Outlaw (2010–…): Season 1, Episode 2 - In Re: Officer Daniel Hale - full transcript

We were both supposed
to work this weekend.

I am working.

Actually, I'm with a
potential client right now.

And who was at?

That was the
chairman of the board.

- Right.
- Look, Al, I gotta go.

I'm walking into a meeting.

Al, listen, I swear I'll
be back to work tomorrow...

that Arizona's
controversial immigration law

resulted in tragedy.

A white police officer
stopped James Reyes,



a Hispanic man,
in the city of Doyle heights,

believing he might
be an illegal alien.

That stop turned
into an altercation,

and the man was
shot multiple times.

We're now reporting Arizona
has officially declined

to charge that
officer with a crime.

State officials believe he acted

within the bounds of the law,

a decision that has
outraged thousands

in this city.

Yes, sir, we're watching it now.

Okay, that is not a crowd.
That is a mob.

Seriously, imagine being
that cop right now.

That cop shot an
unarmed man, Lucinda.



That was Garza. He wants us
on the next flight to Tucson.

- Why?
- Why?

A man was just racially
profiled and almost killed.

You didn't think Garza was
just gonna let that happen.

I'm sorry, my mind can't
process anything that earnest.

Seriously, I think
I just blacked out.

Okay, Garza's
flying in from Vegas.

We're meeting Al at the
airport in an hour.

We should probably
pull whatever we have

on wrongful deaths.

I thought the victim lived.

He did, but it's the
same sort of action,

so we file suit on
behalf of the family

for excessive force.

If we're going after that cop,
we gotta be ready.

I'll go see what I can find.

So a road trip, huh?

- Yep.
- You must be excited.

I mean, you and Garza out of town,

caught up in the case,
working late.

I mean, who knows,
it could lead to a little

hotel action.

It's amazing. You always
know exactly what I'm thinking.

Voice mail.
Cyrus should be here by now.

His plane landed
almost an hour ago.

I'll try him again.

Well, at least he's
not freaking out.

Big case. Al's got a
lot of experience,

but this is national news-
he's excited.

He's nervous.

This whole city's
wound pretty tight.

Okay, we're all checked in.

I got Garza the governor's suite,

so we can just work from there.

- Uh, is that Garza's room key?
- Yeah. Why?

It's just an idea, but you know,

maybe this is your chance.

You keep a copy,
and then maybe one night

he comes back to his room,
and... - Lucinda...

That's why I'm here, Walter.

Let's just say I got a tip.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

Yeah, so when did the
white house decide this?

Officer's name is Daniel Hale.

The man he shot is James Reyes.

I made a call to the Reyes family.

We can meet with them tomorrow.

You're all checked in.
I have your room keys.

We're not going to our rooms.

We have a meeting with our client.

Uh, our client is
still at the hospital.

I'm sure I could arrange
a few guest passes...

Our client is here, Eddie.

I just spoke to him this morning.

Officer Hale.

Justice Garza,
thank you for coming.

Um, give us a second.

In an effort to control
the difficult problem

of illegal immigration,

Arizona has enacted a new law.

A mandate that requires
that officers stop

anyone they reasonably
think could be illegal.

Bottom line,
hispanics will get stopped

because they're Hispanic.

And that is not the America
we've all come to know.

And that is why today the
justice department is filing

federal charges
against officer Hale.

What kind of charges?

These are criminal charges

for violating James
Reyes' civil rights

under color of law for the
use of excessive force.

The law ordered me
to stop Mr. Reyes.

Now they want to put me
in jail for doing my job?

But it was only your job if
you thought he was illegal.

You had to reasonably
have believed it.

- I did.
- Well, you were wrong, officer.

He's an American citizen.
You shot the man three times.

I shot him to save my own life.

Look, I was on patrol.

I'm two miles from
the Mexican border.

I see Reyes.
It's almost 10:00 at night.

He's standing on the
street just looking around

like he's nervous. - He was alone?

Damn right. I asked for his I.D.

He gets mad.

He tells me, "screw off," he's a citizen.

You didn't believe him.

It's my job to not believe him.

Mr. Garza,
my husband is a good man.

People know you, respect you.

If you take this case,
they'll know he's not a racist.

They'll know he's innocent.

Please.

Mr. and Mrs. Hale,
will you give us a moment?

Garza.

We cannot take this case.

What if he was following the law?

