Original subtitles

You know who Lolo "The Whale" is?

Lolo Matani. Head of the Carson Tribe in South L.A.

Boom. Word is “The Whale” just sold three of his booty-bars

for a cut-rate price to Los Profetas for 300 large.

Then ghosted off the streets.

Now tell me that doesn't sound strange to you.

All right, Red. I guess the LAPD is gonna spring

for your stocking stuffers.

(chuckling) Man, I saw this beautiful necklace for Westside Danger.

And this perfect perfect bracelet for Trickster.

And a pair of perfect earrings for my girl, Bethany.

Oh, whoa, whoa. Bethany? Yeah, she's from Pasadena.

Hey. Why not just get them all the same thing?

Man, I gotta keep my game tight.

The same gift for every girl is a rookie mistake,

especially when they all friends.

You better be careful out there, Little Red.

Hey, when you dealing with Little Red,

it's Christmas, 365. (chuckling)

You think this is our guy?

It's our latest best guess.

Lolo “The Whale” Matani.

King of the Carson Tribe.

He owns half a dozen strip joints in the South Bay.

All used to launder money for the Tribe's amphetamine trade.

One of the stolen DNA kits proved

Matani sexually assaulted several of the young boys

who attended his day-care centers.

We were a week out from indicting him for sex crimes.

Think Matani knew it was coming?

His lawyer is connected.

He could've found out

we were about to file charges against him.

Yup. So “The Whale” liquidates three of his strip clubs for cash,

hires a crew to hit the crime lab.

then destroys the evidence that could ruin his rep.

And he doesn't mind hurting some innocents on the way.

Well, he wouldn't last a day in prison

if that ever got out. Let's go whale hunting.

All right.

Commander. Everything all right?

Well, if that DNA evidence isn't returned sealed and intact,

it won't be able to be used in court.

Which means no justice for a lot of victims and their families.

Well, I'll make sure

my team treats those evidence kits with extra care.

All right.

How's Rebecca doing? I know you're close to her.

(muttering) (chuckling) I'm not sure what to do with myself.

I mean, hold her hand and be there for her

in case she wakes up,

or stay here and help find the bastards who did this to her.

No. No, sir. Go be with her.

We're gonna find the guys who did this to her.

And we'll get those evidence kits back. Intact.

I promise you that.

Oh... First rule of law enforcement:

Never promise results when you can't guarantee, a hundred percent,

the outcome just to make somebody feel better.

(chuckling) I thought I taught you better than that.

You did. But we know how important this is to you,

so we're gonna get it done.

Go be with Rebecca, sir.

(exhales) All right. Thanks, Hondo.

Man, these ladies look like linebackers.

Matani's a very close-knit family.

The four sisters act as bodyguards.

Yeah, too bad they're criminals.

We could use 'em in the LAPD football league.

Okay, so what's the plan, Deac?

Take out the four sisters with non-lethal force, hard.

Then we pray that Matani hasn't destroyed

the rest of the evidence kits.

All right, Street, you're with me

on the one side for better vantage.

The three of you stay on the 1-4 corner.

Got it. Let's go.

Let's move. Go. Go.

(quietly) Nobody move. Hands down.

Matani, you're under arrest! LAPD!

On your stomach! Run, baby!

Deac, the fire!

Check every inch of this house.

Find every last DNA kit.

On it, man. Let's go.

Dr. Cooper, you're needed in labor...

You good, Commander?

Here you go.

Whatever happened with you and that woman, Janice, you were seeing?

Hmm? She seemed nice.

Well, Janice was okay, she was, um... uh... she-she wasn't--

Mom?

Exactly.

None of them will ever be Mom.

But that doesn't mean that you can't find someone

to have a happy life with.

Why are you so concerned with my personal life?

Shouldn't it be the other way around?

'Cause you have a lot of years left.

And it makes me sad, thinking of you spending them alone.

Yeah.

You know how guilty I felt

when I left to take the job in Pittsburgh

I knew once I left, you'd sit in the house,

sipping coffee, listening to the records you and Mom collected.

Don't you ever feel guilty for living your life.

Look... I'm not lonely. All right?

With SWAT, I have all the excitement I can handle.

