Starsky and Hutch (1975–1979): Season 1, Episode 7 - Pariah - full transcript
After Starsky shoots a 16-year-old armed robber, a crazed ex-con vows to kill uniformed policemen until Starsky resigns from the force.
Come in.
Hi.
Hi, yourself.
Thought you might want to know
your partner's here.
Hi.
Hi.
That's a great breakfast...
root beer and cold pizza.
It's an all-American breakfast.
Just for the autopsy record,
what do you mash up
in there every morning?
Goat's milk,
a little blackstrap molasses,
sea kelp, lecithin,
desiccated liver,
and of course, a good sprinkling
of your trace
elements and vitamins.
Oh, of course.
You know something, Starsky,
you ought to get into
something like this.
It'd make a new man of you.
Yeah, that's what
you keep telling me,
but I'm still holding
together pretty good.
I don't know.
You've been looking
kind of peaked lately.
You never did say
why you left the party
so early last night.
Well, somehow, it seemed
like the proper thing to do
at the time.
Time. Oh, my gosh. I've
got to be at the airport
in less than an hour...
Look, tell your partner
that I'll see him next trip,
and it wasn't at all like
those other girls said.
Other girls?
Yes, they've got it all wrong.
It's your friend Starsky
who's dynamite.
I'm... I'm Starsky. He's Hu...
Oh, uh, well, I guess
that explains everything.
Molly leave?
Yeah.
Did she say anything?
No, just that she'd
see you next time.
Ah...
Hey, you mind?
No.
Did I say it right?
Perfect.
He drank the whole thing.
Did you ever get the feeling
it's going to be
one of those days?
How you doing?
Get back! Get back!
Police! Freeze!
I lost the other guy.
He's dead.
He's five foot ten,
about 165 pounds,
blue pants and a black shirt.
Go put it on the air.
Then get an ambulance down here.
Hey, he's just a kid.
You killed a kid.
It's Lonnie. He
killed Lonnie Craig!
The boy was trying to
surrender! I saw him!
He had put his arms up!
Lonnie? Lonnie...
Lonnie!
No...
No...
Oh, no...
Oh, sweet Jesus...
don't let him be dead.
He was trying to
surrender, Eunice.
He was trying to surrender,
and that cop just shot him down.
There was no other action
you could have taken?
You had to shoot?
Yes, I had to shoot.
How many times
do I have to tell you?
There was a crowd of
innocent bystanders behind me.
If that kid had
pulled the trigger,
any one of them
could have been killed.
How's it going?
How do you think it's going?
Rumbling on the street,
pressure from the press.
Starsky...
I received this memo
from the Chief's office.
Captain Dobey,
due to the sensitive nature
of today's incident,
and to ensure that all the
facts of the tragic shooting
will be brought before
the general public,
the department has decided
to open the Coroner's inquest
to all the media,
including the live television.
What you're doing...
is throwing him to the wolves.
What we're doing is
trying to keep this incident
from exploding.
You want me to
read him his rights?
Detective Hutchinson.
Hey, hold it, hold it.
I think maybe
they're right, Hutch.
The sooner this thing's
out in the open, the better.
Besides, if throwing me to
the wolves is what it takes,
then let them do it.
I don't go down so easy.
Captain Dobey,
I'd like you with me
when I read this to the press.
I'll be in touch if I
need anything else.
What they're
doing to you stinks.
Yeah...
Oh, God, Hutch...
He was 16 years old.
He was also an armed felon...
who was about to
blow your head off.
Yeah, I know that...
And I did what
they tell you to do
when I pulled the trigger...
But that doesn't change the fact
that a 16-year-old kid
ain't never going to grow up.
Hey, we heard you got a
lead on the other suspect.
Yeah, we got a possible.
Young white boy,
22, with four priors.
Name's Joseph Tramaine.
He was a fry-cook near
the dead boy's house.
Seems like this Lonnie Craig
was a loner,
and Tramaine
was his only friend.
Only now he's missing, huh?
The sirens and
everything around us,
it was pretty loud.
I could hardly
hear myself think.
But did you hear or
see Detective Starsky
try to shout any
sort of a warning
to the fleeing gunmen?
Yes.
Yes, I guess I did.
And what did
Detective Starsky shout?
I think, "Police, stop."
It was something like that.
Next witness, please.
Now, we've established
through the testimony of others
that Detective Starsky
first shouted a warning,
and then he fired
a warning shot.
Now, Mr. Tidings...
what happened next?
I don't really know anything
about any warning shot.
I saw one hold-up man running,
and the other one... Lonnie...
He stopped and turned around
with his hands up.
Mr. Tidings, in your opinion,
was the decedent at that time
attempting to surrender?
I thought so...
at the time...
but now it's hard to say.
I guess I made a mistake.
Eunice, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry...
but that's what everybody
was yelling at the time.
Lonnie wasn't
trying to surrender,
he was bringing the gun down.
I think he was going
to shoot that policeman.
I'm sorry.
You cops think you're
pretty smart, don't you?
Who is this?
Would you identify
yourself, please?
Oh, you pigs are
going to get to know me.