At law gives white
cops permission

to racially profile hispanics.
We're not gonna get in this.

We're not gonna get into this

because we're not
taking this case, Cyrus.

You are the highest-profile

Latino jist in this country.

Do not defend what he did.

We're in.

Ok. You're obviously upset.

Don't do this. This isn't about me,
Cyrus, it's about you.

We discussed this.

You can't take a case
without consulting me.

I consulted you. We consulted.

Why would you do this?

Why would you defend
a cop and a law

that nobody here agrees with?

Hey, speak for yourself.

Arizona has a right to
protect its own borders.

I mean, come on,
the feds haven't done anything.

Please don't tell me you
actually support this cop.

What about you?

Please tell me that you
support the government.

I am not even certain I support

the concept of government.

I spent my whole career
defending States' rights.

You know my record on the bench.

- States' right?
- Yes, yes!

The fact that the feds could
just walk into Arizona

and dictate which
laws are acceptable?

You're gonna stand here and
talk to me about States' rights?

- Is that a problem?
- There is a problem.

- Really?
- Yes, really!

An unarmed Hispanic man
is shot three times

by a white cop.

And if you have no
emotional reaction to that,

yes, there's a problem.

We took the case, Al,
so we might as well

give this man a fair trial.

In this city? Good luck.

That mob at the courthouse
looked pretty intense.

Mereta, maybe you can take
a look at the jury pool.

We need to know which
neighborhoods are more likely

to have jurors who are pro-cop.

Sure.

Great. Lucinda, Eddie,

you both head down
to the hospital,

see what you can find out
about the medical evidence.

If Reyes was shot three times,
I want to know why.

You got it.

Al, I was thinking you
and I could go and talk

to Karen Ruckeyser.

Ruckeyser the prosecutor? - Yeah.

She was talking tough to
the press this morning.

I need to know how though
she's been ordered to get.

We're with officer
Hale's defense team.

We just need a little help.

Yeah, well, officer Hale needs

a lot more help
than I can give you.

I've been documenting Mr.
Reyes' injuries

for the prosecution.

You got this?
I'll be right back.

Yeah.

Okay, so Reyes was
shot three times.

He was, but that's
only half your problem.

The other half wasn't
released to the press.

I'm sorry to be the
one to tell you this,

but you're looking
at an entrance wound.

One of those shots hit Mr.
Reyes in the back.

- Excuse me, are you all right?
- Thank you.

I know how you feel.

I'm here visiting a sick friend.

How 'bout you?

My husband.

Oh, I am so sorry.
I hope he's okay.

You're sweet.

He will be.

Till the next time,
when he will probably

get himself killed.

Sounds like my ex.

He was always just
looking for trouble.

bars, clubs.

If any other guy
even looked at me...

James is the same way.

He was almost arrested
for fighting last year,

but he doesn't learn.

I'm really sorry.

You know what, I should
probably go check on my friend.

- Thank you.
- Yeah.

That was James Reyes' wife.
My new best friend.

I recognized her from the news.

I just heard some
interesting info.

So did I. James Reyes
was shot in the back.

The doctor thinks he was
walking away from Hale

when the first shot was fired.

I'll get to the point.

The white house despises this law.

We'll do whatever it
takes to win this.

So this goes as far
up as the white house?

Wake up, Cyrus. Read the polls.

Most Americans don't
support racial profiling.

The president knows
his approval rating

could be affected by this.

Oh, I don't accept that

the President of the United States

decides who to prosecute
based on polls.

And if he heard you say that,
you'd be out of a job.

Yeah. Well,
with all due respect,

I'm gonna pass on
career advice from you.

You burned your bridges on the
right when you left the court.

Now the left hates you
for taking this case.

You really do want
to be an outlaw.

Karen, what if he's innocent?

He's a racist cop, Cyrus.

Don't take my word for it.

He'll tell you himself on tape.

Wait, you bugged him?

We exercised our ***
to investigate a crime.

You'll get notice of
our recording tomorrow.

See you then, gentlemen.

We need to get
everyone together.

File a motion to
suppress that tape.

What do you think Hale said?

I don't know.

Whatever it is, it can't be good.

Well, one thing is clear.

The crowd here continues to grow

outside the federal courthouse...

the first day in the
proceedings in the trial

of officer Daniel Hale.

You're saying they
bugged me in my own car?

