Original subtitles

In the criminal justice system,

sexually based offenses

are considered especially heinous.

In New York City, the dedicated detectives

who investigate these vicious felonies

are members of an elite squad

known as the Special Victims Unit.

These are their stories.

[upbeat music playing

[indistinct chatter in Spanish]

Lucky me. Your last two, huh?

Gracias. I'll see you next time.

I'm starving here.

Where's the spread?

What you asked for, Grandpa.

Breakfast for dinner.

I asked for eggs.

Those are eggs. Whites.

Doctor said your cholesterol is high.

I hate that doctor.

How is work?

- It's okay. - Hmph.

You going out later with those troublemaker friends of yours?

They're not troublemakers.

Yeah, that's right.

You're the troublemaker.

A troublemaker with a job.

Speaking of, when are you gonna drop the, uh,

security guard thing and become a real cop?

I told you already.

They don't want me.

The way crime is in this neighborhood lately?

Their loss.

Took the test three times. Didn't even get a call back.

I almost forgot. A package came for you today.

Oh.

I've been waiting for this.

My new speaker.

Just keep the music down.

[sighs]

[heavy metal music playing]

♪

[bat pounding ceiling]

♪

[pounds on door]

♪

Thought you were DoorDash.

No.

I live downstairs.

Yeah, I know who you are. You're a cop, right?

All right, well, your music's too loud.

Keep it down, all right?

Wow, okay.

Not a heavy metal fan, I see.

♪

You still looking for Manhattan shale?

We're gonna be late for class.

I need it for geology in an hour.

You should have gone to Central Park.

More rocks.

I didn't have time.

Keep looking.

[birds singing]

Can you even name one schist?

Mica, chlorite, talc.

Show-off.

Oh, here's one.

[tense music]

♪

[twig snaps] [gasps]

A late night, Velasco?

You look like you collided with the A train.

My neighbor kept me up all night with his music.

Should've called the cops.

[laughter] - Funny.

All right. Good, you're all here.

So we have a situation.

What's up, Cap?

Uh, two teenagers were assaulted at knifepoint,

the girl was raped,

and they're both being treated at Saint Mark's.

Where'd it happen?

Highbridge Park in Washington Heights.

That's a few blocks from my place.

Right, and I want you and Bruno

to head to the crime scene.

Silva and Finn will talk to the vics.

Anna Beltran and Moses Sanchez,

17, classmates at PS 355.

What are they doing down here so early?

According to them,

they were rock hunting for her geology class.

Okay, were they able to tell you what went down?

They were attacked by a man, 30s, with some type of knife.

Tied them up, raped the girl.

Some homeless guy found 'em, cut 'em loose.

Did he get a look at the perp?

No.

Well, there's a pole camera about 100 yards away

by the basketball court close to the exit.

Have them pull the footage.

Well, this is your neighborhood.

Anything like this happen recently?

Couple of assaults, armed robberies.

The lady who sells me tamales was bitching that

the local precinct doesn't do anything

about the crime around here.

Yeah.

She happen to flag any sex offenders in the neighborhood?

Not that I heard of, no.

Detectives, got something.

Lamp cord?

Homeless guy had it. Gave it to a uni.

Any footprints nearby?

Do you have any idea how many people come through this park?

All right, get the cord to the lab.

Maybe we'll get lucky on touch DNA.

Aside from the homeless guy.

I hate to say it, but whoever attacked them,

he's probably a local.

Why is that?

This park's not exactly a tourist attraction.

[crowd clamoring] - Our children aren't safe!

My daughter got robbed at knifepoint!

What are you doing about that?

Yeah, nothing!

You said people around here know you're a cop?

Some do. Why?

Then we need to catch this guy.

Before they start knocking on your door.

♪

[dramatic music]

♪

So Anna, you told my responding officers

that you and Moses were collecting rocks in the park?

Yeah.

I told you not to step foot in there when it's dark!

- It was the morning. - Andres, please.

She was just assaulted. This is not what she needs.

Mr. and Mrs. Beltran,

I understand how difficult this is,

but I really need to take your daughter's statement

so we can find her attacker.

Okay?

So Anna, um, what can you tell us

about what happened to you and to Moses?