If you let Starsky off
for murdering Lonnie,
you're going to get
to know me real good.
Well, if you're referring
to the Coroner's inquest,
sir, we have no way of
knowing what the verdict will be.
Verdict! It's a whitewash.
Now, I'm warning you cops,
if you let Starsky
off for killing Lonnie,
you people are going to pay...
and pay bad.
As you know, this is
a Coroner's inquest,
and not a court of law.
There is no question in my mind
that I can only give one verdict
in this case,
that the death of
Lonnie Malcolm Craig
was a death at the
hands of another,
other than by accident.
However,
in view of the evidence
and the concerns,
I feel it is my duty to add
the following recommendation
to this verdict...
The killing took place
as an act of self-defense,
and Detective Starsky in no way
overstepped the bounds
of reasonable force.
On the contrary,
Detective Starsky's concerns
for not only the
innocent bystanders,
but also the armed
hold-up men themselves,
have proved commendable.
I'll see that it gets around,
but I don't know what good
it's gonna do you.
Why's that?
Trouble with you white folks is
you all look alike.
Huggy... it's important.
My partner here isn't in much
of a laughing mood today.
I see.
How about another round?
Can I interest you
in one of my rare, fresh rolls?
Maybe some other time, huh?
Hey, Starsky...
a lot of people
watched TV today,
and it took guts for you
to go through what you did,
so don't go spilling them for
someone who isn't worth it.
Huggy, if a 16-year-old
kid ain't worth it, who is?
What do you want here?
Help.
Stewart, who is it?
I had to come to
see you, Mrs. Craig,
to tell you how sorry I
am that it had to happen.
I've seen your son's file.
I know that up until a year ago,
he hadn't been in any trouble.
I figure someone
had to get to him.
Somebody had to put
that gun into his hands.
I want to get that someone,
but I'm going to
need your help to do it.
That's going to make
you sleep better?
I want to find him for me,
I want to find him for you,
but most of all,
I want to find him
for the next Lonnie.
This is a picture
of the man we believe
was involved with Lonnie.
His name's Tramaine,
he's 22 years old,
and we understand that he'd
become friends with Lonnie...
good friends.
Detective Starsky, I know
what my boy had become.
A mother loves her child,
and cares for her child
and mourns for her child,
but a mother knows
what her son is.
At least, this mother knows.
Good folks, huh?
Yup.
Anything?
They know a lot about Tramaine.
His cousin had tried
to break up the friendship
with Lonnie about a month ago.
Well, it's a beginning.
Yeah.
His cousin gave me a list
of a half a dozen places
Tramaine hangs around.
Well, let's get on it.
This guy's caused a lot of pain
for a lot of people.
Yeah.
Want to start 'er up?
Hmm?
Runs better that way.
Oh.
Can't understand it.
Nobody here called a cop.
Check Dispatch
to see if they made a
mistake on the address.
Verdict? It's a whitewash.
Now, I'm warning you cops,
if you let Starsky
go for killing Lonnie,
you people are going to pay...
and pay bad.
That call came in
while the Coroner's
inquest was still in progress.
The next one was
20 minutes later
after Officer Tinker
had been gunned down
going out on that phony 459.
That blue coat I
shot this afternoon
was only the beginning.
Cops like Starsky are a cancer.
They eat up
and destroy people
like Lonnie and...
and now you're
going to have to pay.
Starsky, you pig,
I know you're listening.
Killing you is too easy.
First you have to pay my price.
You've got until
tomorrow morning
to turn in your
badge and resign.
I want to read
about it, Starsky.
I want to read about it
in tomorrow morning's paper.
If I don't,
another screw is
going to be burned,
and then another, and another,
and another...
until finally, it's you,
and I blow you into
a thousand pieces.
And that's why Dan Tinker,
a cop I didn't even
know, got wasted.
We've sent both copies
of these tapes over
to the Linguistics
Department of the University.
According to their narrow
transcription of phonetics,
we're dealing with an ex-con,
white, somewhere in his 50s,
originally from the
Atlantic seaboard,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island.
That lets out Tramaine.
He doesn't fit that description.
No, it doesn't.
It only means
that Tramaine
didn't make the call,
but whoever made the
call seems to know Lonnie,
so maybe he knew Tramaine too.
That's our best guess.
Now, the first edition
of the morning papers
hits the streets at 6:30.
That gives us 11
hours to get that killer.
There's another way.
I can always resign.
No way!
The police department can't
start giving in to terrorists.
I don't care what their demands.
Well, there's liable to be
a whole lot of cops' wives
are gonna think
differently about that.
Every officer going
on duty will be apprised
of the situation
and warned to
take extra caution.
Uh-huh.
And what if we don't catch him?
How many more cops are gonna
get blown away because of me?
None!
Now, Starsky,
the guy that's running around
out there has a screw loose.
That's not your fault.
Now, we've got a lead.
He's a white, male, ex-con
in his 50s who knew Lonnie.
I suggest instead
of sitting in my office
talking about it
and resigning,
you get your cans
out there on the street
and nail this turkey!
Okay.
Thanks.
Seems like your friend Tramaine
has been making a few enemies.
Why's that?