First of all,
it wasn't your car.

It was a patrol car.
I don't believe this.

Spare me the indignation, Mr.
Hale, we don't have time.

What I need to know is
what's on that tape.

- I don't know.
- If you made racial comments...

Hey, I don't say
those things, okay?

I don't think those things.
Mr. Hale,

the United States government
is about to play a tape

that they say proves
you're a racist.

I don't need to tell you
how damaging that could be.

So if you know
what's on that tape,

now's the time to tell me.

Mr. Hale... - I don't!

We placed a recording device
in officer Hale's squad car

shortly after the shooting.

As a result, we recorded
several discussions

between him and his partner.

Your honor, the people
would like to play

one of those recordings for
the court marked "a-3."

Turn the volume up, counsel.

My hearing isn't
what it used to be.

Can you believe this?

They're calling me a racist!

Come on, Dan,
don't let it get to you.

They're saying I stopped
Reyes because he's Hispanic.

You're damn right I did!

He was two miles from
the Mexican border.

- They don't get it.
- To hell with them.

I hate these people.

They should all get
what they deserve.

Nothing further.

That was two weeks
after the shooting.

That recording was made two
weeks after the shooting,

isn't that right?

Yes.

By that point,

it was in all of the
local papers, wasn't it?

- Objection. Relevance?
- The relevance, your honor,

is that my client was
reading one of those papers

when this conversation
was recorded.

- Objection.
- He was holding the paper

when the statements were made.

I object to Mr.
Garza testifying.

And I object to
this conversation

and recording being
played out of context.

Objection is sustained.

Mr. Garza, ask your next question.

Here's my question.

When my client said,
"they're calling me a racist,"

who was he talking about?

He was talking about
reporters, wasn't he?

The ones who wrote the
story calling him a racist.

I wouldn't know.

When my client said,
"I hate these people,"

who was he talking about?

Reporters.

People who write articles
about racist cops

without having all of the facts.

Let me ask you this, Agent Flynn,

did you have a warrant
to record my client?

Objection!
We didn't need a warrant.

We were bugging a
government vehicle.

So?

So your client had no
reasonable expectation

of privacy.

I thought the judge
gets to decide that.

I mean, it's been a few months,
but that's how it was

when I was on the bench.
Screw you, Cyrus.

- We can talk about that later.
- In your dreams.

Holy crap, are you two finished,

or am I gonna grow old
and die in this chair?

Chambers!

I've had enough bickering.

I swear, you two are
worse than my wife,

and she's the bickering
grand champion.

I'm sorry, your honor,
but this tape is admissible.

I agree, assuming we no
longer have a constitution.

The raw facts are
against you, Mr. Garza.

Bottom line, that car is a space

provided by the government for
conducting official duties.

The statements were made in
the course of those duties.

- And that's all it takes?
- I think so.

Great. Then you won't mind me
playing this for the press...

Or your wife?

I've had enough bickering.

I swear, you two are
worse than my wife,

and she's the bickering
grand champion.

I'm sorry, your honor,
but this tape is admissible.

- I'm not amused, counsel.
- Why not?

It's not like I needed a warrant.

We are standing in a space

provided by the government for
conducting official duties,

and your statements were made
in the course of those duties.

- Make your point.
- My point is,

you expected what was
said in your office

to be private

so did my client.

A cop's car is like his office.

And there's federal case
law to support that.

Fair enough.

The tape is out.
Thank you, your honor.

I'm gonna need that back.

I still can't figure
out why Reyes was

in that neighborhood
when he was shot.

What's he do for a living?

He owns a small
construction company.

But I checked... I can't find
any clients in the area.

But we do know he drove there.

The city towed his car the
next day from the same block.

What else do we know?
Any history of drugs?

No record. Guy's got a wife,
three kids.

- Ever been arrested?
- Not officially, but...

Ah, there's always a "but."

Yeah. Word is he
has a violent temper.

He was almost arrested
last year for assault.

Well, let's see if we can
track down those facts.

I'll confront him on cross.

I thought we were working.

All and I are gonna have dinner.

Things have been a little tense

between us lately.

Be good for us to
get out for a while.

- Drinks, ladies. Drinks?
- Yes. Yep.

Actually, it might
be kind of perfect.

You know, for the plan?

When Garza gets back,
you could be waiting.

Since when do you care
so much about my love life?

