S.W.A.T. (2017–…): Season 4, Episode 5 - Fracture - full transcript
Previously onSWAT...You passed.
Two cadres in two months?
He's making the TLI
competition a real contest.
Just heard you're going
for master gunner.
I am not mad at you
and Tan for entering
the competition.
Just treating you guys
like what you are,
for the moment anyway.
You're the ones
that I need to beat.
Didn't you tell me, if I want
things to change, be the change?
What have we seen change, son?
This generational wound
that just keeps
getting picked at
every few decades,
because we refuse
to learn the lesson.
Maybe we learn the lesson
this time.
I saw Watts burn.
You saw it in '92.
What's this boy gonna see?
I think this
one's yours.
Ended up on
my belt by mistake.
Toss it here?
Sounds expensive.
Maybe this one never made it
on truck.
Thanks, buddy.
All right.
7.31 seconds.
That's a new
personal best, right?
Let's go again,
please. Come on.It might be good
to end on a high.
I need to get it below 7.3.
You will get there on game day,
what with the adrenaline
and, you know,
the use of your eyes.
The last five
master gunners only won
by a couple tenths of a second.Yeah, but
you're beating yourself up
over a couple hundredths.
There's no choice.
A month from now, Hicks is
gonna choose the TLI liaison.
Tan just qualified
for another cadre,
Street's had a gold star
by his name ever since
his undercover
work last year.
I got to step it up.
There's only one
master gunner in all of SWAT.
Winning tomorrow
would give me that edge.
Okay, all right.
Let's go again.
Look, I-I appreciate
you helping me,
but I know I dragged you here
early. If you want
to grab a nap
before our next shift, I...
I won't take it personally.
Chris, I wouldn't even be on
SWAT if it wasn't for you.
I'm not going anywhere.
Let's go again.
But when you win
this thing,
you and I are gonna
have a beer
and talk about
your work-life balance.
Only if I'm buying.You're damn right you're buying.
All right, let's go.
What's going on, fellas?
What's up?Hey.
I was just telling Street
that Deac and Becker and I just
finished setting up the master
gunner shoot course last night.
And we did a
couple run-throughs.
What's the word?Chris, I ain't gonna lie.
Luca has made
the hardest one
since taking over
design from Buck.
Says it was his parting gift
before leaving for Berlin.
Trust me, you, Tan and Street
got your work cut out for you.
My girl here
has got it locked up.
You are looking
at the first P-III
to win master gunner
in SWAT history.Ooh.
Definitely got room
for improvement.
Master gunners is all about
transition and reload times,
and Tan's got the
fastest hands on SWAT.
Not sure
I'll catch him tomorrow.
We'll see how it goes.Listen.
I expect to see each of your
names at the top of that list.
But don't sleep
on Sergeant Stevens.
He's won master gunner
three years running,
and he ain't about to
give up that crown easily.
Stevens is yesterday's news.Yeah, okay, Street.
Okay, look, look, I'm
not one to brag...
Since when?But...
I was practicing with
Stevens last week,
and I smoked him,
just in case you're wondering
who you're chasing.Okay, that's real
big talk, Street,
but just know
it's been eight years
since anyone from 20-Squad
has held the title.
One of you needs
to make that happen.
Oh, hey, Chris,
by the way,
I was practicing my HK assembly
a couple nights back,
and I found a little trick,
shaves off about
three-tenths of a second,
if you're interested.I'm good.
Look, on the off chance
that I don't win tomorrow,
I'd want it to be you or Tan
bringing it home for 20-Squad.
Truth is, uh, training
hasn't been going that well,
and I'm not gonna
lose any more sleep
practicing for something
Stevens probably has locked up.
Well, let me know if
you change your mind.
What was that about?If Tan and Street know
how hard I'm going,
they're gonna go
that much harder.
Underpromise,
overdeliver. Nice.
Now I just need to overdeliver.
Lieutenant?
You asked to see me?
Actually, the mayor
asked me to see you.
Step in here?
It's a sensitive
subject, and I'd like
to ask you respectfully.
Okay.
You remember after
the '92 riots, the LAPD tried
to improve relations
with the Black community,
made a big push to recruit
more Black officers?
I remember that it was
a PR stunt that didn't do much
to improve the gap
between Black and blue.
And there's a reason
that Black recruitment
fell back down
after that initial push.
'Cause people didn't see
any real change
in how the LAPD
approached the community.
No arguments here.
In any case, turns out,
if you hire all at once...
They retire all at once.
The number of Black officers
will drop 50%
in the next five years.
And considering recent events,
that's not a good look.
Or good policing.So now the mayor wants my help.
She'd like you to be the face
of an outreach campaign
to rehabilitate the LAPD's
reputation in the
African-American community.
Do some interviews,
pose for some photos,
show people the positive change
they can make with a career
at the LAPD.She wants me to be a mascot.
Lieutenant, you talk about
change, but yet here we are,
dealing with the same
damn problems from 28 years ago
with the same weak-ass
temporary solutions.
The irony isn't lost on me.
But until we find something more
permanent, it's a stop-gap.
Do you have any
other solutions?
Yours is a Band-Aid
on a knife wound.
You can't really think that
a couple of quotes in a profile
or a billboard with my face
on Normandie and Florence
is gonna convince
some Black kid to sign up,
especially after everything
that just went down in May.
Well, this is, hopefully,
just step one
of a multi-pronged approach.
Right, right, and
step two is wondering
what the hell went wrong
with step one.
We're on the same side, Hondo.
Your voice, your image
could go a long way.
And this isn't
just about optics.
The mayor and I really do
want to make things better.
We're going to need help
from people like you to do it.
I'm glad we're recruiting, I am.
But pandering to the community
ain't the answer, Lieutenant.
You tell the mayor--
respectfully--
I ain't about
to be her poster boy.
Hey, hey, Izzy.
Hey. Good weekend?
I can't complain. You?
Son had a bad dream
last night.
Barely slept,
which means I barely slept.
Have a good one.
Morning, Mr. Gates.
Gates Realty Group.
Mm-hmm.
How bad is it?
It's two dead, four injured.
Looks like it was a package bomb
delivered to Gates Realty Group.
Any motive?Not yet.
Still waiting to talk
to the owner, Jeff Gates.
That's him right there, right?
He wrote that Timesop-ed
a few months ago
supporting reparations.Pretty public move
for one of L.A.'s
most prominent realtors.Yeah, well, he was lucky
he wasn't in the room
when the device went off.
Still caught some shrapnel
through the wall, though. Hey,
Davis? Davis? This is Tim Davis
with the bomb squad.
Davis, Commander Hicks,
Sergeant Harrelson.This ain't our first
rodeo together.
Good to see you again, Tim.
Good to see you, Hondo.
Wish it didn't always have
to be around explosives.
Walk 'em throughwhat you found.
My team's still
collecting fragments,
but first impressions-- we're
dealing with a pipe bomb rigged
to blow as soon as the victim
opened up the package.
Judging by the volume
of the shrapnel,
it was chock-full of nails.
The bomber wanted to
cause maximum carnage.
How sophisticated a bombare we talking?
You think the bomber had priorexperience with explosives?
It's unlikely. Pretty
crude setup, homemade.
Unfortunately, step-by-step
guides for these package bombs
are a dime a dozen in the
darker corners of the Internet.
What do you got?
Tell me RHD has a warrant anda door for SWAT to kick down.
No suspects yet. The
package was delivered by
a TransSend driveron his usual route.
Tracking number shows
that it was shipped
two days ago
from a TransSend store
in University Park,
near USC's campus.
Good news is, the parking
lot has a security camera.
You find a name...
You'll be the first to know.
That was Lynch.
FBI's waiting to brief
us on the bombing.
The Feds?
Yeah.
Day just keeps getting
more interesting.
For the last few months, I'vebeen working with Agent Carr
and the FBI'sCounterterrorism Division
to monitor a new crop
of white supremacist groups
popping up in L.A.
