Lincoln Heights (2006) s01e02 Episode Script

Previously on Lincoln Heights They've been talking about something.
We're moving, maybe.
Moving apartments? Now, where is this fine mansion of ours? You've lost your mind.
And you are? Donelle.
You don't have a problem talking to a cop? But here, you're in my yard.
Are people as unfriendly in the best neighborhoods? The cops are out front! Hey, hey! Donelle! Donelle.
Damn it, Tay! Lizzie! He made me spill all over myself.
It's my fault she's such a klutz? Tay, leave your sister alone.
Quit it, fool.
Lizzie! You going to work already? I.
A.
wants to take my statement.
The department head wants to meet beforehand.
I.
A.
? Oh, baby, I don't like the sound of that.
Standard procedure after a shooting.
Everything's gonna be fine.
What's I.
A.
? It means Internal Affairs.
You going to school? Why wouldn't I? I'll get it.
Uh-uh-uh-uh! Sit down.
Eat your breakfast.
I'll get the door.
What's Internal Affairs? Tay, clean this mess up.
Now! Can I help you? I believe I may have been looking for the previous occupant.
The previous occupant now resides in county jail, awaiting trial.
Something I can do for you? Oh, no.
That's okay.
Sorry to have bothered you, Officer.
Not a problem.
You entered the market almost immediately upon arriving on scene.
Correct.
You and your partner discuss tactics before entering the structure? There were people inside.
Wouldn't that circumstance suggest a more cautious approach? Guys, this was a clean shoot.
Problem is all we have is your word.
Cameras were aimed at the register and at the front door.
Nowhere near where the shooting happened.
Pretty convenient, eh, Eddie? Hey, now, hold on! It's okay, Larry.
Go ahead.
What happened when you entered? Donelle grabbed one of t hostages.
Donelle! When he saw you enter.
Yeah.
Let him go, Donelle! So his action was precitated by your action.
No, his action was precipitated by his decision to commit armed robbery.
Easy, Eddie, huh? You knew the victim.
Suspect.
The hostages were the victims.
You knew the suspect.
I'd met him.
He was kind of a leader of the neighborhood.
Where you purchased a crack house.
Under the Police Residency Incentive.
And with the department's full support.
What's your point? Your family lives in that house now.
Isn't that right? Yeah.
And you were involved with the victim-suspect- before you moved in.
"Involved" is a loaded word, Phil.
I said I'd met him.
And when you say he was a leader- He controlled a lot of what happened in the area.
Including the purchase and sale of illegal substances? Probably.
In your neighborhood? Yeah.
Is that why you wanted him dead? The city never sleeps You gotta live to your own beat So easy come and easy go But it's home Correction By AdrianoCSI How you doin' today, Reverend Hammond? I'm blessed, brother.
I'm blessed.
This is an unfortunate situation.
Ah, Robert.
How are you, brother? How'd it go with Briscoe today? A total sack.
Ah, you said the same thing about me when we first partnered up.
Yeah.
And it took me four years to whip you into shape.
So how'd it go with I.
A.
today? They came down on me hard.
It's the rat squad doing their job.
No, it's more than that.
It's bad enough the whole neighborhood's resenting me and my family.
Now I got the whole department trying to make an example out of me.
Would you relax? It was a good shooting.
When they talking to you? When they're ready.
You know how they work.
Don't sweat it, partner.
I got your back.
I'm making your favorite tonight, Cassie.
Turkey chili.
I'm not eating.
What's wrong? Nothing's wrong.
I'm just not hungry.
You want to talk about it? No.
Hey.
Officer Sutton is a 14-year veteran with the Lincoln Heights division That's Dad.
who has no prior history of such behavior.
Lizzie, ask your brother to stop making all that noise.
Tay, quit it! Thank you.
An investigation is underway into this shooting at the central market, in which a local teenager was killed by police officer Eddie Sutton.
Community leaders are posing some very tough questions.
What's up? Shh! The only shot fired was from Officer Sutton's gun.
A black officer shooting a young black man.
A resident of the community.
Now, maybe it's like the police said.
Maybe Donelle Williams was doing wrong.
Maybe.
But that does not give them the right to shoot him down like a dog.