Well, several...
several unnamed persons say
he's been seen at
drinking establishments
sipping beer
and eating chocolate candy bars
waiting for some
chick with a fat purse
to come along,
head for the john.
He'd wait, let her
put her purse down,
pop in, grab the purse,
and run like crazy.
That guy with Lonnie
at the liquor store,
he got away with $200.
And only 24 hours later,
he's ripping off ladies' purses?
Huggy, you said
he's sitting in the bar
eating chocolates?
Lots of chocolate.
Chocolate...
Chocolate and
constant flow of cash...
I think our friend
Tramaine might be a junkie.
There's only one
way to find out.
Cecil.
Cecil.
Cecil!
Open up! Police!
Hi, guys.
What's the matter?
I ain't done nothing.
What do you think, Starsky?
Flush him with it.
Oh, come on. You
guys gotta be kidding.
That's one last chance.
Come on.
Him. Name's Tramaine.
What do you want to know?
Everything.
He's a wise guy.
Punk who can think he
quits whenever he wants to.
Yeah, how much
does he shoot a day?
100 and a quarter,
100 and a half,
depending on the going price.
And where do we find him?
He's living with
chick. 308 Sycamore.
Tramaine!
I got the front.
Get that out of here!
Come on! Get out of here!
You see him?
No.
Oh! I lost him!
He was our only connection!
Maybe not.
Why, huh?
Did you get a good look at him?
Yeah. No, I don't know.
He was starting to hurt.
He's going to
have to score soon.
Look, Narco can't watch
every pusher on the street.
You know that.
What time is it?
It's 1:30.
Well, that gives us five hours
before the early
edition hits the streets...
and as strung out
as that guy looked,
there's a chance he might
have to come out in the open
to make a connection.
Yeah, well...
tempus fugit.
What?
Time flies.
Oh.
Come on, let's go.
Got a report a baby
was left in your restroom.
First I heard about it.
I'd better check.
I heard from the station
about 10 minutes ago.
Your friend called again.
Said this one was number two.
That's Jack Forrest.
All right, get him out.
Hey, let me give you a hand.
Haven't you helped enough?
On the local front
of this morning's news...
a policeman was
killed early this morning
when a mysterious bomb blast
rocked an all-night gas station.
Police spokesmen had no comment
as to who might have
set the explosion off,
or why the bomb might
have been placed there.
Identification of
the dead officer
is being withheld
until notification
of the next of kin.
So you want to play games, huh?
Starsky...
What's this supposed to be?
My resignation.
Just like the man ordered,
and if you don't give
it to the press, I will.
Over my dead body.
Hey, how many
more cops gotta die
before I'm supposed
to become expendable?
Every man that takes the oath
knows he's a potential target.
That goes with the territory,
and we are not,
repeat, not going to
turn the streets of this city
over to some two-bit punk!
And more important than that,
official department policy's
going to be, for the time being,
not to acknowledge
the threats or the killings.
That's great.
Starsky!
I know how I'd feel if this
were happening to me,
but you gotta hold on!
What's going on?
We're taking up a collection
to help out Jack
Forrest's wife and kids.
How much do you got?
Keep it.
What?
Jack's family doesn't need
any of your conscience money.
Where do you get off
with that garbage?
Stay out of it, Hutchinson.
Hutch, Hutch...
What are you gonna
do, Hutch, punch me out?
I hang around this
precinct long enough,
your pal's gonna get me killed.
You know something, Lee?
If you used your brain
as well as you do your mouth,
you might understand
what's going on here.
Hey, he didn't
mean what he said.
He and Jack Forrest
went through the
Academy together.
You still a cop?
Yeah, I'm still a cop.
Hey, you two!
Tramaine's been
spotted at a market
on Fourth and Main.
Over here!
How can I tell you
something I don't know?
You know.
You and Lonnie
Craig were friends.
You had to spend a
lot of time together,
teaching him how
to hold a gun...
The right things to say
in a liquor store hold-up,
all the important
things in life.
What are you gonna do,
charge me with contributing
to the delinquency of a minor?
No!
Now, I'm gonna give you
about 30 seconds, Tramaine,
then I'm gonna turn around
and walk out of this room.
After that, what
happens is between you,
my highly excitable
partner, and him.
We want an ex-con, white male...
Somewhere in his mid-50s.
You told me, and I told
you I don't know him!
But Lonnie did.
He probably did.
That could be any
one of a hundred guys.
What are you talking about?
Lonnie was a loner.
A loner?
That'll come as a
shock to his customers.
His customers?
Lonnie was a runner.
He was running
numbers in the district.
Maybe this guy was
one of his customers.
If he was, I don't know him.
You guys know that.
Nobody knows a
runner's customers
except the runner himself.
That's how he protects them
from getting
busted... by you cops.
All this time we've been
looking for this trash
to get the answer.
Now we find him,
we still don't know.
It's him again.
Stay with him.
You heard me the first time.
You guys aren't
taking me seriously.
All that bull about not knowing
who set off that gas station,
or who knocked off
that cop yesterday.
Oh, we know who
you are, you sucker.
You two-bit, pervert, psycho.