You know Mom would've wanted you to find someone.

You know, whenever I'd have a hard shift,

I'd come home, I'd go straight to my den.

I'd stay in there for hours.

Having a couple of drinks, decompressing.

Your mother understood when to leave me alone.

We got each other. I'm never gonna find that again.

Rebecca. She told me to never say anything to you,

but you need to know.

Once you got used to Mom being gone,

Rebecca thought, thought maybe your relationship

could become more than just friends.

(scoffs) Rebecca? She never said anything like that to me.

Yeah, well, you really never understood women, did you?

She didn't want to risk turning your friendship

into something that she could never live up to.

I mean, have you ever thought about Rebecca?

As someone you could love?

I never thought she'd get over Rick.

That's why we got along so well,

because we both lost our soul mates, you know?

Yeah. You survived by leaning on each other.

When she gets through this, you two should talk.

Come on.

Got nothing.

We tore the whole place apart.

Where'd you dump the rest of the evidence kits?

There are no others. Just mine.

Come on, Lolo.

We know you unloaded your strip clubs

to hire a hit crew to take down the crime lab.

What? No.

I sold the clubs 'cause I got a call from this dude.

Said he had my evidence kit.

Said he wanted 300 large ASAP

or he'd drop the kit on the steps of the L.A. Superior Court.

So, you're telling us that you paid for your kit,

you didn't steal it?

300 large. I didn't have a choice.

What's this dude's name? Called himself “Kraft."

You meet this “Kraft” in person?

I don't know if it was him or one of his guys,

but I met this dude with a shaved head

in the parking out of LAX.

I gave him the cash, he gave me the kit.

I didn't want to die in jail.

Our real suspect calls himself “Kraft.”

Now, he robbed the lab knowing what

the kits are worth to the criminals they belong to...

So he reaches out to every criminal with a major crimes case

and offers to sell them back their evidence?

Or “Kraft” would send them back to the LAPD.

Sir, this wasn't about a suspect stealing evidence

so they could destroy it.

This is the ultimate underworld blackmail scheme.

Damn, talk about next level.

How is she? She's awake.

Whenever you think she's good to speak to us...

I'm sure she'll want to help right away.

They were fast. They knew the layout.

How to use our key cards.

They definitely had it planned

and knew how to burn their tracks.

When I hit the floor,

one of th-their empty shells rolled towards me.

I hid it in the temperature control panel,

just in case there was any evidence on it.

You were bleeding out from buckshot

while they set the lab on fire,

and you thought about saving evidence?

The shell, it should still be there.

You're a brave woman, Rebecca.

I'm working three jobs,

my ceiling's about to cave in,

I got a baby girl on the way.

I don't know, how do I make these--the union dues work for me?

H-How do we get these people to help me?

Sergeant, I'm on your side.

And this is not exactly my area of expertise,

but when I asked on your behalf,

they said you're already carrying a sizable balance

on your previous loan.

They're not going to approve you for a new one right now.

We've already appealed it,

and there's nothing else that we can do.

Not through the department.

The holidays just keep getting happier.

Thanks for trying. I'm really sorry, Sergeant.

It's hard to think anything could've survived in here.

Let's not judge any piece of evidence

until we find it, okay?

Yeah, fair enough.

Now, she said it was inside a control panel.

Yup.

I don't see anything. How far in does it go?

Just like Rebecca said.

Thanks to Rebecca, we recovered

the only piece of physical evidence from the lab robbery.

Forensics lifted a partial thumbprint,

they completed it with digital imaging and we got a match.

John Seeley. 41.

In and out of prison since he was 18 years old

for various armed robberies.

Now, Seeley was released from Folsom a month ago

after serving six years,

didn't bother reporting to his parole officer.

I got in touch with his last cellmate,

who said all Seeley talked about was the LAPD crime lab.

He'd read an article about it

in the Los Angeles Chronicle and became obsessed with it.

I'll be damned.

I ran his prison ID computer activity log.

He spent hours on the Chronicle's website

taking virtual tours of the crime lab.

Seeley had all the information he needed online

to cook up the scheme of a lifetime.

Well, where'd he get the name “Kraft?”