Hate crimes have been on the
upswing the last few years.
We're trying to get ahead
of their darker urges.
You think the bombing this
morning was a hate crime?
It's a working theory.
You can imagine the garbage
these groups spewed online
about Jeff Gates
after his reparations op-ed
came out.
But it's still a big step fora bunch of keyboard gangsters
to mail an actual pipe bomb. Imean, who would take that leap?
There's one group that keeps me
up at night. Fairly new.
Branches all over
Southern California.
A more radical, more
militant offshoot of the KKK.
They call themselves
"the Imperial Dukes."
This thread was
created on their forum
moments after the news of
the Gates bombing broke.
We're still working
to verify its legitimacy.
"Gates got what was his.
I've done my part
"to protect
what's rightfully ours.
Who has the courage to join me?"
Let's hope nobody.
RHD sent a name?STREET:Security camera
at the TransSend parking lotcaught a suspect
exiting his vehiclewith the package in hand.
They ran the plates.
Car's registered
to Ronald Coogan from
Scottsdale, Arizona.
Ron's son, Harry, is
an engineering student at USC.
Address?RHD's still working.
Scratch that.
Just came in.
He rents a house
in University Park
about a half milefrom the TransSend store.
All right, I'll tell
Hicks and Hondo.
You two grab Chris
and Stevens.
Let's be ready
when that warrant comes in.
LAPD!
Don't move!LAPD! Two, two, two, two!
Clear!Hands on your head!Clear right!
Closet only, clear.What's-what's going on?
Deac.
Look.
Doesn't really scream
Klan member, does it?Klan member?
Does this have something to do
with Shawna?
Can somebody please tell me
what's going on?
Upstairs is clear.
Roommates aren't home.
No sign of explosives.
Same. Rest of the house
is clean.
Where'd you stash
the explosives, Harry?
Ex-Explosives?LAPD has you
on camera delivering
a package bomb
to Gates Realty Group.
You want to explain?Package bomb?
Oh, no, no, no.Easy.
I work for Choreable--
the app--
doing odd jobs and errands.
Two nights ago
I got a gig.
I met up
with this weird guy.
He was rambling,
he was panicked.
He paid me a hundred dollars
just to drop off some packages,
no questions asked.
I-I figured they were
just drugs...
Hold on, hold on.
Packages?
There was more than one?
The Choreable customer
instructed Harry
to drop off the second package
to a separate TransSend store.
Luckily, he kept the receipt
with the tracking number.
The package was delivered
this morning
to the office
of a defense attorney,
Megan Brown.
We tried calling her office,
but the machine picked up.
The rest of the team is en route
with Davis and the bomb squad.
Patrol will meet you there.
Tan, work with them
to set up a perimeter
while Hondo finds the package.
Meanwhile, we'll track down
Megan Brown's cell number
and try to reach her.
Just get there quick.Roger that!
Mom, you got something.
Oh, probably those new
business cards I ordered.
Finally. You mind
opening it for me?
Just need to grab
those papers,
and then we can grab
some dinner.
Howlin' Ray's?
You got it, kiddo.
We're closed.
Set the perimeter.Start clearing civilians.On it!
Hey, little man.
I'm a police officer.
I'm not gonna hurt you.
I need you to be
extremely careful
with that box
in your hands.
Jack, are you talking
to somebody?
Ma'am, ma'am,
stay right there.
I'm LAPD.
Jack.
Listen to me,
all right?
That box
you're holding
is very dangerous,
and I need you to put it down.
Jack, listen
to the officer.
No. No, no, slowly,
Jack, Jack, slowly.
Slowly.
Okay, watch my hand.
I'm gonna lower my hand
And I want you to match
my speed, okay?
Let's do it together.
Slowly, Jack.
Slowly. Really slow,
really slow. Slow, slow.
Keep going,
keep going.
Slow. There you go.
Almost there. Come on.
Slow, slow, slow.
There you go.
Good job.
Is anyone else
in there?
Uh, just the cleaning crew.Okay, grab them,
head out the back entrance.
I'll send someone
for you. Go!
Okay.
Package is secure,
with robot moving
to containment vessel.
Package delivered.
Three,
two, one--
fire in the hole!
Code 4.
Bomb successfully neutralized.
Davis and the bomb squad
are pulling an all-nighter,
piecing together
as much of the bomb as they can
to see what they can find.
Commander, why does it feel
like this has nothing to do
with guys in white hoods?
Maybe 'cause it doesn't.
Lynch and the FBI traced
the comments this morning
to an IP address in Pushkin.
It's nothing more
than Russian trolls
trying to incite violence.All right,
so if it's not
the Imperial Dukes,
who is behind these bombs?
What about college
stoner dude?
He dealt with the bomber
directly.
RHD get anything from him?
A description.
But it looks like
the suspect used a fake name
and a Visa gift card
for his Choreable account.
Meanwhile, Burrows is looking
into any connection
between the intended victims:
Jeff Gates, Megan Brown.
Nothing so far.
A tech just pulled
this voice mail
off Gates'
destroyed office phone.
The call was made last week
from a pay phone.
I know what you're doing.
I see right through you.
Your-your "friend" on the radio.The woman on the bus.
What did she tell you about me?
You only sent them because...
I knew what you did
with my phone.
Following me.
Always following me!
But I know, you-you and Brown
and the others, I know
exactly what you're doing.
Either you stop it, or I will.
Guy's off his nut.
"You, Brown and
the others."
Sounds like
he's far from finished.
Stoner dude said
the guy who hired him
to deliver the package
was rambling, paranoid.
It could be mental illness.
Disorganized speech.
Persecutory delusions.
It all tracks
with schizophrenia.
If he targeted
Gates and Brown
based on delusion,
that means his next target
could be absolutely anybody.
Officer Alonso, ready?
Welcome to the 38th annual
master gunner competition.
This is a time trial.
Fastest time wins.
Each target
is either a suspect,
a suspect holding a hostage,
or a civilian.
Assess the threats.
Eliminate the suspects.
There are 14 suspects
on this course.
Use your primary
for the first six,
reloading after three.
Switch to your secondary.
Dominant hand after six. Reload.
Nondominant
for the last two.
You will receive
time penalties
for any of the following:
reloading too early,
reloading too late,
hitting targets
outside critical zones,
and improper technique.
You hit a civilian
or a hostage, automatic DQ.
You got it? Time starts
on the buzzer and ends
when you hit the last target.
Good luck.
And remember... smooth is fast.
In three,
two, one.
7.14 seconds.
Not bad.
On to the course.
Weapon ready at the start line.
Course complete.
Nice job, Chris.
49.55 seconds.
That's the fastest time
so far.
I probably shouldn't
have told you that.
Wha-What about Tan
and Street and Stevens?Well, I can't
say much.
Stevens and Tan,
they went this morning,
and Street's up
in the evening group.
But that was damn
near perfect,
and it's gonna be tough
for anyone to beat that time.
You good?
Master gunner?
Listen, don't beat
yourself up about it.
Luca designed
a beast of a course.
I was off my game.
Couldn't sleep last night.
This have anything to do with
the voice mail from the bomber?
Hondo mentioned you seemed
a little rattled by it.
Yeah, it brought back
some old memories.
My dad...
got diagnosed with schizophrenia
just after I was born.
Oh, man. I'm sorry.
I didn't know that.
That must have been
really tough.It was under control
most of the time;
other times, it wasn't.
And hearing that guy
on the call, his anger,
his paranoia, reminded me
of some of those other times.
I don't mean
to dump this on you.
No, no, it's all good.
And if you want to talk
about it more,I'm around.I appreciate it.
I just want to get
my mind off it.
Listen, while we're waiting
for the location
of that mail bomber,
I was, uh...
gonna go pound a bag.
If you think it'll help,
I could use a sparring partner.
Yeah. I'll meet you in the ring.