You don't got the guts to
come here and face me.
Starsky...
What's the matter, punk,
you lose your nerve?
You're a dead man, Starsky.
Only if you can
make me that way.
You're the one that
wants to cut out all the bull.
All right, you're after
me, you got me, sucker.
You name the time and the
place and I'll be there, alone.
Oh, you'd like
that, wouldn't you?
Only we're not playing
by your rules, Starsky,
not this time.
This time, it's my rules,
and my rule book
says when you'll get it...
The right time
and the right place.
Only I want your
resignation first.
You got one hour,
wise guy. One hour...
and I want to see it on TV,
or this time it isn't going to
be a cop who gets burned,
this time it's going
to be a cop's family,
wife and kiddies,
maybe an old granny too.
Be seeing you... hero.
He didn't stay on
long enough to trace it.
There's something there.
I feel it.
Cops like Starsky are a cancer.
They eat up
and destroy people
like Lonnie and...
and now you're
going to have to pay.
Listen...
are a cancer.
They eat up and destroy
people like Lonnie and...
and now you're...
There. Did you hear that pause?
He said "Lonnie and... and now,"
and just before
he said "and now,"
it sounded like he was going
to say a name, another name.
Someone else
that he thinks Starsky
has destroyed?
Exactly,
and to do what
this guy has done,
that somebody would have
to have been somebody...
somebody very close to him,
like a wife or a son, or...
Someone that Lonnie
Craig reminds him of.
Two years ago,
McKinley High School.
What have you got?
Give me R & I.
You remember
our first assignment
out of uniform
was working undercover for Narco
at McKinley High School.
Yeah, some 19-year-old
got busted for dealing.
Yeah, this is Detective Starsky.
Look, I want files on two
men, both named Prudholm.
Now, the first is Gary
Vincent Prudholm, deceased.
He was stabbed to
death in the city jail
about two years ago.
The other one is his father.
Uh, uh... I don't know his name.
Ex-con.
Ex-con, age
somewhere in his 50s.
No, don't send them up.
We're coming right down.
Hey, I remember the kid,
but what's the old
man got to do with it?
He'd just gotten
out of state prison
a few days before.
15 years hard time.
The kid had been busted
six times for dealing.
Probably would have gotten off
with a couple of years,
but never had the chance.
Hadn't been in
jail for 36 hours,
he was killed in a knife fight.
And the old man
blames you for it.
That's about the size of it.
I hope this is what
you're looking for.
Yup, that's what
we're looking for.
Hey, Starsky, it
may not seem like it.
But most of they
guys are behind you.
Thanks.
Hey, Bill,
would you call parole
and get a current
address on this guy?
Hutch...
Starsky...
Huh?
I think I got something.
It's the same caliber
that killed Dan Tinker.
Why couldn't he have been here!
Well, you've got it
out of your system.
Now what do you wanna do?
Hello?
Starsky...
You just ran out of time.
The next time you hear from me,
one cop is going
to be minus a family.
You'll never make it, Prudholm.
10 minutes from now,
your face is going to be
smeared on every TV screen
and newspaper in the city.
You're not gonna stop me now.
I don't have to.
You're dead, Prudholm.
You're dead, and I'm
still walking around.
Look, I'm the guy
you're really after,
and my offer still stands...
You name the time and
place, and I'll be there, alone.
What's the matter, Prudholm?
I can't hear you!
How do I know you'll come alone?
Because I'd love to
burn a bum like you,
and I don't need
any help to do it.
Just like I didn't need any help
to take that punk kid of yours!
The old zoo in 10 minutes.
I'll be there.
Starsky, I'm warning you,
if I as much as
smell another cop,
I'm wasting a family,
carload of kiddies and all.
Even if they kill
me before I get you,
that's okay too,
because you're
going to have to live
with that dead
family on your head
for the rest of your life.
Where's the meeting?
He said alone.
Ah!
There's no way.
I won't allow it and
neither will Dobey.
We don't have a choice.
You're walking into suicide.
Hutch, he says he
even smells another cop,
he's gonna waste a
whole carload of kids.
Hey!
Hey, Dobey wants
you guys staked inside
until you're relieved.
Move it, move it.
Prudholm!
Starsky, look out!
Come on, hero, shoot me!
What's the matter,
am I too old for you?
You only kill kids?
Come on, I'm the guy
who wasted your pig friends.
What do you want me to
do, turn my back on you?
Starsky...
Read him his rights, Hutch.
What is in there?
Oh, he wouldn't tell me.
I obtained this,
my cynical friends,
from Lonnie's mother.
I stopped in to see
how she was doing.
She told me she had
one of these every day.
Knowing your interest
in nutritional matters,
I had her whip up a
batch for you to try.
You see, Hutch,
the problem with you
is you have the notion
that something's
gotta taste rotten
in order for it to
make you feel good.
Well, that will win you
the masochist's medal,
but it is not, in fact, true,
and this...
is going to make
you see the light.
Banana...
I can taste banana.
Terrific, huh?
What else is in there?
Yeah, what is in here?
I mean, I could start my day
with one of these every day.