Did Officer Sutton consider subduing him without the use of deadly force? Or after 14 jaded years as a cop, did he see a young black man, and automatically think "dangerous criminal?" And, Reverend, this is the second police shooting in- Hey, we were watching that.
He wasn't there.
He doesn't know what happened.
Hello? Yeah.
Hold on, please.
Dad.
Hello? Yeah, I just caught some of it.
When? Yeah.
I'll be there.
Captain wants to see me in his office tomorrow.
You coming to bed? In a while.
What's going on? The Reverend Denny Hammond.
Now I understand why Internal Affairs was coming at me so hard.
That man is a born activist.
If there's nothing to protest, he's out of work.
There's nothing to protest, right? Oh, you mean, did I come in too fast, say the wrong words, fire too soon? Did you? I went strictly by the book.
Only Only what? Only the truth doesn't matter much now.
What are you talking about? There's nothing more important than the truth.
Not when it comes to politics.
Captain.
Have a seat.
Officer Sutton, can you tell me the purpose of the Police Residency Incentive? Reduce crime in the area, boost the local economy, improve community relations.
How the hell do you improve community relations by killing one of the most liked, well-respected young men in the neighborhood? I didn't set out to kill him, Captain.
Well, that's something.
You have any idea what kind of mess you've created? Sir- No, I've got Denny Hammond calling us trigger-happy fascists.
I've got the city counsel questioning the whole Residency program, the media hinting cover-up.
They're trying to make this banger some kind of Robin of the hood.
I do not need this.
Neither do I, sir.
This department's racked up two excessive-force lawsuits in the last ten months.
I can't cut you any slack.
I'm not looking for any.
This is how it's gonna work.
No suspension.
At least not yet.
You're gonna be riding the desk for a while.
Cooperate with I.
A.
, don't talk to the press, and for God sakes, keep a low profile.
If we're lucky, we'll get out of this without the whole damn station house burning down around our ears.
Hell, I'm surprised they're not burning your house down right now.
Is that all? Greg.
What? Bring a paper.
All right already.
I got it.
Hey.
What?! And don't forget the light bulbs.
This sucks.
Is that it? That and the cash in the register.
Aah! Leave him alone! Oh, yeah.
You really think you could take me, grandpa? Hopin' I don't have to find out.
Come on.
Hit me with your best shot.
Come on.
Come on.
Hoo! Come on! Whoo! Come on, big daddy.
Hoo! Yeah, you best get back to the trailer park, Huckleberry.
I ain't through with you, old man.
I see you around here again, you will be.
You okay, son? Hey, check it out.
It's son of psycho cop.
What'd you just say? You heard me, dawg.
My dad had to shoot that guy.
He didn't have a choice.
Yeah, yeah.
Whatever.
That's what all the trigger-happy popo say.
Hey, cop's boy wants to fight.
Back off, jerk! You're so dead.
Get out of here, Lizzie.
He's not even worth the trouble.
Let's go.
Hey, princess, your daddy's going to prison.
You know what they do to cops in prison? Hey, Lizzie, What do the do to cops in prison? Come on.
You and Officer Sutton pull in here? No, the front door.
There.
Other officers were arriving at the rear of the building.
Donelle! And you went through the front entrance? That's right.
Weapons drawn? Yes.
What was Officer Sutton's reaction When he saw his daughter with the hostages? I didn't see his reaction.
I was too busy watching the guy with the gun.
Look, Eddie Sutton is the best partner I've ever had.
In any situation, he's the guy I'd want watching my back.
So you'd say anything to protect him.
Okay, Kevin, let's cut through the BS.
No reason for you to be hanging in the wind on this.
Sutton's the one who pulled the trigger.
Which makes me kind of wonder, why didn't you fire your weapon? You freeze up? I don't freeze up.
Why didn't you fire? I don't know.
Maybe Eddie reacted faster than me.
You saying he reacted too fast? Daddy's famous lasagna casserole.
You really didn't have to cook, Eddie.
Long as I'm riding a desk, I figure why not use some of my free time and give my wife a break? Make sure my family eats right.
Your family already eats right.
I know they eat healthy, but do they eat like this? Hmm.
The pasta's a little undercooked.
Al dente.
That's how you know it's full of nutents.
All right, everybody, dig in.
Aw, come on, guys.
The tension's so thick around here, you can cut it with a knife.
Which is more than I can say for this pasta.