We had just found a rock.

I was picking it up.

Mm-hmm?

I heard a noise, a footstep.

That's helpful.

And then what?

Then...

then this guy, he just...

he just came out of nowhere.

And he was just standing right over us

right in front of our faces.

Okay, and you told, uh, one of my officers

that he had a knife.

Do you have any idea what kind?

[speaking Spanish]

Is there some kind of problem, Mr. Beltran?

[speaking Spanish]

We only want to help your daughter.

Anna, everything that you tell us is private.

Okay?

He had a... a box cutter.

And... and he put it to my throat.

And where was Moses during this time?

He tied Moses's hands.

And he tied mine.

Then...

[suspenseful music]

Then he raped me.

I don't wanna hear this anymore.

Now, what are you doing to catch this animal?

Mr. Beltran, we're doing everything that we can.

We're checking security cameras,

we're searching the park, we're looking for witnesses.

I can't listen to this anymore!

[speaking Spanish]

I'm sorry, he's just frustrated

he couldn't protect his little girl.

This is difficult for any parent to go through.

Believe me, we understand.

Is there anything else?

Yes, we need your daughter to do a rape kit.

A rape kit?

So it's, um... it's an evidence collection kit

to see if, uh, your attacker left anything behind.

If he left some DNA and if that DNA is in the system,

then we can ID him.

Will it hurt?

Well, I'm not gonna lie to you.

It is a little uncomfortable.

And, uh, it does take a bit of time.

Is it okay if I stay with her?

Absolutely, the whole time.

I'll do it then.

Thank you.

And I promise we're gonna get you home as soon as we can.

♪

My son says he didn't see anything.

That's not true, Dad.

I saw everything.

I saw what he did to Anna, I saw his face.

Can you describe him?

Dark skin, brown hair.

Hispanic? Black?

No.

It was more like Chino-Latino.

- Moses, that's enough. - This is very helpful.

I mean, your son's brave. You wanna help us more?

Yeah.

We'd like you guys to come down to the station

and sit with a sketch artist.

I could do that.

We think the perp's local,

so maybe if we post pictures of him,

somebody in the neighborhood will recognize him.

What about my son?

Will the neighborhood find out that he cooperated?

No. That'd be a secret.

Okay.

And leave his hair really short.

All I remember is a ball cap.

Was there any insignia on it?

[sighs] No.

Anything else you remember?

Uh, his nose looked...

[sighs]

Kinda like it was broken and then healed.

Okay, good.

Like this?

Yeah.

Uh, and with a bump.

Got it.

His eyes were kinda shaped like...

like almonds.

♪

Like this?

Yeah.

Okay, I'll leave you to it.

Let us know when you got something.

Well, that didn't take long.

The kid got a solid look at the guy's face.

How's Anna? She agree to the rape kit?

Well, let's just say it was easier

once the father left the room.

Anything from the park?

Still no witnesses.

Because nobody saw anything

or because they don't wanna help us?

Little bit of both.

Lot of people in this neighborhood come from

countries where the last people you wanna trust are the cops.

It's frustrating.

Security cams are no help either.

Okay. What about the lamp cord?

Lab's still trying to pull touch DNA, but so far nothing.

Okay. Anything in ViCAP?

Nothing that matches the MO.

We're gonna keep looking, Captain.

Hey, Anna make it through the rape kit okay?

It was a tough couple hours.

I asked the lab for rush, but...

Captain? Sergeant?

- Oh. - Just finished.

- Oh, great. - Let's take a look.

Kid had a great sense of detail.

- Yeah. - I hope this helps.

Yeah, thank you so much.

All right, so, um,

get copies of this to the chief of D's

and have them put it on their social media feeds,

get it to the schools, the news feeds.

You know the drill.

And then what? We hit the streets?

So Velasco, do you think

that this guy is from the neighborhood?

The park and the high school are pretty close to each other.

So if I had to take a guess, that's why he went there.

It's risky to offend where he lives.

But he knows the streets.

And he knows the escape routes.

There haven't been any rapes recently.

Only a few agg assaults.

Maybe the guy's escalating.

All right, so his hunting ground

is now your hunting ground.

I want you to take the lead on this.