Well, there's organic banana,
like you said,
and then there's
natural lemon juice,
and some unrefined raw sugar...
and about six
jiggers of dark rum.
It's called a daiquiri, Hutch.
Hi.
Hi, yourself.
Thought you might want to know
your partner's here.
Hi.
Hi.
That's a great breakfast...
root beer and cold pizza.
It's an all-American breakfast.
Just for the autopsy record,
what do you mash up
in there every morning?
Goat's milk,
a little blackstrap molasses,
sea kelp, lecithin,
desiccated liver,
and of course, a good sprinkling
of your trace
elements and vitamins.
Oh, of course.
You know something, Starsky,
you ought to get into
something like this.
It'd make a new man of you.
Yeah, that's what
you keep telling me,
but I'm still holding
together pretty good.
I don't know.
You've been looking
kind of peaked lately.
You never did say
why you left the party
so early last night.
Well, somehow, it seemed
like the proper thing to do
at the time.
Time. Oh, my gosh. I've
got to be at the airport
in less than an hour...
Look, tell your partner
that I'll see him next trip,
and it wasn't at all like
those other girls said.
Other girls?
Yes, they've got it all wrong.
It's your friend Starsky
who's dynamite.
I'm... I'm Starsky. He's Hu...
Oh, uh, well, I guess
that explains everything.
Molly leave?
Yeah.
Did she say anything?
No, just that she'd
see you next time.
Ah...
Hey, you mind?
No.
Did I say it right?
Perfect.
He drank the whole thing.
Did you ever get the feeling
it's going to be
one of those days?
How you doing?
Get back! Get back!
Police! Freeze!
I lost the other guy.
He's dead.
He's five foot ten,
about 165 pounds,
blue pants and a black shirt.
Go put it on the air.
Then get an ambulance down here.
Hey, he's just a kid.
You killed a kid.
It's Lonnie. He
killed Lonnie Craig!
The boy was trying to
surrender! I saw him!
He had put his arms up!
Lonnie? Lonnie...
Lonnie!
No...
No...
Oh, no...
Oh, sweet Jesus...
don't let him be dead.
He was trying to
surrender, Eunice.
He was trying to surrender,
and that cop just shot him down.
There was no other action
you could have taken?
You had to shoot?
Yes, I had to shoot.
How many times
do I have to tell you?
There was a crowd of
innocent bystanders behind me.
If that kid had
pulled the trigger,
any one of them
could have been killed.
How's it going?
How do you think it's going?
Rumbling on the street,
pressure from the press.
Starsky...
I received this memo
from the Chief's office.
Captain Dobey,
due to the sensitive nature
of today's incident,
and to ensure that all the
facts of the tragic shooting
will be brought before
the general public,
the department has decided
to open the Coroner's inquest
to all the media,
including the live television.
What you're doing...
is throwing him to the wolves.
What we're doing is
trying to keep this incident
from exploding.
You want me to
read him his rights?
Detective Hutchinson.
Hey, hold it, hold it.
I think maybe
they're right, Hutch.
The sooner this thing's
out in the open, the better.
Besides, if throwing me to
the wolves is what it takes,
then let them do it.
I don't go down so easy.
Captain Dobey,
I'd like you with me
when I read this to the press.
I'll be in touch if I
need anything else.
What they're
doing to you stinks.
Yeah...
Oh, God, Hutch...
He was 16 years old.
He was also an armed felon...
who was about to
blow your head off.
Yeah, I know that...
And I did what
they tell you to do
when I pulled the trigger...
But that doesn't change the fact
that a 16-year-old kid
ain't never going to grow up.
Hey, we heard you got a
lead on the other suspect.
Yeah, we got a possible.
Young white boy,
22, with four priors.
Name's Joseph Tramaine.
He was a fry-cook near
the dead boy's house.
Seems like this Lonnie Craig
was a loner,
and Tramaine
was his only friend.
Only now he's missing, huh?
The sirens and
everything around us,
it was pretty loud.
I could hardly
hear myself think.
But did you hear or
see Detective Starsky
try to shout any
sort of a warning
to the fleeing gunmen?
Yes.
Yes, I guess I did.
And what did
Detective Starsky shout?
I think, "Police, stop."
It was something like that.
Next witness, please.
Now, we've established
through the testimony of others
that Detective Starsky
first shouted a warning,
and then he fired
a warning shot.
Now, Mr. Tidings...
what happened next?
I don't really know anything
about any warning shot.
I saw one hold-up man running,
and the other one... Lonnie...
He stopped and turned around
with his hands up.
Mr. Tidings, in your opinion,
was the decedent at that time
attempting to surrender?
I thought so...
at the time...
but now it's hard to say.
I guess I made a mistake.
Eunice, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry...
but that's what everybody
was yelling at the time.
Lonnie wasn't
trying to surrender,
he was bringing the gun down.
I think he was going
to shoot that policeman.
I'm sorry.
You cops think you're
pretty smart, don't you?
Who is this?
Would you identify
yourself, please?
Oh, you pigs are
going to get to know me.
If you let Starsky off
for murdering Lonnie,
you're going to get
to know me real good.
Well, if you're referring
to the Coroner's inquest,
sir, we have no way of
knowing what the verdict will be.