Anytime you want to do the cooking- We don't have enough problems? All right, listen up.
We've got problems, no question.
But it's nothing we can't handle.
If we just stick together? No, if we murder each other.
Lizzie.
Of course if we stick together.
Can I speak? Cassie, you were an eyewitness, so Internal Affairs will want to speak to you.
Your friend Charles too.
Can I refuse? I don't think that's wise or necessary.
Just tell 'em what you saw.
If she doesn't want to testify, she doesn't have to.
It'll be okay.
That's not what I heard.
What'd you hear? Nothing.
I heard that dad may lose his job.
Even go to prison.
All right, everybody, listen up.
I'm not going to prison, and I'm not going to lose my job.
I have put food on this table and a roof over our heads and I always will.
End of story.
Hey, dad, what does happen do to cops in pris- All right, now, clean it up.
Oopsie.
Move! Where you going? Get down! Get down! Get down! Get on the ground! Get down! Get down! Down! Get down! Get down! Get down! The cops are our front.
Hurry up! Let's go, hurry up! Hurry up, hurry up, let's go! Let 'em go, Donelle.
Cassie? How 'bout knocking? What do you want? I, um- I-I was just- Lizzie! I was just wondering what you were gonna tell the police about the shooting.
I don't know.
That preacher on TV, he's got the whole neighborhood thinking Dad's some kind of bad guy.
What do you expect me to say? That you saw that gangbanger aim his gun at dad.
But I didn't.
He could lose his job, Cassie.
He could go to jail.
Were you not just at the dinner table? Dad just said everything is gonna be fine.
That was the same thing he said when he moved us here.
I'm not gonna lie to the police, Lizzie.
Fine.
But if anything bad happens to dad because of you I'll never forgive you.
What? You know, Eddie, this cop thing don't work out, you might have a hell of a career ahead of you as a typist.
What do you want, Phelan? Hardware store, 211.
Whoa.
He really went to town on the cashier.
Mm-hmm.
Jake Wyatt.
Store owner.
Do you know him? Yeah, he's a neighbor of mine.
Nice old man.
Not that nice.
He went at the perp with an axe.
You look good at a desk.
Knock knock.
Would have figured you'd be at a desk about now.
You'd have figured right.
I heard about what happened, Jake.
Thought I'd check in on you, see how you're holding up.
Ain't me who needs looking in on.
Bobby's the one in the hospital.
How's he doing? Mild concussion, couple of busted ribs.
Boy's talking about coming back next week.
Tough kid.
The way I hear it, you're the one went all lumberjack on the guy.
It's a hardware store, Eddie.
You cut things down to size, no matter how big or stupid.
The report says your boy got beaten up after the perp had already cleaned out the register.
And you want to know if he did anything to get him all worked up.
Something like that.
Guy robbed the place.
Then he stomped on Bobby.
No rhyme, no reason, just plain old mean.
Thanks, Jake.
Appreciate you looking into this on your own time.
I'll check in on you.
Hey, Eddie, all that stuff they're saying about you on TV.
As far as I'm concerned, the good reverend should mind his own damn business.
Hey, Lund, got a second? What's up? I ran a search on VICAP that 211 at Jake's Hardware.
Big, beefy white guy, female accomplice does the driving.
So? Remember Greg Stargill? Five robberies, same M.
O.
? He takes the money, then beats them for no reason.
The last one was three years ago.
Nothing since.
He just got out of Atascadero three weeks ago.
Hey.
Hey, you all right? Yeah.
So how'd it go with I.
A.
? You know, a guy gets a college degree, thinks it makes him a detective.
They spent the afternoon trying to get me to trip myself up.
Yeah? So I'll get this guy's jacket to roll call.
Your daughter was one of the hostages.
Yes.
You think that impaired your judgment some? Man holds a gun on my daughter, I'd want to blow him away.
She had nothing to do with it.
Donelle released her along with the rest of the hostages.
All but one.
Your daughter's boyfriend.
A white kid.
He's not her boyfriend.
They were having a soda together.
Come on, guys, this is a witch hunt.
You seen Donelle's rap sheet? Suddenly this punk's a misunderstood hero? That's the way the see it out there, yeah.
Donelle's about to shoot your daughter's friend.
Now it gets real personal.
I didn't want to fire.
I had no choice.