Hey, what can I say?
I'm a romantic.

Let it go, Lucinda.

Alice...Yeah,
I'm headed to dinner,

but I was thinking
maybe later I'd, uh...

Play some cards.

Oh, absolutely, Mr. Garza.

We have several local
casinos nearby.

And I would love to see them,

but I was thinking about something

maybe a little bit
more underground.

Ah. Let me see what I can find.

Okay. Thanks.

When you said "dinner,
" I didn't think you meant

the last food truck
this side of the border.

Well, I didn't think
it'd hurt to remind you

how the other half lives.

You really think I forgot, huh?

I know where we are.

I know what it means to
want a better life...

** side here, man.

No.

It may seem that way, but...

yeah, it really does.
Just hear me out.

Because I get it, Cyrus. I do.

Everybody deserves a defense,
even officer Hale.

All I'm saying is it
didn't have to be you.

I love you, Al.

I'm just not sure you'd
be a great judge.

You always lead with your emotion.

And I'm not sure you will
make a great lawyer, Cyrus.

Too much head, man,
not enough heart.

Anyway, I just...

I've been thinking about
our partnership, you know.

Bottom line, we're just
two different people.

Good evening, officer.

What do we have here?

Whatever it is,
it's none of your concern.

Al...

You two are drinking in public,

which makes it my concern.

Wow, drinking in public.

You really got yourself
a big case here, man.

I don't appreciate
your tone, sir.

And I don't really appreciate

you hassling me for no reason.

- Al...
- All right, let's see some I.D.

Okay, here we go.
We're getting into it now.

Just give it to him and move on.

You really think he
would ask for our I.D.

If he were looking
at two white faces?

- "Cyrus Garza"?
- Yes.

Mr. Garza, I am so sorry, sir.

We appreciate you being here
defending one of our own.

You two need anything? - No,
we're fine.

You gentlemen have a good night.

Like I said, man,
we are two different people.

That thing just bother you, Cyrus?

Not worth getting arrested.

Yeah.

Look, man, we started
this case together,

so I'm gonna finish it with you.

When it's over, I'm done.

Al...

You realize we have
to pick the jury

in less than an hour?

Yeah, Cyrus isn't in his room.

Maybe he went to go have coffee.

He hasn't even seen the research.

If we end up with the wrong panel,
we're screwed.

Well, everybody
else is ready, Mereta.

We'll meet you out front. - Okay.

That would look great on you.
Special occasion?

Maybe.

There's this guy I work with.

If you were to surprise
someone, though,

which one would you choose?

I think that would be perfect.

You've got the body for it.

Ooh... who am I kidding?

Okay, we broke the
counties down into cities,

and the cities into
the neighborhoods.

The goal is to pick jurors

who tend to be pro-police.
Right.

And in the city at this moment.

That means that we're looking for

white conservative males.

You think so?

Here.

Mr. Ramirez...

Sir, have you ever been
arrested by the police?

Not personally.

But some friends, family.

My neighborhood,
it's something you see.

- Angry cops, aggressive cops?
- Sometimes.

The job's not easy,

but it's not always
the job's fault.

Thank you, Mr. Ramirez.

We have no objection to
this juror, your honor.

Cyrus, what are you doing?

You can't take him.
He's from Hastings county.

They have the largest
number of complaints

for police misconduct.

I like him. He'll be fine.

Your honor,
the people would like to use

a peremptory challenge
to strike this juror.

Object. He's perfect.

High-income conservative
from a town that donates

a lot of money to
police charities.

No objection, your honor.

Your honor, the defense
would like to thank

and excuse juror number four.

No objection, your honor.

Juror number four,
you're excused.

Thank you.

Your honor, the defense
would like to thank

and excuse juror number 11.

No objection, your honor.

Juror number 11,
you are excused.

Thank you.

Well, it seems we have our jury.

Mr. Garza, would you
step up, please?

You do realize the
idea is to pick jurors

most likely to support
your client, don't you?

It'll be fine, your honor.

Maybe, but your
co-counsel looks like

he's ready to blow a gasket.

Maybe you two should
take a moment.

You want to let me in on
whatever kind of strategy

you got going on here, Cyrus?

Because in my world,
you just lost this case.

No strategy.

More than half the
jury is Hispanic!

We agreed that the jurors
should be white males.

No, you and Mereta agreed!

We have a client accused
of being anti-Hispanic.