Verdict! It's a whitewash.
Now, I'm warning you cops,
if you let Starsky
off for killing Lonnie,
you people are going to pay...
and pay bad.
As you know, this is
a Coroner's inquest,
and not a court of law.
There is no question in my mind
that I can only give one verdict
in this case,
that the death of
Lonnie Malcolm Craig
was a death at the
hands of another,
other than by accident.
However,
in view of the evidence
and the concerns,
I feel it is my duty to add
the following recommendation
to this verdict...
The killing took place
as an act of self-defense,
and Detective Starsky in no way
overstepped the bounds
of reasonable force.
On the contrary,
Detective Starsky's concerns
for not only the
innocent bystanders,
but also the armed
hold-up men themselves,
have proved commendable.
I'll see that it gets around,
but I don't know what good
it's gonna do you.
Why's that?
Trouble with you white folks is
you all look alike.
Huggy... it's important.
My partner here isn't in much
of a laughing mood today.
I see.
How about another round?
Can I interest you
in one of my rare, fresh rolls?
Maybe some other time, huh?
Hey, Starsky...
a lot of people
watched TV today,
and it took guts for you
to go through what you did,
so don't go spilling them for
someone who isn't worth it.
Huggy, if a 16-year-old
kid ain't worth it, who is?
What do you want here?
Help.
Stewart, who is it?
I had to come to
see you, Mrs. Craig,
to tell you how sorry I
am that it had to happen.
I've seen your son's file.
I know that up until a year ago,
he hadn't been in any trouble.
I figure someone
had to get to him.
Somebody had to put
that gun into his hands.
I want to get that someone,
but I'm going to
need your help to do it.
That's going to make
you sleep better?
I want to find him for me,
I want to find him for you,
but most of all,
I want to find him
for the next Lonnie.
This is a picture
of the man we believe
was involved with Lonnie.
His name's Tramaine,
he's 22 years old,
and we understand that he'd
become friends with Lonnie...
good friends.
Detective Starsky, I know
what my boy had become.
A mother loves her child,
and cares for her child
and mourns for her child,
but a mother knows
what her son is.
At least, this mother knows.
Good folks, huh?
Yup.
Anything?
They know a lot about Tramaine.
His cousin had tried
to break up the friendship
with Lonnie about a month ago.
Well, it's a beginning.
Yeah.
His cousin gave me a list
of a half a dozen places
Tramaine hangs around.
Well, let's get on it.
This guy's caused a lot of pain
for a lot of people.
Yeah.
Want to start 'er up?
Hmm?
Runs better that way.
Oh.
Can't understand it.
Nobody here called a cop.
Check Dispatch
to see if they made a
mistake on the address.
Verdict? It's a whitewash.
Now, I'm warning you cops,
if you let Starsky
go for killing Lonnie,
you people are going to pay...
and pay bad.
That call came in
while the Coroner's
inquest was still in progress.
The next one was
20 minutes later
after Officer Tinker
had been gunned down
going out on that phony 459.
That blue coat I
shot this afternoon
was only the beginning.
Cops like Starsky are a cancer.
They eat up
and destroy people
like Lonnie and...
and now you're
going to have to pay.
Starsky, you pig,
I know you're listening.
Killing you is too easy.
First you have to pay my price.
You've got until
tomorrow morning
to turn in your
badge and resign.
I want to read
about it, Starsky.
I want to read about it
in tomorrow morning's paper.
If I don't,
another screw is
going to be burned,
and then another, and another,
and another...
until finally, it's you,
and I blow you into
a thousand pieces.
And that's why Dan Tinker,
a cop I didn't even
know, got wasted.
We've sent both copies
of these tapes over
to the Linguistics
Department of the University.
According to their narrow
transcription of phonetics,
we're dealing with an ex-con,
white, somewhere in his 50s,
originally from the
Atlantic seaboard,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island.
That lets out Tramaine.
He doesn't fit that description.
No, it doesn't.
It only means
that Tramaine
didn't make the call,
but whoever made the
call seems to know Lonnie,
so maybe he knew Tramaine too.
That's our best guess.
Now, the first edition
of the morning papers
hits the streets at 6:30.
That gives us 11
hours to get that killer.
There's another way.
I can always resign.
No way!
The police department can't
start giving in to terrorists.
I don't care what their demands.
Well, there's liable to be
a whole lot of cops' wives
are gonna think
differently about that.
Every officer going
on duty will be apprised
of the situation
and warned to
take extra caution.
Uh-huh.
And what if we don't catch him?
How many more cops are gonna
get blown away because of me?
None!
Now, Starsky,
the guy that's running around
out there has a screw loose.
That's not your fault.
Now, we've got a lead.
He's a white, male, ex-con
in his 50s who knew Lonnie.
I suggest instead
of sitting in my office
talking about it
and resigning,
you get your cans
out there on the street
and nail this turkey!
Okay.
Thanks.
Seems like your friend Tramaine
has been making a few enemies.
Why's that?
Well, several...
several unnamed persons say
he's been seen at
drinking establishments
sipping beer
and eating chocolate candy bars
waiting for some
chick with a fat purse
to come along,
head for the john.