The cops are out front! Let's go, hurry up! Donelle! Get over here! Let him go, Donelle.
Donelle! I had no choice.
You that cop's daughter? Excuse me? Oh, girl got a hearing problem.
Must be from all that shooting her daddy did in that bodega.
Yeah, so what's up with that? Shooting a straight-up brother like Donelle? That "straight-up brother" pulled a gun on a bunch of innocent people.
Then he turned it on my father.
Yeah, I heard that song before.
Cassie, who are your friends? Yo, white bread we're having a conversation.
Yeah? What are we talking about? Black on black crime.
Which ain't none of your business.
Maybe Donelle Williams made it my business when he shoved a gun in my face.
It's okay, Charles.
I got it.
Girl turning her back on her own people.
It's a damn shame.
You okay? I could've handled them.
You haven't returned any of my calls.
I've been kind of occupied.
Maybe we should talk about, you know, what happened? Why? I don't know, 'cause it might help.
Then again, it might not.
Then how about because it might help me? Fine, talk.
What the hell is your problem? You know what? Those girls were right.
You really should mind your own business.
Did you actually see Donelle aim his weapon at Officer Sutton? - Yeah.
- When? When I was running for the door, I heard Officer Sutton call out Donelle's name.
And I turned and saw Donelle aim his gun at him.
I'm telling the truth.
Yeah, sure you are, kid.
How well do you know Officer Sutton's daughter? We're friends, I guess.
Oh, okay.
Hmm.
Now, are you more than friends? What? Is she your girlfriend? What does this have anything to do regarding- Good-looking girl like that, gotta figure a lot of guys are after her.
So? So that puts you in an enviable position here, Charles.
I mean, you could be the guy that saves her daddy's life.
You could be- You could be a real hero.
Of course, if we find out you've been lying to us, you'll be just another loser who sticks his neck out for a pretty girl, and pays the price.
Listen, the guy puts his gun in my face, cops tell him to put the gun down.
He doesn't put it down.
He deserves what he gets.
As far as I'm concerned, Officer Sutton saved my life.
Can I go now? I don't think they believe me.
You told the truth though, didn't you? Yeah, but maybe if you said the same thing- You want me to lie? Look.
When my step dad was up on domestic battery charges, I could have saved his ass if I'd lied and said I never saw him hit my mom.
But I didn't do that, because he's a jerk.
And he deserves to rot in jail.
But your dad I'd say whatever I needed to get him off.
The fact that it's the truth just makes it that much easier.
Okay, class, everybody settle down.
Let's get started.
Turn to page 42 in your textbooks.
But you do what you have to do.
Today we're gonna be talking about binary equations.
Specifically, we're gonna be working on identifying and using coefficients.
Here's the file, Eddie.
Where do you want me to start? How 'bout tell us where you were when the suspects entered.
Well, Charles and I were sitting at the back of the store, at a table.
Then they made us get on the floor.
And that's when your dad came in.
Yes.
And he realized right off you were one of the hostages.
Yeah.
No.
I don't know.
Which one is it? Let him go, Donelle! Hey! Donelle! Cassie.
Your dad told us he saw you.
as soon as he came in.
Well, then, I guess he did.
So I'm wondering how is it possible you didn't know that? Detective.
Cassie, no one's trying to trick you or trap you.
We just want to find out what happened.
What happened is my dad got Donelle to let us go.
Then Donelle turned the gun on him- You saw that? Yes.
That's interesting, because your dad said you were already out the door when he fired his weapon.
So how is it possible you saw Donelle turning his gun on him? Well, I glanced back.
From outside the building? You see through walls.
Cassie, just tell the truth.
Cassie, I'm going to rewind this and record over the last section.
I'll give you one more chance.
Did your dad- Officer Sutton- see you when he entered the market? Yes.
Did you at any time see Donelle aim his gun at your dad? No.
I think we need to take a break.
You did good.
You did real good.
You, uh, wanted to see me, Captain? Yeah, we got toxicology back on Donelle Williams.
He had traces of opiates and sedatives in his blood.
He'd been in the hospital.
Surgery for a stab wound.
He had anesthetics and pain meds on board.
The point is it gives us some room to maneuver.
The public is not sympathetic to drug addicts.
I don't think he was a drug addict.
We still have to throw the community a bone.