How does it look if his
lawyers are anti-Hispanic?

How the hell did
we get here, Cyrus?

How did I become the one

promoting the use
of racial profiling?

Because you're a great lawyer,

and you're just looking
out for your client.

I can make them be fair, Al.

This jury will not convict
if they think he's innocent.

Ready when you are, your honor.

Excellent.

I think we've had more than
enough excitement for one day.

We'll pick up in the morning
with the people's first witness.

Actually, your honor,
the people have a motion.

James Reyes, the victim,
is our first witness.

Unfortunately, Mr.
Reyes is still in the hospital.

His doctors won't let him appear.

And what's your motion?

We'd ask that Mr.
Reyes be allowed to testify

from his hospital room.
Okay, here we go.

Is that an objection, counsel?

It's a ploy, your honor.

She's looking for sympathy.

No jury can be objective

when the victim is
in a hospital bed.

- We have no choice.
- Of course there's a choice.

Get a video camera.

You'd love that,
wouldn't you? Deprive the jury

of the chance to see
the victim firsthand.

Nice try, counsel,
but I think closed circuit

is a little bit impersonal for
a multiple-shooting victim.

I'm granting the motion,

and I'll instruct the jury to
disregard the surroundings.

We are adjourned.

I know you...

Mrs. Reyes.

From the hospital.
What are you doing here?

We need to talk.
Car's gonna be outside.

You're with the defense?

- Mrs. Reyes...
- What?

What could you possibly
say to me right now?

Everybody in? Get in.

Get us out of here.

I was just standing
on the street.

James, tell us
what you were doing

in the neighborhood that night.

I own a construction company.

I went to look at
an empty warehouse

on fourth and brewer.

Why?

Business was good,

and we were looking into
acquiring more space.

So you were meeting a realtor

to show you the property?

Yeah. She was late.

That's why I was looking around,

making sure I was
in the right place.

I didn't know that being Hispanic

and standing on the street
would get you shot in the city.

- Objection.
- Sustained.

Stick to what happened, Mr. Reyes.

Then he came over and
demanded to see my I.D.

I asked him why.
I wasn't even doing anything.

I'm an American citizen.
I told him that.

But he didn't believe me.

I tried to walk away.
That's my right.

What did officer Hale do?

He lost it.

He started beating
me up with his Baton.

I didn't know what to do.
I was trying to defend myself.

Then he went after his gun.
Were you afraid?

I knew he was gonna kill me.

I knew that, and so I
grabbed for the gun,

and he shot me... for nothing.

No further questions.

So... officer Hale "lost it"?

That's your testimony?

He's been a trained officer
for about ten years,

but when you walked away,

he just got violent for no reason?

I'm Latino... that's the
only reason he needed.

The truth is you were the
one who lost it, weren't you?

You turned this routine
stop into a fight.

- No, I did not.
- You were angry.

You said yourself
you're an American.

How dare some racist
cop harass you.

- Damn right I said that.
- So you resisted.

By law, he was required
to check your I.D.

But you walked away.

And when he asked you to stop...

when he ordered you to stop,
you hit him.

No, I did not!

Officer Hale is the one
who feared for his life.

- That's not what happened.
- He reached for his weapon

because you we unstable.

- I'm not like that!
- I think you are.

You were questioned by
the police a year ago

for an assault,
weren't you? - Objection.

You were in a bar fight.
There were witnesses who say

that you threw the first punch.
Objection overruled.

He opened the door to these
questions, miss Ruckeyser.

You have a temper,
don't you, Mr. Reyes?

You'd hit me right now if
you could, wouldn't you?

In my opinion, the first
shot hit him from behind,

the force of which
spun him around,

whereupon he was shot
twice more in the chest.

Thank you, doctor.

Your witness.

A moment, your honor.

You're sure about this?

Absolutely.

Dr. Engler, you're not trained

in forensic medicine, are you?

I run an intensive
care unit, counsel.

I've seen enough gunshot wounds
to know what I'm looking at.

And it is your testimony
that the first bullet

entered James Reyes
from behind? - It is.

And you know that because
of the wound it created

when it entered his skin.

Correct? - Yes.

The entrance wound in Mr.
Reyes' back

is circular in nature.

It's called an abrasion ring.
It's very common.

You mean very common

if the victim is shot standing up.

Tell me, doctor, have you ever
heard of a "shored" exit wound?