He'd wait, let her
put her purse down,
pop in, grab the purse,
and run like crazy.
That guy with Lonnie
at the liquor store,
he got away with $200.
And only 24 hours later,
he's ripping off ladies' purses?
Huggy, you said
he's sitting in the bar
eating chocolates?
Lots of chocolate.
Chocolate...
Chocolate and
constant flow of cash...
I think our friend
Tramaine might be a junkie.
There's only one
way to find out.
Cecil.
Cecil.
Cecil!
Open up! Police!
Hi, guys.
What's the matter?
I ain't done nothing.
What do you think, Starsky?
Flush him with it.
Oh, come on. You
guys gotta be kidding.
That's one last chance.
Come on.
Him. Name's Tramaine.
What do you want to know?
Everything.
He's a wise guy.
Punk who can think he
quits whenever he wants to.
Yeah, how much
does he shoot a day?
100 and a quarter,
100 and a half,
depending on the going price.
And where do we find him?
He's living with
chick. 308 Sycamore.
Tramaine!
I got the front.
Get that out of here!
Come on! Get out of here!
You see him?
No.
Oh! I lost him!
He was our only connection!
Maybe not.
Why, huh?
Did you get a good look at him?
Yeah. No, I don't know.
He was starting to hurt.
He's going to
have to score soon.
Look, Narco can't watch
every pusher on the street.
You know that.
What time is it?
It's 1:30.
Well, that gives us five hours
before the early
edition hits the streets...
and as strung out
as that guy looked,
there's a chance he might
have to come out in the open
to make a connection.
Yeah, well...
tempus fugit.
What?
Time flies.
Oh.
Come on, let's go.
Got a report a baby
was left in your restroom.
First I heard about it.
I'd better check.
I heard from the station
about 10 minutes ago.
Your friend called again.
Said this one was number two.
That's Jack Forrest.
All right, get him out.
Hey, let me give you a hand.
Haven't you helped enough?
On the local front
of this morning's news...
a policeman was
killed early this morning
when a mysterious bomb blast
rocked an all-night gas station.
Police spokesmen had no comment
as to who might have
set the explosion off,
or why the bomb might
have been placed there.
Identification of
the dead officer
is being withheld
until notification
of the next of kin.
So you want to play games, huh?
Starsky...
What's this supposed to be?
My resignation.
Just like the man ordered,
and if you don't give
it to the press, I will.
Over my dead body.
Hey, how many
more cops gotta die
before I'm supposed
to become expendable?
Every man that takes the oath
knows he's a potential target.
That goes with the territory,
and we are not,
repeat, not going to
turn the streets of this city
over to some two-bit punk!
And more important than that,
official department policy's
going to be, for the time being,
not to acknowledge
the threats or the killings.
That's great.
Starsky!
I know how I'd feel if this
were happening to me,
but you gotta hold on!
What's going on?
We're taking up a collection
to help out Jack
Forrest's wife and kids.
How much do you got?
Keep it.
What?
Jack's family doesn't need
any of your conscience money.
Where do you get off
with that garbage?
Stay out of it, Hutchinson.
Hutch, Hutch...
What are you gonna
do, Hutch, punch me out?
I hang around this
precinct long enough,
your pal's gonna get me killed.
You know something, Lee?
If you used your brain
as well as you do your mouth,
you might understand
what's going on here.
Hey, he didn't
mean what he said.
He and Jack Forrest
went through the
Academy together.
You still a cop?
Yeah, I'm still a cop.
Hey, you two!
Tramaine's been
spotted at a market
on Fourth and Main.
Over here!
How can I tell you
something I don't know?
You know.
You and Lonnie
Craig were friends.
You had to spend a
lot of time together,
teaching him how
to hold a gun...
The right things to say
in a liquor store hold-up,
all the important
things in life.
What are you gonna do,
charge me with contributing
to the delinquency of a minor?
No!
Now, I'm gonna give you
about 30 seconds, Tramaine,
then I'm gonna turn around
and walk out of this room.
After that, what
happens is between you,
my highly excitable
partner, and him.
We want an ex-con, white male...
Somewhere in his mid-50s.
You told me, and I told
you I don't know him!
But Lonnie did.
He probably did.
That could be any
one of a hundred guys.
What are you talking about?
Lonnie was a loner.
A loner?
That'll come as a
shock to his customers.
His customers?
Lonnie was a runner.
He was running
numbers in the district.
Maybe this guy was
one of his customers.
If he was, I don't know him.
You guys know that.
Nobody knows a
runner's customers
except the runner himself.
That's how he protects them
from getting
busted... by you cops.
All this time we've been
looking for this trash
to get the answer.
Now we find him,
we still don't know.
It's him again.
Stay with him.
You heard me the first time.
You guys aren't
taking me seriously.
All that bull about not knowing
who set off that gas station,
or who knocked off
that cop yesterday.
Oh, we know who
you are, you sucker.
You two-bit, pervert, psycho.
You don't got the guts to
come here and face me.
Starsky...
What's the matter, punk,
you lose your nerve?
You're a dead man, Starsky.