Check out the byline.

Justin D. Kraft. Seeley took the reporter's name.

I want plainclothes detectives

shadowing every one of these suspects on the evidence list.

And if we don't find Seeley,

we'll follow a buyer going to him.

All right.

Wow. Hey, man, you got a sec?

Yeah, sure. What's up?

I can tell you’re going through a hard time right now

and I'd like to help with some cash.

(exhales) Listen, I didn't tell you about my situation

looking for a handout.

No, I know, but I still want to help.

I mean, you need 16 grand to fix your pipes, right?

I'll loan it to you, interest-free.

Just pay me back at your own pace.

How?

However, man. I mean, I know you're good for it.

Just take your time, man. I'm in no rush.

(clears throat) Look, it, it means a lot,

b-but friendship and money, t-they don't mix.

Yeah. But it's me, Deac.

It's exactly why I don't want to ruin our friendship.

But believe me, it means a lot that you offered.

What do we got?

One of the suspects on the list being surveilled, Nick Kerostena.

The detectives sitting on him just called in,

they said he's on the move, acting suspicious.

Kerostena runs a crew out of Montebello.

He's done time for counterfeiting, synthetic cocaine,

assault with a deadly weapon...

Two months ago, we found DNA evidence linking him

to the murder of his mistresses' boyfriend with a hatchet.

The indictment was coming down next week.

The detectives tailed Kerostena to a bar he owns.

He came out ten minutes later with two bodyguards

and a-a duffel bag they suspect is filled with cash.

He dumped his phone, he's headed downtown,

he's gotta be meeting with Seeley.

All right, Street, you tell the detectives,

sit tight, don't spook him.

Tell Hondo we're rolling.

Sorry for the short notice,

but you get this kind of deal’s gotta happen fast, right?

Got your end?

Wasn't easy to cash out a quarter mil in one day.

Everybody wins, amigo.

No eyes, but we got ears, and the deal's going down.

Detectives, hold tight. Don't move in, SWAT's on its way.

Roger that. They better hurry.

Great price, great product, amigo.

Where is it?

Look familiar?

You have a good life, my friend.

I got other deals to get to.

They made the deal, we gotta go.

SWAT, we're moving in.

LAPD, hands where we can see 'em!

Let me see your hands!

Detectives, take a perimeter position!

Fall back.

Man down.

This is 20 David to Command!

We are taking fire from suspects!

Officer down! Send an ambo!

On the ground! On the ground, right now! On the ground.

Drop the weapon! Drop the weapon! On the ground.

I got eyes on Seeley!

This is 20 David to 22 David.

I need you to intercept a van,

fleeing west on Second.

22 David, do you read?!

I'm gettin' beat up by this van!

Roger that, headed your way!

Aim for the cab, Luca.

Hondo, I got him!

Hands on the dash! Hands on the dash!

Do not move. Bitch-ass.

Don't even look at me. Don't look at me.

All right. Okay. Okay, good.

(exhales) Thanks to you, Seeley is in custody.

And they recovered almost all the DNA kits.

They're on their way to the L.A. Sheriff's lab for proper storage.

It's why they pay me the big bucks.

(chuckling) Yeah. Okay.

(sighs) You know, when you're feeling a little better...

I think you and I should have a conversation.

They started testing the recovered DNA kits.

Initial reports say only nine of them were compromised

and would be inadmissible in court.

What happens to those nine cases?

(exhales) We start from scratch,

work harder to find new evidence.

I'm sorry we couldn't save 'em all.

Don't be. Could have been a lot worse.

Yeah. Nia, I'll always have your back.

You had mine when I was in a rough place.

That won't change.

No, it won't.

Merry Christmas.

Thank you for volunteering last-minute.

Oh, of course. This is so much fun. (chuckling)

So, are you all ready for her? (gasps) Aw... (chuckling)

Yep, she's a kicker.

Oh, we're a little stressed with bills,

but I have never been so excited to have a new child.

Oh. Well, you and Deacon are the best couple I know,

and you two always find a way to make things work. (chuckling)

Thank you.

What are you doing for your, uh, crazy Christmas plans? (chuckling)

Yeah, I'm taking my mom to Hawaii.

