you?
Would you like something?
Coffee? A soft drink?
No. No thanks. Do you own
a rifle, Mr. Balsidar?
Let me show you something.
This is Marty's room.
Rosa and I didn't think we
could have children.
Marty didn't come along until
we were in our 40s.
We called him our
miracle baby.
The animals who murdered him
they weren't even punished.
They left the court laughing.
Laughing at my dead son.
They killed my son.
I'm so sorry.
Mr. Balsidar, if you wouldn't
mind, we'd like you to come
down to the station with us.
There's a few questions we
need to ask you. A few things
we need to clear up.
Before we go, I would like
to make a phone call.
-To your lawyer?
-To a priest.
It's very important.
Please!
Sir, I'm sorry...
We'll just wait out in
the hall.
What are you doing?
He could have a gun in there.
What are you thinking?
-Huh?
-I'm thinking that there are
some things that a jury
can't decide.
[GUNSHOT]
Oh, God! Mike!
I gotta go home, mano.
Wash all this off.
See Delfina. Hold my kids.
Hey.
You wanna come home with me?
No. No, thank you, partner.
I got something I gotta do.
Oh, and Tommy, I won't be in
on Monday.
Why? What?
Something the matter?
I got some ink blots to look
at. I'll be in on Tuesday.
I called. She's expecting you.
Go on. I'll wait here.
Wait. Don't forget these.
How you doing?
All right.
[DOOR BELL]
A cop can find a lot of
satisfaction in his job.
But an old sergeant once told
me, "If you're looking
for love
"join the fire department."
This is Joe Wambaugh.
Hope to see you next time.