I think so.

Well, then,
you know how rare it is.

You know that when a
victim is shot standing up,

the bullet is free to pass
in and out of the body.

But when the victim's
back is to the floor,

well, that changes everything/

Correct?
-Yes.

It leaves a circular exit wound.

An abrasion ring,
I think you called it.

Yes, but there was no indication

the victim was shot on the ground.

No indication from who?
From James Reyes?

Sir, you're a doctor.

My client is on
trial for his life.

And here you sit taking solely

the victim's word
for what happened.

- No.
- They were struggling.

Is it possible they hit the floor,

and then that first
shot was fired?

Objection! Speculation!

I'll allow it.

It's possible, isn't it?

Yes.

That was mereta.

She's not feeling great,

so she's hanging back in her room.

Where's Al?

- Why don't you ask our boss here?
- Me?

Yeah, we're not blind.

You know, it's a classic story...

two parents in a loveless marriage

keep their fighting from the kids.

We will be fine.

But if we do get a divorce,

I'm giving Al custody of you both.

- You cutting out?
- Yep. Big day tomorrow.

I'm gonna go, uh, get some rest.

See you kids in the morning.
Play nice.

You don't have to stay,
you know.

I mean, if you want to lay
some cool young lawyer vibe

on one of the local ladies...

You know me so well.

I'm just saying we both know

you're not getting
lucky at this table,

so don't let me stop you.

In fact, I will help you.

You really don't understand
the word "awkward," do you?

I'm serious. I'm serious.

Trust me, it could be very helpful

to have a girl as your wing man.

So come on, which one of
these hotties is your type?

Okay, you know what, no. I pass.

I'm not playing this game.

You have a couple
of blondes over there.

- Why do you do this?
- A redhead...

We're sitting here-
- she's had a few.

You might have a shot.
You might have a real shot.

Okay, okay.
All right. Fine. Fine.

Her, I guess.

What a shock.

Oh, just a perfect princess
for our Harvard robot.

Whatever.

You know, there's nothing wrong

with liking a woman
who wears a dress

every now and then.

Ooh.

Hello?

Mr. Garza, it's Allison,
from the concierge desk.

Hi, Allison.

I found a few of those
clubs we spoke about,

and I slipped the
list under your door.

Oh, okay. Hold on for a second.

Is this right?

There's a card club
on fifth and brewer?

- Yes, sir. It's brand-new.
- That's great, Allison.

That's really great. Thanks.

Justice Garza.

It seems you have friends
in the gambling world.

- You got my message.
- They vouched for you.

And I'm very happy we
can do business, yes?

I didn't come to play.

I'm here on a different
kind of business.

Mm-hmm.

There was a shooting

about a block away from here,
across the street.

A police officer was involved.

No club owner with a
place as nice as this

sets up shop without having
the eyes to see them coming.

Just a little insurance.

I know there are cameras
up and down the street here.

I need to have the
footage from that night.

No. I have a business here.

I can't give this video to you

without showing the
police we are here.

We're finished.

Okay, wait.

You know it's only
a matter of time

before the cops or the feds
catch up with you here.

I'm offering to represent
you in the future.

Talk about insurance,
imagine having

a former supreme court
justice on your speed dial.

We have a deal.

Now, let me see what we can find.

It's a yes or no
question, Karen.

Yes, I watched it, Cyrus.

You want to tell me
where you got it?

Or am I just supposed to accept
that a video of this shooting

dropped in your lap mid-trial?

What, exactly, are you implying?

I'm not implying anything.

I'm accusing you of
sabotaging my case.

- I can't give you the source.
- It doesn't matter.

I sent the video to the crime lab.

They confirm it's authentic.

- Amazing.
- What?

You're a prosecutor, Karen.

You shouldn't be so
disappointed by the truth.

It doesn't change
my case, Cyrus.

He racially profiled and
shot an American citizen.

That's a civil rights violation.

Your client is still going down.

I saw him from a block away.

I was on patrol that night,

approximately two miles
from the Mexican border.

And what Drew your
attention to Mr. Reyes?

He was alone on
the street at night.

There aren't too many
people out in that area.

And he appeared to
be lost or nervous.

So in other words,
you thought that he might be

in the country illegally.

Well, I didn't know.

But under the new law,

I knew that I had to check it out.

So... ahem... I approached him,

and I asked to see
his identification.