All right.
Hey, Hondo, you got a sec?
I want to pick your brain
about something.
Sure. What's up?I just had a really
interesting talk
with Lieutenant Lynch
about a recruitment campaign
to try and pull in
more Black cops.
I was hoping to get your opinion
about whether I should do it.
Wow.
What?
She already asked
you, didn't she?
Yeah, and it looks like
she's going down the list.
: Which
is not very long.
Why'd you say no?
Honestly?
Because I'm exhausted.
Where were you in '92
when things popped off?
Um, we were still living
in Houston.
I'd just turned six.
Hmm.
I remember my parents were glued
to the TV that whole week.
Well, I was right here
in South L.A.
And I didn't have
to turn on my TV,
'cause I could watch it all
from my backyard.
And this summer it was like
I was watching a rerun.
Watts and Rodney King,
and now George Floyd,
Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor.
It's the same old show,
and it doesn't stop.
And the gap between Black
and blue is even wider now.
Erika, I turned down Lynch
because I don't know how I can
look a Black kid in the eye
and tell them
they can make things change
by joining the LAPD.
Because it's not true.
What is the truth, then?
That your friends
might stop talking to you.
Even your own father
might be ashamed of what you do.
Or there could be days when
you don't feel like wearing
this uniform
because it's the same color
that some bastard wore
in Louisville and Minneapolis.
Before I joined SWAT,
I read this article.
It was a profile
about Raymont Harris.
It talked about how his life
was spiraling out of control
until a SWAT sergeant
named Daniel Harrelson
pulled him out of it
and got him back
on the right track.
Where's Raymont now?
He's a junior at UCLA.
Chemical engineering major.
See, I remember reading
that article and thinking,
" Thatis the kind of cop
that I want to be."
And I get it. You've been
fighting all of this
a lot longer than I have.
But what is the alternative?
We just throw up our hands?
Let the number of Black cops
drop to zero?
What does the world
look like then?
Who's there
for the next Raymont?
Looks like RHD has a lead
on our bomber.
I got to run.Yeah, go get him.
Davis
and the bomb squad
managed to piece together
enough bomb fragments
to pull a partial print.
Charles Pierce.
We rushed a subpoena
for his medical records
from L.A. Regional Hospital.Well, Tan was on the money.
Pierce has been
in and out of treatment
for schizophrenia
for several years.
A whole host
of paranoid delusions,
but no priors,
no history of violence.
Well, then, what triggered him
to mail a bunch of pipe bombs?
He was living with his brother,
Leo, and Leo's wife, Brenda.
Seems like the only family
that he had.
Leo Pierce died six months ago.
Up until two
months ago, he was
still living in their garage,
and then he just vanished.
Brenda Pierce
filed a missing persons report,
but still no sign of him.HONDO:
Let's pay
the sister-in-law a visit.
She's already on her way over.
When Leo and I got married,
Charlie was such a happy guy.
He was, like, carefree.
But I guess he hasn't been
that Charlie in a long time.
When did you noticesomething off?Just after
his 24th birthday. We couldn't
reach him for three days.
And it turned out Charlie had...
um, destroyed the battery
in his phone.
He swore the mailman
was using it
to gather evidence
against him.Evidence of what?
Nothing.
He never did anything wrong.
He was... He was hearing voices.
He was seeing things
that weren't there.
But he absolutely refused
to see someone.Well, asking for help,
that can be the hardest part.
Yeah, I mean, I wish that
were true for Charlie.
Eventually, he
missed so much work
that he lost his job,
so Leo let him move in
to the garage on the condition
that he see a doctor,
so he finally agreed.
The diagnosis was schizophrenia.
And the doctor
put him on medication,
and a-actually,
it helped for a little while.
Eventually,
he would go off the meds,
and then we'd repeat
the whole cycle.
And that's been our lives
for the last seven years.
And then Leo got sick.
How did Charlie react
to your husband's death?
He was devastated.
But, I mean, he seemed
to be holding it together.
He was even making some money
through an app.
He was shopping for people,
and, you know,
he was running errands.
That kind of thing.
Choreable.Yeah.
The whole thing started
again. The delusions,
the paranoia.
Um...
I-I promised Leo
that I would look after Charlie,
but, um...
It just wore me to the bone.Mrs. Pierce,
is there anywhere that you can
think of that Charlie might be?
Or anyone that he might have
reached out to for help?
I have no clue.
After he disappeared, I put
all of his things in boxes.
There's...
They're in the back of my truck.
Maybe you'll find
something there.
She sounded like
she's had a rough go of it.
For some time now.
This thing can tear
families apart.
Almost destroyed mine.
Dad had trouble
holding down a job.
Mom was working three gigs
just to make ends meet.
Lot of times, it was up to
me and my brother, Jacob,
to look after him. Towards
the end, it was just me.
How old were you?When he passed? 16.
Jacob was 20. He
was at college.
Visited Dad three
times in two years.
Found any excuse to
avoid seeing him.
My father and I
have got our issues,
but I can't imagine
cutting him out like that.
Yeah, I never held my dad's
worst days against him.
He was just sick.
But Jacob
would never look past it.
It's a big reason we
don't talk anymore.
It's crazy to think
that's the same person
that we heard
on that voice mail last night.
It's like a switch
just flipped.
Here we go.
A burner phone.
Probably thought his cell
was being tracked again.
Yeah, well, the number's
still listed
on the SIM card.
Burrows. Hey, it's Deacon.
Hey, listen, I think I know
how we can find Charlie.
Just finished going through
the patient information
in Charlie's medical
history. Unfortunately,
it sounds like
the one person who might have
gotten through to him
died six months ago.
His brother, Leo.
If we do find him,
how do we resolve
this nonlethally?
Excuse me. Yeah?
I mean, I guess we try
to convince Charlie
it's all in his head, right?
No, that's only gonna
aggravate him more.
Charlie might be hearing
things, seeing things,
but in his mind,
those things are as real
to him as you and me.
For whatever reason, he's
convinced that Jeff Gates,
Megan Brown and the others
are out to get him.
Best way to buy his trust?
We make him feel safe.
That was Burrows. RHD's been
camping on that phone number
we found from Charlie's burner.
He briefly turned it on.
They tracked it to an apartment
in North Hollywood. Bad news.
He used it to contact Choreable.
He's gonna mail another bomb.
LAPD!LAPD!
Police!Give me two! Give me two!
Kitchen clear!
Bathroom clear. Give me two!STREET:
26-David
to Command.
No movement on the fire escape.Bedroom clear!
Perimeter's clear.20-David to Command. It looks
like Charlie already left
to drop off the package
to the Choreable worker.
Anything in here to
tell us where he went?
Hold on a second.
Guys, check this out.
24-David to 20-David.
Patrol just found something
at the bus stop down the block
you might want to look at.
Sending photos now.
That's why Charlie thought
he was being watched.
So, Megan Brown is staring
at him through his window.
Jeff Gates is
at his bus stop.
All right, split up.
Collect any images,
any ads,
anything Charlie would see
on a daily basis
that could point us
to his next target.
Command to 20-David.
Burrows just got off the phone
with the Choreable worker
who met up with Charlie.
When he saw
a suspicious-looking package,
he tried to stall, call police.
Charlie must have realized.
He ran off with the bomb.
Charlie might be looking
to deliver the package himself.HONDO: Did the worker
mention where Charlie
wanted him to mail the package?HICKS: Negative.
But he did give us a description
of Charlie's clothing.
Sending it over now.Roger that.
Hey. Found something.
This was in the trash.
Valdez Brothers Auto Repair.HONDO:
I think
I saw a stack of these by
the mailboxes when we entered.
Hey, Tan! Let's roll!
This is 20-David to Command.
We might've found
Charlie's next target.
24-David. Just got
to the repair shop.
Cleared out civilians.Hold up. You see this guy?
Clothes match
the description
Hicks sent us.
I can't see his face,
but he's holding something.