Copy.

You're here because of that girl that

got raped at Highbridge Park?

You recognize that man?

Looks like garbage.

Yo, my man!

- Yo, Velasco. - No.

Pick that up.

What's your problem?

What's my problem?

You live here, right? - Yeah.

Two teenagers were attacked nearby you...

So?

I don't talk to the police.

Uh-huh.

Are you telling me you don't care?

You believe this guy?

I should call it in for littering just on principle!

That'll really help.

How are we ever gonna arrest this guy

if nobody trusts us around here, huh?

It's a catch-22.

You have to earn their trust by catching them,

but we can't catch them until we have their trust.

So we're screwed, then?

How's that different than any other day?

Does he look familiar?

Sorry, don't know him.

It's okay. Thanks for looking.

You gonna catch this guy or what?

We're doing our best.

Officers, can I grab you guys a cup of coffee?

It's on the house.

Let me guess. Closing up now?

How'd you know?

You were gonna dump it down the drain anyway.

See, he's one of these $7 cappuccino kind of guys.

But I could use a free coffee right now.

[radio crackles] - SVU portable.

34 in progress, 171 and Audubon.

That's two blocks away. Let's go.

[tense music]

♪

[tires screech] - Stop!

- NYPD! - Yo! Hey!

[grunting and shouting]

Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey!

- NYPD! Stop! - Stop.

Yo, let go of me.

Velasco, you know this guy?

Yeah, he's my neighbor.

Yeah, we got you, punk. We got you!

That's the sicko from the sketch.

He raped that girl.

I didn't rape anyone.

- Hey, we got him. - Okay.

Resemblance is close enough. Cuff him.

You mean I got him.

- My head's bleeding. - Get him to the ER.

Copy, Sarge.

Are you gonna thank me or what?

Not exactly.

You're under arrest. - Are you kidding me?

For what? - Assault.

Are you out of your mind?

♪

Okay. Copy that, Chief. Yes, I hear you.

So 1PP is being inundated with calls

from community activists from your neighborhood, Velasco.

What the hell did you do last night?

We arrested a group of vigilantes,

including my upstairs neighbor.

They thought they'd caught the rapist.

Well, did they or didn't they?

Well, he's a damn close match to the sketch.

The guy's name is Eddie Soto.

- And where is Soto now? - Saint Mark's.

He's being treated for a concussion.

Velasco's neighbor got

a little carried away with the takedown.

And Silva and Bruno are at the hospital

interrogating Soto now.

He does have a record, though.

Forcible touching. Two years ago.

Okay, so his DNA's in the system.

And where is, uh, Silva with Anna's rape kit?

I'll tell her to call the lab again.

All right, and in the meantime,

as soon as Soto is released,

bring in Moses and Anna for a lineup.

Copy that, Captain.

Well, some neighbor you have.

Yeah, the guy's a nuisance.

He likes to blast his music, he's some type of cop wannabe.

Uh-huh. And what did they charge him with?

Assault two. He's at Central Booking.

He'll be arraigned this afternoon.

Well, he seems to have deep ties

in your community, Velasco.

So how well do you know him?

Other than his bad taste in music, not at all.

Well, I suggest you get to know him

and what's going on in your neighborhood

before I get another call from the chief.

I told you I didn't do it.

You're not even gonna take my DNA?

We don't have to. You're already in the system.

The forcible touching charge from two years ago.

You remember that?

That arrest back then? I was wasted.

What's your blood alcohol now?

I wasn't drinking.

Those clowns who beat the hell out of me were.

Where... where the hell are they?

Being processed.

When do I get to go home?

Not until we clear you.

And when we get the results of the victim's rape kit

and put you in a lineup.

I'm telling you I didn't do it.

Then why don't you tell us where

you were at 7:00 a.m. yesterday?

Somewhere on my commute home from work.

What do you do?

I'm a milling machine operator.

At night?

Yeah.

I worked a late shift doing roadwork on the BQE.

Can anybody confirm that you were on your way home at 7:00?

A girlfriend, a wife?

No.

I-I'm single.

When was the last time you were in Highbridge Park?

Haven't been there in years.

So if we check your phone's GPS,

it's not gonna catch you in a lie?