It's been forever since we spent real time together.

Nice, man. She's gotta be excited.

She's been packing for two weeks.

(chuckling) What about you?

Ah, you know I love how everybody leaves L.A. for the holidays.

Nothing better than empty freeways,

so I can open up my '68 Chevy on the 170,

and spend some time with my folks.

Nice. Holiday treat, anyone?

(chuckling) You bake these yourself, Street?

99 cent store. Nice.

Hey, uh, who's that with Annie?

That's Molly,

and that is a woman you definitely want to stay away from.

She's Hicks's daughter. Oh, really?

Dude, you finally worked your way back onto SWAT.

It's not a good idea to hump and dump the boss's daughter.

What? I didn't even say anything.

Yeah, Luca, give Street some credit.

It's not like he's always thinking up

new and fascinating ways to lose his job.

Hey, heads up, girls. Excuse me.

Be good. Yeah.

Something sweet, ladies?

Ooh, how about an ice cream with melted gummy bears and olives?

Sorry, that's the most popular item on the menu

and we just ran out.

And for the young lady?

Uh, oh, thanks, I'm okay.

Oh, come on. It's Christmas season.

You gotta sip hot chocolate during Christmas.

It's the law.

Hmm. Well, my dad's a cop and I’ve never heard about that one.

Well, it just recently passed.

Don't make me take out my cuffs.

(chuckling) Oh, this is good. I'm Molly.

Jim Street.

Hey, Commander. Hey, uh, I never got to say it,

but the way you handled those gunmen?

Impressive shooting, sir.

You'd be amazed at what I'm capable of

when it comes to protecting the ones I love.

What?

Don't make me have to get involved in your love life.

Oh, give me a break. How's Rebecca?

Exhausted, but she's in good spirits.

Hmm. Oh, uh, so you know, I decided

to take the rest of December off for work.

Hope you don't mind me sticking around through the holidays.

It's okay. You're welcome to stay as long as you want.

(chuckling) It's an amazing turnout, huh?

Ah, it's incredible.

It's almost double the fundraising from last year.

Job well done, Deac.

So, here. Merry Christmas.

Hey, bubba. (playing noises)

Hey. Luca, come on.

I can't-I can't do this. It's not me.

Yeah, well, then do it for me, okay?

'Cause I want to be happy for the holidays,

and what makes me happy is

when my friends don't have to worry about money. All right?

Okay. I'm gonna pay you back, every cent.

I know you will. Love you, bud.

I could-- Hey, hey, hey, little man.

You're not supposed to be doing that

without adult supervision.

Oh, I'm so sorry, Officer.

I took my eyes off him for one second.

Get over here.

Donnie, apologize to the officer

for touching things you're not supposed to.

I'm sorry, Officer. Hey, it's all good.

I just don't want you getting hurt, that's all.

Donnie wants to be cop when he gets older.

I guess he thought he'd just start his training early.

Is that right?

You want to be a police officer one day, huh?

Hell, yeah--Or, I mean, yes, Officer.

(chuckling) What part of the city y'all from?

Watts. We took the bus up.

You know, you're one lucky little dude to have a mama like that.

I'm lucky to have one, too.

I hope you take good care of her.

He does. What's your two jobs?

Uh, do good in school

a-and help Mom with chores around the house.

You got yourself one great little son, right here.

You know what this thing's called?

No. What?

It's called an A-Star Police Chopper.

We use it to save lives.

Cool.

You mind if I take him off your hands for a few minutes?

Go right ahead.

Come on, Donnie. (grunting)

So, what's the best part about being a police officer?

Well, I'd have to say...

seeing people who are hurting,

and doing something to make them feel better.

Whenever I see people do bad things,

I wish I could make them stop.

You know what you're gonna need for all that?

Whole bunch of training.

You wanna learn how to fly this bad boy?

Yeah.

(chuckling) All right. Let's see what you got, get up there.

All right, get in there, you're the pilot today.

Let's get you a helmet.

So you can look official, there you go.

Let's see what kind of LAPD Police Officer little Donnie's gonna be.

Ah, there you go. Take us up, Donnie, take us up.