25-David.
Possible eyes on our suspect
at the shopping plaza
on Alamo.
That's Charlie.
He's got the package.
25-David. Confirmed sighting
of suspect at our location.
He make us?
26-David. We got a rabbit.Let's go.
LAPD!
Check it out.
Whoa.
Whoa. Whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa. Whoa.
Is he back there?
All right. Get out of here, man.
Get out. Go, go, go.
LAPD.
We'll get her out. Go, go, go.
Stop! I got a bomb!
You come one step closer,
I'll open the box,
and we all get blown to hell.
And the girl, too.
Charlie's got himself barricaded
in the service hallway,
and he's got a woman
trapped with him.
He's threatening to open the box
if we come any closer.
Spoke to the manager
of the shopping plaza.
There's a staircase
that can get us close
to where Charlie's
barricaded himself.
Said we can access
it from the roof.
Hey, won't he see you coming?
Not if he ain't looking our way.
Even if we can get down
those stairs
without him noticing, he's got
eyes 15 feet in every direction.
You got any idea how to diffuse
a bomb from that far?
Yeah, the Disruptor Jet.
It'll shoot a bolt of water,
soak the explosives
in an instant,
neutralize the bomb if
I can get close enough.
Hey, hey, hey.
Slow your roll, tough guy.
Ain't nobody
getting close but us.
Can you teach me?Yeah.
It's basically a Super
Soaker on steroids.
Set.
Roger that.
Just made entry.
Charlie.Stop!
Leave me alone.
Please, just leave me alone.
We're not here to hurt you.
You're lying!
I promise.
Okay?
I'm just here to listen.
I didn't want to do this.
I swear I didn't,
but they wouldn't
leave me alone.
They wouldn't stop staring.
I told them to stop.
Tan, we need him
to lower the package.
Hondo needs a clear shot.
I get it, Charlie.
It must be scary.
I'd be scared, too.
You know what I do
when I'm scared?
I listen to music.
Charlie, it calms
me right down.
You play guitar, right?
Yeah.
I saw a picture of you
and Leo playing together.
You looked real happy.
Charlie, what would you play?
Clapton.
He loved... Clapton.
Clapton.
He's good.
Which song was his favorite,
huh?
:
I miss him so much.
I miss him so much.
You lied!Stop!
On your stomach!
Give me your hands!
Give me your
hands, now!
Lieutenant?
Are you busy, or do
you have a minute?
Sure thing.
It's about
our conversation yesterday.
Any chance you've
changed your mind?
No, not even a little bit.
But you asked me
if I had another solution.
I think I might.
Hit me.
A series of recruitment meetings
throughout the county--
South L.A., Inglewood,
Ladera Heights
and other Black communities,
hosted by Black officers,
where we can speak openly
and honestly about the
challenges of being a Black cop.
Lieutenant, the people who
come out to these meetings--
they're taking
a big first step.
They want to make
a difference,
but they want to
hear us be honest
about the mistakes we've made,
and if we're committed
to really doing it better.
And if all we do is give
them a glossy pony show,
then we've lost yet
another generation
of potentially good cops
because they know it ain't real.
They want the truth.And what's the truth?
It's tough being a Black cop.
Real tough. And some days,
it feels impossible.
But then, there's other days,
you win these little victories,
and you actually get
to make a difference.
Those little victories--
they mean something.
Let me run it up the flagpole,
see if I can't pull together
some funding for you.
All right,
and I'll put together a list
of potential venues
and officers.
You'll have it first thing
in the morning.
You know, Hondo?
Sometimes I think
you're underutilized
as just a SWAT sergeant.
I'll take that as a compliment.
It was meant to be.
Good night.
All right, bring it in.
Let's go! Bring it in.
Just finished the last
run on the course.
Final results are in.
The 38th annual
master gunner is...
Come on, Deac. Hurry it up.
All right, all right.
With an official time
of 49.37 seconds,
Jim Street!
Oh!
Suck it, Stevens.
Get you next year, wiseass.
Hey, what's up?
Hey.
Hope you're not still
beating yourself up.
You did good today.
With Charlie.
How'd you know
he'd let go of that package?
I didn't.
But it's something
that worked with my dad.
One time, I found him in
the kitchen holding a knife,
threatening to hurt himself.
Refused to put it down till
I started talking about cameras.
He loved photography.
I figured
if we could get Charlie
thinking about
what made him feel safest,
about music,
about his brother...
He wouldn't think about the
bomb in his hand. That's smart.
Actually, it's a...
trick I picked up from Jacob.
So I guess your brother
wasn't all bad, huh?
Well, me and Jacob, uh--
we were only kids.
Maybe he was scared,
didn't know how to deal with it,
but, uh...
I don't know.
I was scared, too.
I never once
left my dad's side, though.
Yeah, but you're
a SWAT officer.
And he makes money
sitting behind a desk.
You don't run
when things get dicey.
Not everybody's built that way.
Look, maybe it's not my place,
but before, you said
that you never held your dad's
worst days against him.
Well, maybe you ought to think
about extending that same
benefit to your brother.
Everybody can use a little
forgiveness in their lives.
Jacob.
Hey, it's me.
It's just been a while
since we talked.
Sorry it didn't work out.
It's good.
I'm happy for him.
Chris...
.18 seconds.
That's it.
That was the difference.
Mm.Going over it
in my head now,
and-and I... I should have
beat him. Just...
I am happy for him.
But?
But...
when I first met Street,
he was the guy
with the crazy mom
who then got kicked out of SWAT
and barely made it back.
And now,
he's got it all figured out.
With SWAT, with Molly.
And I'm in my 30s and still
living in my uncle's garage.
Feels like
we swapped places somehow,
and...
he left me behind.
Were you two ever a thing?
No. Of course not.
Really? 'Cause it seems
like Street has a special way
of getting under your skin.
There were feelings once.
Ah, called it.
Going which way?
It was mutual.
We're on the same team.
We shut it down.
Well, look, I don't know how
to help you with him, but
as far as living in your uncle's
garage, I've been looking around
for a new place.
Might be able to lock down
something swanky with a roommate
to shares costs.I thought you were
living with your sister.
Yeah. She's an EMT, she works
nights, which worked great
when I was on late shift, but
now that I'm on Rocker's team,
we are at each other's throats.
So, what do you say?
Are you kidding?
Hell yeah!
All right. I'll send
over some listings.
Hey, um, thanks for everything.
I don't think
I would have done half as well
as I did today
without your help.
Any time.
Last year, Lila
started gymnastics,
and, uh, I went
to one of her meets,
and there were these older
girls on the balance beam.
It's funny. It's-it's
such a narrow beam,
and they're just
launching themselves
three, four feet
in the air.
And for a split second,
you're not sure
if they're gonna land
on it or... fall off.
I mean, they may not
even know themselves.
This Charlie guy,
he was...
he was managing, you know?
And then... his brother died.
Something completely
out of his control.
What Charlie's
been going through
and what you've gone through
are completely different.
No, I know. I know. It's...
It's just that...
Not that long ago,
I was in a really dark place.
What if something comes along
and launches me off the beam,
and-and I don't stick
the landing?I'd be lying
if I said you're never
gonna go back to that place.
But that's why
we do these sessions.
If you do fall off that beam,
you're gonna have the confidence
to jump right back on.
Yeah, I know.
I know.
So what'd you decide?
About Lynch's offer?Mm-hmm.
Well, I was about
to take her up on it,
but then she mentioned your idea
for the recruitment meetings,
and I told her
I'd rather help out with that.
Erika, I don't know if
it's gonna fix the problem,
but I'm not ready
to throw my hands up.
But if you're serious
about helping out,
planning starts
tomorrow morning.
Yeah, tell me when and where.Okay, good.
'Cause if we don't fix
the problem, who will?
At least that's what
some young fool told me.
Thank you.
Thanks for waking me back up.