No!

You have it.

Why don't you check already?

This guy look familiar?

[suspenseful music]

You're telling me that you don't see any resemblance

between him and you at all?

Yeah, kinda.

Then how do you explain that?

I'm not a rapist!

♪

Danny Rocha, on the charges of assault in the second,

how do you plead? - Not guilty, Your Honor.

People on bail?

Given the brutal nature of this crime,

people request remand.

Brutal? Are you kidding me?

Your client, armed with a baton,

led a vigilante mob to beat a man

so seriously he needed to be hospitalized.

I could charge him with attempted murder.

My client restrained a suspect

accused of assaulting two 17-year-olds.

Raped one of them.

That's brutality.

All right, enough.

Ms. Duffy, remand is an overreach.

But I'm setting bail at 10,000.

Next case.

Detective Velasco?

Angel Rocha.

Danny's grandfather. We live upstairs?

Yeah, I've seen you around and in the elevator.

How can I help you?

You can help my grandson.

He broke the law, Mr. Rocha.

[chuckles] He was trying to do what he thought was right.

Apprehending a... a rape suspect.

The one problem is that he's not a cop.

All right, so he might be a little overzealous at time.

Does this mean he deserve to sit in jail?

How am I supposed to afford to bail?

I don't have that kind of money.

That's what bondsmen are for.

[somber music]

Is this about the music?

Excuse me?

Danny told me you came up to our apartment

the other night to complain about it.

Look, I'm sorry that Danny kept you awake.

Huh?

But he doesn't deserve this.

Mr. Rocha, this has nothing to do with music.

Okay? But it is out of my hands.

But y-you're the one who arrested him.

You could talk to the ADA.

You seem to know a lot about police work.

I was on the job for 20 years.

Transit.

You know, Danny always wanted to walk in my footsteps.

He wants to be a cop.

Not anymore.

Did he ever take the test?

Yes. Never got called back.

Look, he's never been in trouble like this before.

Please don't ruin his future.

Thank you both so much for coming in.

I heard you caught the guy?

We'd just like your son to take a look at a few people.

See if you recognize anyone.

How does this work, exactly?

Well, inside that room, there'll be six men,

but they can't see you.

So if you recognize the man who attacked you,

then you're gonna identify him by his number.

Can we get started?

Take your time, Moses.

[suspenseful music]

♪

Looks a lot like number two.

[knocks on window]

Number two, step forward.

Is that the man you remember?

It looks a lot like him.

But...

Number two, remove your hat.

What, what? What is it?

I'm not sure.

There's something off.

I'm sorry, I don't think it's him.

Um, similar skin tone,

but the guy I saw, he looked more Asian.

More Asian?

Like I told you, he was dark-skinned Chino-Latino.

- Moving on? - Hold on a second. Are you...

Moses, are you sure you don't... you don't need another minute?

You can take your time.

No, I don't need to.

It's not him.

♪

No.

None of them look like the man that raped me.

Are you... are you positive?

Not 100%.

Okay, so how about you take your time?

We're not in any rush, okay?

♪

- I'm sorry. - It's okay.

[sighs softly] I saw his face.

It's not any of them.

Okay.

I need some time with my client.

What happens now?

She didn't ID him. Does he just go free?

We're still waiting for the DNA.

And some other evidence.

But thank you both so much for coming in.

Okay, I have... I have to call Carisi.

So so far, we have no real evidence

to tie Eddie Soto to this attack.

Just a sketch, which isn't admissible.

And no corporeal ID.

Okay. Thank you.

And there's no DNA.

That was the lab, and his rape kit came back.

It's not a match for Eddie.

So my pain-in-the-ass neighbor is in jail

for going after the wrong guy.

So what's the move here, Liv?

Well, our hands are tied.

We have to void his arrest.

We're back to square one. We have no suspects.

I'll, uh, notify the victims.

- Captain. - You get anything from TARU?

Park footage... they didn't capture anything substantial.

What about the sketch?

So Moses said that he may have been Asian.

Anything in the system? Facial rec?

No hits.

We even cross-checked it against Interpol.

Nothing there either.

Well, what about touch DNA?

From the lamp cord that was recovered at the scene?