And how did Mr. Reyes react?

Well, you can see for yourself,

from the beginning,
he was very defensive.

It's true that he said that
he was an American citizen.

I said that that didn't matter.

That I needed to see his I.D.

So why did you follow
him when he walked away?

Why not just let him go?

I'm a cop.

A suspect walks away from you...

You stop him.

Anyway, you can see what
happens when I tried.

I didn't know what
he was capable of.

I understand that Mr.
Reyes was afraid.

But I was afraid too.

So I reached for my gun.

And then to have people
call you a racist...

Call you a murderer.

I'm a good cop.

I'm a good man.

No further questions.

Officer Hale,
I have only one question.

And I remind you, sir,
that you're under oath.

Would you have stopped James
Reyes if he were white?

No.

In America, we don't stop people

because of the color
of their skin.

In America, you can stand
on brewer street at night

and look around for someone,

and be Hispanic

without the fear that
a cop will harass you

or shoot you.

James Reyes wasn't
committing any crime.

He had every right to
walk away that night.

And when he exercised that right,

he was beaten and shot.

The brutal truth is officer Hale

racially profiled James Reyes.

He basically admitted
it on the stand.

Officer Hale pursued Reyes.

He let the conflict escalate.

And rather than let an American
citizen leave peacefully,

he pulled his gun.

I can imagine what James
Reyes felt that night.

I can imagine seeing a racist cop

reach for his gun.

What I can't imagine...

Is that we would let
it happen in America.

I get it.

This new law has the
potential for abuse.

It is a green light
for a racist cop.

And even good cops can go too far,

stopping law-abiding
Hispanic citizens

when no crime has been committed.

The feds can't live with that.

They call it un-American.

And that's why they'll
do whatever it takes

to send that message to Arizona.

Maybe it is. Maybe you agree.

But, members of the jury,

there's something even more
un-American at work here.

In America, we don't
send innocent men,

good men to prison

to make a political
point about a law.

And that's why I took this case.

To help make sure that
nobody is sacrificed

so that some politicians
can send a message.

Officer Hale did what
Arizona law required.

Now, if that's a bad law,
let's fight it...

In the legislatures and
courthouses and voting booths

all across this country.

But we cannot punish him
for following the law.

He is a patrol officer
near the Mexican border.

He has this new duty now to
help stop illegal immigration.

Is it really racist or un-American

to even consider that
James Reyes was Hispanic?

It was one factor
that led to this stop,

and it wasn't racism.

It was common sense.

Now, people have
said that I was crazy

to accept this jury.

"Too many hispanics."

That's what they said.

It's too risky.
They can't possibly be fair.

What if they want revenge?

I think they're wrong.

I think that when all
is said and done,

every member of this
jury will do their duty.

Will look at the facts,
and nothing else.

The feds want to
crush this one man.

Maybe you can relate.

Maybe you know what it's
like to be the underdog

in your own life.

Send the government a
message of your own.

No man is expendable
for political gain.

Let officer Hale go
home to his family.

Will the defendant please rise.

Members of the jury,

I understand you've reached
a unanimous verdict.

We have, your honor.

What say you?

"On the charge that
officer Daniel Hale

"did willfully violate the
civil rights of James Reyes

"under color of law,

"we the jury find the defendant,
Daniel Hale,

not guilty."

Members of the jury,
this completes your service.

You are dismissed with
the thanks of the court.

Officer Hale, you are free to go.

Thank you, sir. Thank you.

We gotta go.
Flight's in an hour.

Ready.

Okay...

So what ever happened with Garza?

You never went for it, huh?

Nah, just not my style.

Just came by to grab
a few of my things.

Congrats again on the win.

"All head and no heart."

That's what you said.

You know, I, uh, I spent

my entire career on the bench

looking at the bigger picture.

Policy and politics.

In a lot of those cases
there was a person.

One guy who got screwed.

I have to live with that.

Yeah, I do live with that.

People that I hurt,
that stays with me.

I carry it right here.

But I'm done...

I'm done seeing only
the bigger picture.

Now I want to...

I want to represent that one guy.

Find a way to fit him in.

- I get that, Cyrus.
- Oh, that's... that's me.

That's where I'm going.

And I know how it's no small thing

to ask you to do what it takes

to help me get there.

But if you can...

If you're here tomorrow...

I know we can do great things.