No, Hondo. Thank you.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Good night.
Captioning sponsored by
CBS
and TOYOTA.
Two cadres in two months?
He's making the TLI
competition a real contest.
Just heard you're going
for master gunner.
I am not mad at you
and Tan for entering
the competition.
Just treating you guys
like what you are,
for the moment anyway.
You're the ones
that I need to beat.
Didn't you tell me, if I want
things to change, be the change?
What have we seen change, son?
This generational wound
that just keeps
getting picked at
every few decades,
because we refuse
to learn the lesson.
Maybe we learn the lesson
this time.
I saw Watts burn.
You saw it in '92.
What's this boy gonna see?
I think this
one's yours.
Ended up on
my belt by mistake.
Toss it here?
Sounds expensive.
Maybe this one never made it
on truck.
Thanks, buddy.
All right.
7.31 seconds.
That's a new
personal best, right?
Let's go again,
please. Come on.It might be good
to end on a high.
I need to get it below 7.3.
You will get there on game day,
what with the adrenaline
and, you know,
the use of your eyes.
The last five
master gunners only won
by a couple tenths of a second.Yeah, but
you're beating yourself up
over a couple hundredths.
There's no choice.
A month from now, Hicks is
gonna choose the TLI liaison.
Tan just qualified
for another cadre,
Street's had a gold star
by his name ever since
his undercover
work last year.
I got to step it up.
There's only one
master gunner in all of SWAT.
Winning tomorrow
would give me that edge.
Okay, all right.
Let's go again.
Look, I-I appreciate
you helping me,
but I know I dragged you here
early. If you want
to grab a nap
before our next shift, I...
I won't take it personally.
Chris, I wouldn't even be on
SWAT if it wasn't for you.
I'm not going anywhere.
Let's go again.
But when you win
this thing,
you and I are gonna
have a beer
and talk about
your work-life balance.
Only if I'm buying.You're damn right you're buying.
All right, let's go.
What's going on, fellas?
What's up?Hey.
I was just telling Street
that Deac and Becker and I just
finished setting up the master
gunner shoot course last night.
And we did a
couple run-throughs.
What's the word?Chris, I ain't gonna lie.
Luca has made
the hardest one
since taking over
design from Buck.
Says it was his parting gift
before leaving for Berlin.
Trust me, you, Tan and Street
got your work cut out for you.
My girl here
has got it locked up.
You are looking
at the first P-III
to win master gunner
in SWAT history.Ooh.
Definitely got room
for improvement.
Master gunners is all about
transition and reload times,
and Tan's got the
fastest hands on SWAT.
Not sure
I'll catch him tomorrow.
We'll see how it goes.Listen.
I expect to see each of your
names at the top of that list.
But don't sleep
on Sergeant Stevens.
He's won master gunner
three years running,
and he ain't about to
give up that crown easily.
Stevens is yesterday's news.Yeah, okay, Street.
Okay, look, look, I'm
not one to brag...
Since when?But...
I was practicing with
Stevens last week,
and I smoked him,
just in case you're wondering
who you're chasing.Okay, that's real
big talk, Street,
but just know
it's been eight years
since anyone from 20-Squad
has held the title.
One of you needs
to make that happen.
Oh, hey, Chris,
by the way,
I was practicing my HK assembly
a couple nights back,
and I found a little trick,
shaves off about
three-tenths of a second,
if you're interested.I'm good.
Look, on the off chance
that I don't win tomorrow,
I'd want it to be you or Tan
bringing it home for 20-Squad.
Truth is, uh, training
hasn't been going that well,
and I'm not gonna
lose any more sleep
practicing for something
Stevens probably has locked up.
Well, let me know if
you change your mind.
What was that about?If Tan and Street know
how hard I'm going,
they're gonna go
that much harder.
Underpromise,
overdeliver. Nice.
Now I just need to overdeliver.
Lieutenant?
You asked to see me?
Actually, the mayor
asked me to see you.
Step in here?
It's a sensitive
subject, and I'd like
to ask you respectfully.
Okay.
You remember after
the '92 riots, the LAPD tried
to improve relations
with the Black community,
made a big push to recruit
more Black officers?
I remember that it was
a PR stunt that didn't do much
to improve the gap
between Black and blue.
And there's a reason
that Black recruitment
fell back down
after that initial push.
'Cause people didn't see
any real change
in how the LAPD
approached the community.
No arguments here.
In any case, turns out,
if you hire all at once...
They retire all at once.
The number of Black officers
will drop 50%
in the next five years.
And considering recent events,
that's not a good look.
Or good policing.So now the mayor wants my help.
She'd like you to be the face
of an outreach campaign
to rehabilitate the LAPD's
reputation in the
African-American community.
Do some interviews,
pose for some photos,
show people the positive change
they can make with a career
at the LAPD.She wants me to be a mascot.
Lieutenant, you talk about
change, but yet here we are,
dealing with the same
damn problems from 28 years ago
with the same weak-ass
temporary solutions.
The irony isn't lost on me.
But until we find something more
permanent, it's a stop-gap.
Do you have any
other solutions?
Yours is a Band-Aid
on a knife wound.
You can't really think that
a couple of quotes in a profile
or a billboard with my face
on Normandie and Florence
is gonna convince
some Black kid to sign up,
especially after everything
that just went down in May.
Well, this is, hopefully,
just step one
of a multi-pronged approach.
Right, right, and
step two is wondering
what the hell went wrong
with step one.
We're on the same side, Hondo.
Your voice, your image
could go a long way.
And this isn't
just about optics.
The mayor and I really do
want to make things better.
We're going to need help
from people like you to do it.
I'm glad we're recruiting, I am.
But pandering to the community
ain't the answer, Lieutenant.
You tell the mayor--
respectfully--
I ain't about
to be her poster boy.
Hey, hey, Izzy.
Hey. Good weekend?
I can't complain. You?
Son had a bad dream
last night.
Barely slept,
which means I barely slept.
Have a good one.
Morning, Mr. Gates.
Gates Realty Group.
Mm-hmm.
How bad is it?
It's two dead, four injured.
Looks like it was a package bomb
delivered to Gates Realty Group.
Any motive?Not yet.
Still waiting to talk
to the owner, Jeff Gates.
That's him right there, right?
He wrote that Timesop-ed
a few months ago
supporting reparations.Pretty public move
for one of L.A.'s
most prominent realtors.Yeah, well, he was lucky
he wasn't in the room
when the device went off.
Still caught some shrapnel
through the wall, though. Hey,
Davis? Davis? This is Tim Davis
with the bomb squad.
Davis, Commander Hicks,
Sergeant Harrelson.This ain't our first
rodeo together.
Good to see you again, Tim.
Good to see you, Hondo.
Wish it didn't always have
to be around explosives.
Walk 'em throughwhat you found.
My team's still
collecting fragments,
but first impressions-- we're
dealing with a pipe bomb rigged
to blow as soon as the victim
opened up the package.
Judging by the volume
of the shrapnel,
it was chock-full of nails.
The bomber wanted to
cause maximum carnage.
How sophisticated a bombare we talking?
You think the bomber had priorexperience with explosives?
It's unlikely. Pretty
crude setup, homemade.
Unfortunately, step-by-step
guides for these package bombs
are a dime a dozen in the
darker corners of the Internet.
What do you got?
Tell me RHD has a warrant anda door for SWAT to kick down.
No suspects yet. The
package was delivered by
a TransSend driveron his usual route.
Tracking number shows
that it was shipped
two days ago
from a TransSend store
in University Park,
near USC's campus.
Good news is, the parking
lot has a security camera.
You find a name...
You'll be the first to know.
That was Lynch.
FBI's waiting to brief
us on the bombing.
The Feds?
Yeah.
Day just keeps getting
more interesting.
For the last few months, I'vebeen working with Agent Carr
and the FBI'sCounterterrorism Division
to monitor a new crop
of white supremacist groups
popping up in L.A.