Only if you can
make me that way.
You're the one that
wants to cut out all the bull.
All right, you're after
me, you got me, sucker.
You name the time and the
place and I'll be there, alone.
Oh, you'd like
that, wouldn't you?
Only we're not playing
by your rules, Starsky,
not this time.
This time, it's my rules,
and my rule book
says when you'll get it...
The right time
and the right place.
Only I want your
resignation first.
You got one hour,
wise guy. One hour...
and I want to see it on TV,
or this time it isn't going to
be a cop who gets burned,
this time it's going
to be a cop's family,
wife and kiddies,
maybe an old granny too.
Be seeing you... hero.
He didn't stay on
long enough to trace it.
There's something there.
I feel it.
Cops like Starsky are a cancer.
They eat up
and destroy people
like Lonnie and...
and now you're
going to have to pay.
Listen...
are a cancer.
They eat up and destroy
people like Lonnie and...
and now you're...
There. Did you hear that pause?
He said "Lonnie and... and now,"
and just before
he said "and now,"
it sounded like he was going
to say a name, another name.
Someone else
that he thinks Starsky
has destroyed?
Exactly,
and to do what
this guy has done,
that somebody would have
to have been somebody...
somebody very close to him,
like a wife or a son, or...
Someone that Lonnie
Craig reminds him of.
Two years ago,
McKinley High School.
What have you got?
Give me R & I.
You remember
our first assignment
out of uniform
was working undercover for Narco
at McKinley High School.
Yeah, some 19-year-old
got busted for dealing.
Yeah, this is Detective Starsky.
Look, I want files on two
men, both named Prudholm.
Now, the first is Gary
Vincent Prudholm, deceased.
He was stabbed to
death in the city jail
about two years ago.
The other one is his father.
Uh, uh... I don't know his name.
Ex-con.
Ex-con, age
somewhere in his 50s.
No, don't send them up.
We're coming right down.
Hey, I remember the kid,
but what's the old
man got to do with it?
He'd just gotten
out of state prison
a few days before.
15 years hard time.
The kid had been busted
six times for dealing.
Probably would have gotten off
with a couple of years,
but never had the chance.
Hadn't been in
jail for 36 hours,
he was killed in a knife fight.
And the old man
blames you for it.
That's about the size of it.
I hope this is what
you're looking for.
Yup, that's what
we're looking for.
Hey, Starsky, it
may not seem like it.
But most of they
guys are behind you.
Thanks.
Hey, Bill,
would you call parole
and get a current
address on this guy?
Hutch...
Starsky...
Huh?
I think I got something.
It's the same caliber
that killed Dan Tinker.
Why couldn't he have been here!
Well, you've got it
out of your system.
Now what do you wanna do?
Hello?
Starsky...
You just ran out of time.
The next time you hear from me,
one cop is going
to be minus a family.
You'll never make it, Prudholm.
10 minutes from now,
your face is going to be
smeared on every TV screen
and newspaper in the city.
You're not gonna stop me now.
I don't have to.
You're dead, Prudholm.
You're dead, and I'm
still walking around.
Look, I'm the guy
you're really after,
and my offer still stands...
You name the time and
place, and I'll be there, alone.
What's the matter, Prudholm?
I can't hear you!
How do I know you'll come alone?
Because I'd love to
burn a bum like you,
and I don't need
any help to do it.
Just like I didn't need any help
to take that punk kid of yours!
The old zoo in 10 minutes.
I'll be there.
Starsky, I'm warning you,
if I as much as
smell another cop,
I'm wasting a family,
carload of kiddies and all.
Even if they kill
me before I get you,
that's okay too,
because you're
going to have to live
with that dead
family on your head
for the rest of your life.
Where's the meeting?
He said alone.
Ah!
There's no way.
I won't allow it and
neither will Dobey.
We don't have a choice.
You're walking into suicide.
Hutch, he says he
even smells another cop,
he's gonna waste a
whole carload of kids.
Hey!
Hey, Dobey wants
you guys staked inside
until you're relieved.
Move it, move it.
Prudholm!
Starsky, look out!
Come on, hero, shoot me!
What's the matter,
am I too old for you?
You only kill kids?
Come on, I'm the guy
who wasted your pig friends.
What do you want me to
do, turn my back on you?
Starsky...
Read him his rights, Hutch.
What is in there?
Oh, he wouldn't tell me.
I obtained this,
my cynical friends,
from Lonnie's mother.
I stopped in to see
how she was doing.
She told me she had
one of these every day.
Knowing your interest
in nutritional matters,
I had her whip up a
batch for you to try.
You see, Hutch,
the problem with you
is you have the notion
that something's
gotta taste rotten
in order for it to
make you feel good.
Well, that will win you
the masochist's medal,
but it is not, in fact, true,
and this...
is going to make
you see the light.
Banana...
I can taste banana.
Terrific, huh?
What else is in there?
Yeah, what is in here?
I mean, I could start my day
with one of these every day.
Well, there's organic banana,
like you said,
and then there's
natural lemon juice,
and some unrefined raw sugar...
and about six
jiggers of dark rum.
It's called a daiquiri, Hutch.