Two weeks suspension without pay for lack of judgment, but nothing on your permanent record.
Suspension? Captain, I acted properly.
A banger challenged you on your turf.
He put your daughter's life in danger.
One shot was fired.
Yours.
That's not how it was.
It doesn't matter how it was.
It matters how it was perceived.
You have to start looking at the bigger picture here, Eddie.
If Denny Hammond shouts long enough, he'll construct his own truth, unless we fight back.
By saying Donelle was a junkie.
You know for a fact he wasn't? Look, I know you consider yourself some kind of boy scout, so I'm gonna make this simple for you.
I don't care if that kid never took an aspirin in his life.
You're gonna take this deal.
You don't have a choice.
You work too hard.
Oh, is it lunchtime already? Time flies when you're worried sick, don't it? Who's worried sick? Oh, now you're gonna lie about it.
I hate to say I told you so.
Then don't.
It is tough enough working in this neighborhood.
but living here? No way.
Uh-uh.
And just what am I supposed to do about it now, Lydia? You think I like living in that house with all those junkie ghosts? With neighbors who eye me like I walked in on them in the bathroom without knocking.
Shoes thrown over the phone lines on every corner.
Then why'd you do it? Because my husband needed me to.
And I try to support my husband.
And when you're left picking up the pieces for all the bad choices he's made, who's gonna pick up the pieces for you? I just want a sandwich.
Excuse me.
Yeah, one second.
You got any turkey pastrami? Hey, jerk off, the lady asked you for some help.
We don't got any turkey pastrami.
He don't got no turkey- Gregno.
Get in the car.
Go ahead.
How'd it go with I.
A.
? Not great.
Cassie okay? I haven't spoken to her since I got home from work.
I think she's sleeping.
I'll go see her.
What is it? You talk to Cassie? She's gone.
- What did dispacher say? - Nothing.
They've got all shifts keeping an eye out for her.
Well, I'm gonna go look for her.
Jenn, she's 16.
She's probably out with friends.
She'll come home, you'll ground her for a month, we'll feel better.
I don't think it's that simple.
Look at these.
Look, look.
This is how she sees me? And the neighborhood.
She said she was okay moving here.
Eddie, she would tell you whatever you want to hear.
She adores you.
But this is how she really feels? I know that I promised that I would try to make this move work.
But we both said if it was too much of a strain on the kids, that we would reconsider.
I'm gonna go check with Lund.
Cassie! Cassie! Where the hell have you been?! At Crystal's house.
Why didn't you call us? Sorry.
Crystal, from the old neighborhood? I just needed to be with a friend.
You have friends here.
No, Dad! I don't! How did you get all the way over there? I took the bus.
At this hour? Can we please, please just talk about this tomorrow? Fine, get up- Get upstairs.
Talk to your daughter.
Is it a private event? This is your house.
Your mom showed me the drawings you made.
Pretty amazing.
Intense.
Dad, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you.
I just couldn't lie.
I'm proud of you for that.
Lying may seem like the right answer at the time, but it never works in the long run.
Like when you said you were okay living here.
Dad- Cassie, it's okay to be mad.
God knows you got every right.
I moved you here against your will, I uprooted you, I put you in danger.
I just need to know, can you forgive me? I don't know if I can.
The world's short on forgiveness these days.
I didn't say I wasn't willing to try.
Woman gets in a beef with a convenience store clerk.
Boyfriend pulls the guy over the counter, beats him unconscious.
Then he clears out the register, and they take off in a green SUV.
Somebody get a license plate? Partial.
There are over 800 green SUVs registered in the state that match it.
That narrows it down.
The victim heard the woman call the assailant by name-Greg.
As in Greg Stargill.
He one of the registered owners? No, but Rosella Lopez is.
And that means something because- Four years ago, the woman called 911, said her boyfriend was trying to kill her.
Let me guess.
You realize you shouldn't be doing this.
I'm on my own time.
I don't have to be back for another 1/2 hour.
Well, do me a favor.
When the I.
A.
opens another investigation on you, leave me out off it.
They offered me a deal, Lund.
Yeah? Two-week suspension without pay, nothing on my permanent record, and I bust Donelle Williams as a druggie.
Was he? Probably not.
So you'd be tainting the memory of a gang banger who almost got you killed.
Basically.