Hate crimes have been on the
upswing the last few years.
We're trying to get ahead
of their darker urges.
You think the bombing this
morning was a hate crime?
It's a working theory.
You can imagine the garbage
these groups spewed online
about Jeff Gates
after his reparations op-ed
came out.
But it's still a big step fora bunch of keyboard gangsters
to mail an actual pipe bomb. Imean, who would take that leap?
There's one group that keeps me
up at night. Fairly new.
Branches all over
Southern California.
A more radical, more
militant offshoot of the KKK.
They call themselves
"the Imperial Dukes."
This thread was
created on their forum
moments after the news of
the Gates bombing broke.
We're still working
to verify its legitimacy.
"Gates got what was his.
I've done my part
"to protect
what's rightfully ours.
Who has the courage to join me?"
Let's hope nobody.
RHD sent a name?STREET:Security camera
at the TransSend parking lotcaught a suspect
exiting his vehiclewith the package in hand.
They ran the plates.
Car's registered
to Ronald Coogan from
Scottsdale, Arizona.
Ron's son, Harry, is
an engineering student at USC.
Address?RHD's still working.
Scratch that.
Just came in.
He rents a house
in University Park
about a half milefrom the TransSend store.
All right, I'll tell
Hicks and Hondo.
You two grab Chris
and Stevens.
Let's be ready
when that warrant comes in.
LAPD!
Don't move!LAPD! Two, two, two, two!
Clear!Hands on your head!Clear right!
Closet only, clear.What's-what's going on?
Deac.
Look.
Doesn't really scream
Klan member, does it?Klan member?
Does this have something to do
with Shawna?
Can somebody please tell me
what's going on?
Upstairs is clear.
Roommates aren't home.
No sign of explosives.
Same. Rest of the house
is clean.
Where'd you stash
the explosives, Harry?
Ex-Explosives?LAPD has you
on camera delivering
a package bomb
to Gates Realty Group.
You want to explain?Package bomb?
Oh, no, no, no.Easy.
I work for Choreable--
the app--
doing odd jobs and errands.
Two nights ago
I got a gig.
I met up
with this weird guy.
He was rambling,
he was panicked.
He paid me a hundred dollars
just to drop off some packages,
no questions asked.
I-I figured they were
just drugs...
Hold on, hold on.
Packages?
There was more than one?
The Choreable customer
instructed Harry
to drop off the second package
to a separate TransSend store.
Luckily, he kept the receipt
with the tracking number.
The package was delivered
this morning
to the office
of a defense attorney,
Megan Brown.
We tried calling her office,
but the machine picked up.
The rest of the team is en route
with Davis and the bomb squad.
Patrol will meet you there.
Tan, work with them
to set up a perimeter
while Hondo finds the package.
Meanwhile, we'll track down
Megan Brown's cell number
and try to reach her.
Just get there quick.Roger that!
Mom, you got something.
Oh, probably those new
business cards I ordered.
Finally. You mind
opening it for me?
Just need to grab
those papers,
and then we can grab
some dinner.
Howlin' Ray's?
You got it, kiddo.
We're closed.
Set the perimeter.Start clearing civilians.On it!
Hey, little man.
I'm a police officer.
I'm not gonna hurt you.
I need you to be
extremely careful
with that box
in your hands.
Jack, are you talking
to somebody?
Ma'am, ma'am,
stay right there.
I'm LAPD.
Jack.
Listen to me,
all right?
That box
you're holding
is very dangerous,
and I need you to put it down.
Jack, listen
to the officer.
No. No, no, slowly,
Jack, Jack, slowly.
Slowly.
Okay, watch my hand.
I'm gonna lower my hand
And I want you to match
my speed, okay?
Let's do it together.
Slowly, Jack.
Slowly. Really slow,
really slow. Slow, slow.
Keep going,
keep going.
Slow. There you go.
Almost there. Come on.
Slow, slow, slow.
There you go.
Good job.
Is anyone else
in there?
Uh, just the cleaning crew.Okay, grab them,
head out the back entrance.
I'll send someone
for you. Go!
Okay.
Package is secure,
with robot moving
to containment vessel.
Package delivered.
Three,
two, one--
fire in the hole!
Code 4.
Bomb successfully neutralized.
Davis and the bomb squad
are pulling an all-nighter,
piecing together
as much of the bomb as they can
to see what they can find.
Commander, why does it feel
like this has nothing to do
with guys in white hoods?
Maybe 'cause it doesn't.
Lynch and the FBI traced
the comments this morning
to an IP address in Pushkin.
It's nothing more
than Russian trolls
trying to incite violence.All right,
so if it's not
the Imperial Dukes,
who is behind these bombs?
What about college
stoner dude?
He dealt with the bomber
directly.
RHD get anything from him?
A description.
But it looks like
the suspect used a fake name
and a Visa gift card
for his Choreable account.
Meanwhile, Burrows is looking
into any connection
between the intended victims:
Jeff Gates, Megan Brown.
Nothing so far.
A tech just pulled
this voice mail
off Gates'
destroyed office phone.
The call was made last week
from a pay phone.
I know what you're doing.
I see right through you.
Your-your "friend" on the radio.The woman on the bus.
What did she tell you about me?
You only sent them because...
I knew what you did
with my phone.
Following me.
Always following me!
But I know, you-you and Brown
and the others, I know
exactly what you're doing.
Either you stop it, or I will.
Guy's off his nut.
"You, Brown and
the others."
Sounds like
he's far from finished.
Stoner dude said
the guy who hired him
to deliver the package
was rambling, paranoid.
It could be mental illness.
Disorganized speech.
Persecutory delusions.
It all tracks
with schizophrenia.
If he targeted
Gates and Brown
based on delusion,
that means his next target
could be absolutely anybody.
Officer Alonso, ready?
Welcome to the 38th annual
master gunner competition.
This is a time trial.
Fastest time wins.
Each target
is either a suspect,
a suspect holding a hostage,
or a civilian.
Assess the threats.
Eliminate the suspects.
There are 14 suspects
on this course.
Use your primary
for the first six,
reloading after three.
Switch to your secondary.
Dominant hand after six. Reload.
Nondominant
for the last two.
You will receive
time penalties
for any of the following:
reloading too early,
reloading too late,
hitting targets
outside critical zones,
and improper technique.
You hit a civilian
or a hostage, automatic DQ.
You got it? Time starts
on the buzzer and ends
when you hit the last target.
Good luck.
And remember... smooth is fast.
In three,
two, one.
7.14 seconds.
Not bad.
On to the course.
Weapon ready at the start line.
Course complete.
Nice job, Chris.
49.55 seconds.
That's the fastest time
so far.
I probably shouldn't
have told you that.
Wha-What about Tan
and Street and Stevens?Well, I can't
say much.
Stevens and Tan,
they went this morning,
and Street's up
in the evening group.
But that was damn
near perfect,
and it's gonna be tough
for anyone to beat that time.
You good?
Master gunner?
Listen, don't beat
yourself up about it.
Luca designed
a beast of a course.
I was off my game.
Couldn't sleep last night.
This have anything to do with
the voice mail from the bomber?
Hondo mentioned you seemed
a little rattled by it.
Yeah, it brought back
some old memories.
My dad...
got diagnosed with schizophrenia
just after I was born.
Oh, man. I'm sorry.
I didn't know that.
That must have been
really tough.It was under control
most of the time;
other times, it wasn't.
And hearing that guy
on the call, his anger,
his paranoia, reminded me
of some of those other times.
I don't mean
to dump this on you.
No, no, it's all good.
And if you want to talk
about it more,I'm around.I appreciate it.
I just want to get
my mind off it.
Listen, while we're waiting
for the location
of that mail bomber,
I was, uh...
gonna go pound a bag.
If you think it'll help,
I could use a sparring partner.
Yeah. I'll meet you in the ring.
All right.
Hey, Hondo, you got a sec?
I want to pick your brain
about something.
Sure. What's up?I just had a really
interesting talk
with Lieutenant Lynch
about a recruitment campaign
to try and pull in
more Black cops.
I was hoping to get your opinion
about whether I should do it.
Wow.
What?
She already asked
you, didn't she?
Yeah, and it looks like
she's going down the list.
: Which
is not very long.
Why'd you say no?
Honestly?
Because I'm exhausted.
Where were you in '92
when things popped off?
Um, we were still living
in Houston.
I'd just turned six.
Hmm.
I remember my parents were glued
to the TV that whole week.
Well, I was right here
in South L.A.
And I didn't have
to turn on my TV,
'cause I could watch it all
from my backyard.
And this summer it was like
I was watching a rerun.
Watts and Rodney King,
and now George Floyd,
Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor.
It's the same old show,
and it doesn't stop.
And the gap between Black
and blue is even wider now.
Erika, I turned down Lynch
because I don't know how I can
look a Black kid in the eye
and tell them
they can make things change
by joining the LAPD.
Because it's not true.
What is the truth, then?
That your friends
might stop talking to you.
Even your own father
might be ashamed of what you do.
Or there could be days when
you don't feel like wearing
this uniform
because it's the same color
that some bastard wore
in Louisville and Minneapolis.
Before I joined SWAT,
I read this article.
It was a profile
about Raymont Harris.
It talked about how his life
was spiraling out of control
until a SWAT sergeant
named Daniel Harrelson
pulled him out of it
and got him back
on the right track.
Where's Raymont now?
He's a junior at UCLA.
Chemical engineering major.
See, I remember reading
that article and thinking,
" Thatis the kind of cop
that I want to be."
And I get it. You've been
fighting all of this
a lot longer than I have.
But what is the alternative?
We just throw up our hands?
Let the number of Black cops
drop to zero?
What does the world
look like then?
Who's there
for the next Raymont?
Looks like RHD has a lead
on our bomber.
I got to run.Yeah, go get him.
Davis
and the bomb squad
managed to piece together
enough bomb fragments
to pull a partial print.
Charles Pierce.
We rushed a subpoena
for his medical records
from L.A. Regional Hospital.Well, Tan was on the money.
Pierce has been
in and out of treatment
for schizophrenia
for several years.
A whole host
of paranoid delusions,
but no priors,
no history of violence.
Well, then, what triggered him
to mail a bunch of pipe bombs?
He was living with his brother,
Leo, and Leo's wife, Brenda.
Seems like the only family
that he had.
Leo Pierce died six months ago.
Up until two
months ago, he was
still living in their garage,
and then he just vanished.
Brenda Pierce
filed a missing persons report,
but still no sign of him.HONDO:
Let's pay
the sister-in-law a visit.
She's already on her way over.
When Leo and I got married,
Charlie was such a happy guy.
He was, like, carefree.
But I guess he hasn't been
that Charlie in a long time.
When did you noticesomething off?Just after
his 24th birthday. We couldn't
reach him for three days.
And it turned out Charlie had...
um, destroyed the battery
in his phone.
He swore the mailman
was using it
to gather evidence
against him.Evidence of what?
Nothing.
He never did anything wrong.
He was... He was hearing voices.
He was seeing things
that weren't there.
But he absolutely refused
to see someone.Well, asking for help,
that can be the hardest part.
Yeah, I mean, I wish that
were true for Charlie.
Eventually, he
missed so much work
that he lost his job,
so Leo let him move in
to the garage on the condition
that he see a doctor,
so he finally agreed.
The diagnosis was schizophrenia.
And the doctor
put him on medication,
and a-actually,
it helped for a little while.
Eventually,
he would go off the meds,
and then we'd repeat
the whole cycle.
And that's been our lives
for the last seven years.
And then Leo got sick.
How did Charlie react
to your husband's death?
He was devastated.
But, I mean, he seemed
to be holding it together.
He was even making some money
through an app.
He was shopping for people,
and, you know,
he was running errands.
That kind of thing.
Choreable.Yeah.
The whole thing started
again. The delusions,
the paranoia.
Um...
I-I promised Leo
that I would look after Charlie,
but, um...
It just wore me to the bone.Mrs. Pierce,
is there anywhere that you can
think of that Charlie might be?
Or anyone that he might have
reached out to for help?
I have no clue.
After he disappeared, I put
all of his things in boxes.
There's...
They're in the back of my truck.
Maybe you'll find
something there.
She sounded like
she's had a rough go of it.
For some time now.
This thing can tear
families apart.
Almost destroyed mine.
Dad had trouble
holding down a job.
Mom was working three gigs
just to make ends meet.
Lot of times, it was up to
me and my brother, Jacob,
to look after him. Towards
the end, it was just me.
How old were you?When he passed? 16.
Jacob was 20. He
was at college.
Visited Dad three
times in two years.
Found any excuse to
avoid seeing him.
My father and I
have got our issues,
but I can't imagine
cutting him out like that.
Yeah, I never held my dad's
worst days against him.
He was just sick.
But Jacob
would never look past it.
It's a big reason we
don't talk anymore.
It's crazy to think
that's the same person
that we heard
on that voice mail last night.
It's like a switch
just flipped.
Here we go.
A burner phone.
Probably thought his cell
was being tracked again.
Yeah, well, the number's
still listed
on the SIM card.
Burrows. Hey, it's Deacon.
Hey, listen, I think I know
how we can find Charlie.
Just finished going through
the patient information
in Charlie's medical
history. Unfortunately,
it sounds like
the one person who might have
gotten through to him
died six months ago.
His brother, Leo.
If we do find him,
how do we resolve
this nonlethally?
Excuse me. Yeah?
I mean, I guess we try
to convince Charlie
it's all in his head, right?
No, that's only gonna
aggravate him more.
Charlie might be hearing
things, seeing things,
but in his mind,
those things are as real
to him as you and me.
For whatever reason, he's
convinced that Jeff Gates,
Megan Brown and the others
are out to get him.
Best way to buy his trust?
We make him feel safe.
That was Burrows. RHD's been
camping on that phone number
we found from Charlie's burner.
He briefly turned it on.
They tracked it to an apartment
in North Hollywood. Bad news.
He used it to contact Choreable.
He's gonna mail another bomb.
LAPD!LAPD!
Police!Give me two! Give me two!
Kitchen clear!
Bathroom clear. Give me two!STREET:
26-David
to Command.
No movement on the fire escape.Bedroom clear!
Perimeter's clear.20-David to Command. It looks
like Charlie already left
to drop off the package
to the Choreable worker.
Anything in here to
tell us where he went?
Hold on a second.
Guys, check this out.
24-David to 20-David.
Patrol just found something
at the bus stop down the block
you might want to look at.
Sending photos now.
That's why Charlie thought
he was being watched.
So, Megan Brown is staring
at him through his window.
Jeff Gates is
at his bus stop.
All right, split up.
Collect any images,
any ads,
anything Charlie would see
on a daily basis
that could point us
to his next target.
Command to 20-David.
Burrows just got off the phone
with the Choreable worker
who met up with Charlie.
When he saw
a suspicious-looking package,
he tried to stall, call police.
Charlie must have realized.
He ran off with the bomb.
Charlie might be looking
to deliver the package himself.HONDO: Did the worker
mention where Charlie
wanted him to mail the package?HICKS: Negative.
But he did give us a description
of Charlie's clothing.
Sending it over now.Roger that.
Hey. Found something.
This was in the trash.
Valdez Brothers Auto Repair.HONDO:
I think
I saw a stack of these by
the mailboxes when we entered.
Hey, Tan! Let's roll!
This is 20-David to Command.
We might've found
Charlie's next target.
24-David. Just got
to the repair shop.
Cleared out civilians.Hold up. You see this guy?
Clothes match
the description
Hicks sent us.
I can't see his face,
but he's holding something.
25-David.