What do you think? I think they're climbing all over you because of other officers who went too far in the past.
They got you tying yourself in knots.
Analyzing, questioning.
A person died.
It's worth some questioning and analyzing.
What? Next time, when we're covering each other, you gonna have my back, or are you gonna be busy analyzing? Rosella Lopez.
Rosella Lopez? Let me see your hands.
We're gonna need to see the other.
I think it's broken.
Greg do this to you? No, it's my fault.
I should have kept my big mouth shut.
Now he's gone.
Gone where? You'll hurt him.
Not if we don't have to.
But if we catch him in another robbery, that could change.
We're clear.
He's got a brother in Wrightwood.
I'll call the sheriff's office.
He said he had to stop at a store first.
Something about unfinished business.
All right, you hold tight.
We'll get someone here to help you.
Hey, pop.
Remember me? You remember? The register.
Now! I'll take the front.
I'll take the back.
You ain't laughing now.
Police, freeze! You freeze.
Okay, just- Just stay cool.
Just stay cool.
Get rid of it! Okay, just- Just stay cool.
Okay, just- Go ahead, son.
Do what you gotta do.
Shut up! Shut up! Don't worry about me.
Do what you gotta do.
Okay, just- What are you gonna do? Just stay cool.
I'm putting it down.
Okay.
I'm good.
I'm good.
Get out of here! Get out! No.
Son of a bitch! You didn't shoot?! He didn't have to.
Man- I saw you at the funeral.
I didn't want to intrude.
You come to pay your respects? Yes, ma'am.
If I may.
I didn't want to hurt Donelle.
I wanted to help him.
If it's absolution you're after, you've come to the wrong person.
My son had goodness in him.
Yes.
He did.
Mrs.
Williams, I need to know Did Donelle use drugs? I have to ask.
My son ran with a gang.
He did some bad things.
He went into that store with a gun in his hand.
But he didn't do drugs.
Not once.
Not ever.
You have no idea the position you put me in.
Sorry, Captain, but I won't call Donelle Williams a drug user.
Hold on.
The Internal Affairs report on the shooting came in this morning.
They said your actions were in line with departmental policy.
And what do you say, Captain? I say in this case, we go with the truth.
Now get your stuff off my desk.
Finish out the day here.
You're back on patrol tomorrow.
You're too good a cop to waste at a desk.
Thank you, sir.
This police station is oppressing us.
The economic situation is oppressing us.
We must reach our young people- Let's go out the back.
Oh, no, I'm done hiding.
Officer Sutton.
I understand congratulations are in order.
You don't have to talk to him.
It's okay.
I heard what you did.
Refusing to sully Donelle's memory, just to save your ass.
And I want you to know that I respect you for that.
As a police officer, and as a man.
But you know this is bigger than just you, don't you? No, this was all about me.
Don't switch up now, just to stop the hating.
No, brother, you got it wrong.
I'm about love.
It's just that I've got my job to do, you've got yours.
It's too bad there's not more cops like you.
Has justice been served, Reverend Hammond? You ask me, do I think justice has been done? I do not.
Now, we have a rally at the church today at 3:00, and I hope to see you all there.
Hey, Charles.
Oh, God, what'd I do now? No, it's okay.
I come in peace.
I just wanted to apologize.
For what? You didn't do anything.
I blew you off.
And all I know is you just wanted to help.
Cassie, you didn't do anything.
Not that you haven't been a complete pain in my butt.
Mind if I ask you a question? It depends.
I don't mean to get in your business, but how did your interview with the cops go? I told 'em what I saw.
Which is probably not gonna save my dad's job.
Sorry.
That's okay.
Don't be.
I have a feeling whatever happens, we're gonna be okay.
Oh, and, Charles, for future reference, it's okay with me if you want to get in my business.
I did not mean it like that.
Mom.
What are you doing here? Oh, is that any way to greet your mother? Sorry.
Mom, Charles.
Charles, Mom.
It's a pleasure to meet you, Charles.
Mrs.
Sutton.
So I have good news.
For both of you.
Dad? In here.
I told you it would be okay.
Do Tay and Lizzie know? Yeah.
I told 'em.
I'll go talk to them.
We still have to live here.
Well, where else would we live? This is our home.
Do I deserve you? No.
No.
No.
Mmm.
Today was a good day.
Yeah.
A good day.