Possible eyes on our suspect
at the shopping plaza
on Alamo.
That's Charlie.
He's got the package.
25-David. Confirmed sighting
of suspect at our location.
He make us?
26-David. We got a rabbit.Let's go.
LAPD!
Check it out.
Whoa.
Whoa. Whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa. Whoa.
Is he back there?
All right. Get out of here, man.
Get out. Go, go, go.
LAPD.
We'll get her out. Go, go, go.
Stop! I got a bomb!
You come one step closer,
I'll open the box,
and we all get blown to hell.
And the girl, too.
Charlie's got himself barricaded
in the service hallway,
and he's got a woman
trapped with him.
He's threatening to open the box
if we come any closer.
Spoke to the manager
of the shopping plaza.
There's a staircase
that can get us close
to where Charlie's
barricaded himself.
Said we can access
it from the roof.
Hey, won't he see you coming?
Not if he ain't looking our way.
Even if we can get down
those stairs
without him noticing, he's got
eyes 15 feet in every direction.
You got any idea how to diffuse
a bomb from that far?
Yeah, the Disruptor Jet.
It'll shoot a bolt of water,
soak the explosives
in an instant,
neutralize the bomb if
I can get close enough.
Hey, hey, hey.
Slow your roll, tough guy.
Ain't nobody
getting close but us.
Can you teach me?Yeah.
It's basically a Super
Soaker on steroids.
Set.
Roger that.
Just made entry.
Charlie.Stop!
Leave me alone.
Please, just leave me alone.
We're not here to hurt you.
You're lying!
I promise.
Okay?
I'm just here to listen.
I didn't want to do this.
I swear I didn't,
but they wouldn't
leave me alone.
They wouldn't stop staring.
I told them to stop.
Tan, we need him
to lower the package.
Hondo needs a clear shot.
I get it, Charlie.
It must be scary.
I'd be scared, too.
You know what I do
when I'm scared?
I listen to music.
Charlie, it calms
me right down.
You play guitar, right?
Yeah.
I saw a picture of you
and Leo playing together.
You looked real happy.
Charlie, what would you play?
Clapton.
He loved... Clapton.
Clapton.
He's good.
Which song was his favorite,
huh?
:
I miss him so much.
I miss him so much.
You lied!Stop!
On your stomach!
Give me your hands!
Give me your
hands, now!
Lieutenant?
Are you busy, or do
you have a minute?
Sure thing.
It's about
our conversation yesterday.
Any chance you've
changed your mind?
No, not even a little bit.
But you asked me
if I had another solution.
I think I might.
Hit me.
A series of recruitment meetings
throughout the county--
South L.A., Inglewood,
Ladera Heights
and other Black communities,
hosted by Black officers,
where we can speak openly
and honestly about the
challenges of being a Black cop.
Lieutenant, the people who
come out to these meetings--
they're taking
a big first step.
They want to make
a difference,
but they want to
hear us be honest
about the mistakes we've made,
and if we're committed
to really doing it better.
And if all we do is give
them a glossy pony show,
then we've lost yet
another generation
of potentially good cops
because they know it ain't real.
They want the truth.And what's the truth?
It's tough being a Black cop.
Real tough. And some days,
it feels impossible.
But then, there's other days,
you win these little victories,
and you actually get
to make a difference.
Those little victories--
they mean something.
Let me run it up the flagpole,
see if I can't pull together
some funding for you.
All right,
and I'll put together a list
of potential venues
and officers.
You'll have it first thing
in the morning.
You know, Hondo?
Sometimes I think
you're underutilized
as just a SWAT sergeant.
I'll take that as a compliment.
It was meant to be.
Good night.
All right, bring it in.
Let's go! Bring it in.
Just finished the last
run on the course.
Final results are in.
The 38th annual
master gunner is...
Come on, Deac. Hurry it up.
All right, all right.
With an official time
of 49.37 seconds,
Jim Street!
Oh!
Suck it, Stevens.
Get you next year, wiseass.
Hey, what's up?
Hey.
Hope you're not still
beating yourself up.
You did good today.
With Charlie.
How'd you know
he'd let go of that package?
I didn't.
But it's something
that worked with my dad.
One time, I found him in
the kitchen holding a knife,
threatening to hurt himself.
Refused to put it down till
I started talking about cameras.
He loved photography.
I figured
if we could get Charlie
thinking about
what made him feel safest,
about music,
about his brother...
He wouldn't think about the
bomb in his hand. That's smart.
Actually, it's a...
trick I picked up from Jacob.
So I guess your brother
wasn't all bad, huh?
Well, me and Jacob, uh--
we were only kids.
Maybe he was scared,
didn't know how to deal with it,
but, uh...
I don't know.
I was scared, too.
I never once
left my dad's side, though.
Yeah, but you're
a SWAT officer.
And he makes money
sitting behind a desk.
You don't run
when things get dicey.
Not everybody's built that way.
Look, maybe it's not my place,
but before, you said
that you never held your dad's
worst days against him.
Well, maybe you ought to think
about extending that same
benefit to your brother.
Everybody can use a little
forgiveness in their lives.
Jacob.
Hey, it's me.
It's just been a while
since we talked.
Sorry it didn't work out.
It's good.
I'm happy for him.
Chris...
.18 seconds.
That's it.
That was the difference.
Mm.Going over it
in my head now,
and-and I... I should have
beat him. Just...
I am happy for him.
But?
But...
when I first met Street,
he was the guy
with the crazy mom
who then got kicked out of SWAT
and barely made it back.
And now,
he's got it all figured out.
With SWAT, with Molly.
And I'm in my 30s and still
living in my uncle's garage.
Feels like
we swapped places somehow,
and...
he left me behind.
Were you two ever a thing?
No. Of course not.
Really? 'Cause it seems
like Street has a special way
of getting under your skin.
There were feelings once.
Ah, called it.
Going which way?
It was mutual.
We're on the same team.
We shut it down.
Well, look, I don't know how
to help you with him, but
as far as living in your uncle's
garage, I've been looking around
for a new place.
Might be able to lock down
something swanky with a roommate
to shares costs.I thought you were
living with your sister.
Yeah. She's an EMT, she works
nights, which worked great
when I was on late shift, but
now that I'm on Rocker's team,
we are at each other's throats.
So, what do you say?
Are you kidding?
Hell yeah!
All right. I'll send
over some listings.
Hey, um, thanks for everything.
I don't think
I would have done half as well
as I did today
without your help.
Any time.
Last year, Lila
started gymnastics,
and, uh, I went
to one of her meets,
and there were these older
girls on the balance beam.
It's funny. It's-it's
such a narrow beam,
and they're just
launching themselves
three, four feet
in the air.
And for a split second,
you're not sure
if they're gonna land
on it or... fall off.
I mean, they may not
even know themselves.
This Charlie guy,
he was...
he was managing, you know?
And then... his brother died.
Something completely
out of his control.
What Charlie's
been going through
and what you've gone through
are completely different.
No, I know. I know. It's...
It's just that...
Not that long ago,
I was in a really dark place.
What if something comes along
and launches me off the beam,
and-and I don't stick
the landing?I'd be lying
if I said you're never
gonna go back to that place.
But that's why
we do these sessions.
If you do fall off that beam,
you're gonna have the confidence
to jump right back on.
Yeah, I know.
I know.
So what'd you decide?
About Lynch's offer?Mm-hmm.
Well, I was about
to take her up on it,
but then she mentioned your idea
for the recruitment meetings,
and I told her
I'd rather help out with that.
Erika, I don't know if
it's gonna fix the problem,
but I'm not ready
to throw my hands up.
But if you're serious
about helping out,
planning starts
tomorrow morning.
Yeah, tell me when and where.Okay, good.
'Cause if we don't fix
the problem, who will?
At least that's what
some young fool told me.
Thank you.
Thanks for waking me back up.
No, Hondo. Thank you.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Good night.
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