Lab's still working.

So you're telling me we have nothing?

Captain, I gotta show you something.

[overlapping shouting]

All right, what is this? What are we looking at?

How come nobody sings "Kumbaya" anymore?

I don't think this country is ever gonna get back there.

We just need to get this community on our side.

How can I help?

Well, your neighborhood is on fire.

Figure out a way to... to put it out.

[tense music]

♪

- So you heard Benson. - Yeah, I heard her.

She wants me to fix whatever's going on

because she thinks this is my neighborhood.

It is, isn't it?

No, not really.

Well, let me ask you this.

How long have you lived in Washington Heights?

Four years.

It's not like I talk to anybody.

So you're telling me you moved here

all the way from Juarez just so you could

avoid talking to your neighbors here?

Look, I moved to this neighborhood

'cause the rent was cheap, all right?

You plan on moving out soon?

No.

Well, then I suggest you set up some roots here.

And how the hell am I supposed to do that?

Well, that's on you, Velasco.

What I do know is, the rapist is still out here.

And if you don't figure a way

to mobilize your own neighborhood and catch this guy

before he attacks again, Benson's gonna fire your ass.

So that guy we beat up wasn't the rapist?

- Nope. - But he does have a record.

The only thing we know for sure is that he did not rape Anna.

He looked exactly like the guy in the police sketch.

You guys must have messed that up.

Oh, it's our fault now?

Danny, Danny, take it easy.

So the real rapist is still out there.

That's what you're telling me?

Pretty much, yeah.

And what are you doing about that?

What am I doing?

I'm here. That's what I'm doing.

Now, do you wanna get out of this place or not?

What do you think?

Couldn't sleep at all.

Sound familiar?

Yeah. What do you want?

Believe it or not, I'm here to help you.

Now, how do you propose to do that?

The ADA who arraigned you...

The woman who hates me?

She talks a tough game, but I happen to know

that she does not wanna take this to trial.

My client's not pleading guilty to assault two.

She agreed to reduce the charge to assault three.

That's a misdemeanor, right?

Yeah.

You'll do community service.

She also agreed to release you, ROR, and offer an ACD.

Adjournment in contemplation of dismissal.

It's pretty good.

You know what else is good?

This deal.

Nothing on his record? We'll take it.

Why are you doing this for me?

Because I think we got off on the wrong foot.

Your grandfather told me you took the cop test.

They never called me back.

Well, there might still be a way

you can help your community.

Because the real rapist is still out there, okay?

And the people in this neighborhood,

the way they feel about us, nobody wants to cooperate.

And those people marching on the street,

they have your back.

They seem to trust you.

So what do you need from me?

I need your help.

[soft upbeat music]

[overlapping chatter]

Good to see you again, Sergeant.

Nice to meet you, Danny.

Here's more of the flyers.

Thanks. This is gonna help a lot.

Please keep a lookout.

The kid's good.

Hey, guys, I think I wanna canvass a few blocks south.

What do you say?

Yeah, who's a good boy?

You see anyone who looks like him

or hear any rumors, let us know.

There's an anonymous tip line

in case you don't wanna give out your name.

Spread the word.

[dog panting]

How am I doing, Detective?

No complaints so far.

Wow. First time since I met you.

All right, come on.

We still got a lot of ground to cover.

The tip line's ringing off the hook,

but so far, no solid leads.

Well, at least people are calling.

What about the canvass?

Well, the neighborhood's finally

getting all kumbaya about it.

[phone buzzes] - Well, good.

That means what Velasco did is working.

A little forgiveness can go a long way.

Okay.

Lab got back with touch DNA on that lamp cord.

Other than the two vics, the homeless guy, two males.

Okay. They in the system?

One is. Omar Aziz, 52.

Well, what's his record?

Doesn't have one.

But he's ex-military.

All right, but his DNA is not on Anna's rape kit.

No, just the cord.

Right, so how do you explain that?

Says he's a manager at a dollar store

in Washington Heights.

All right, so find out if they sell lamp cords

and see if he remembers who they sold it to.

[sighs]

Yo. NYPD.

- What's going on? - We're looking for Omar Aziz.

My manager?

He's probably in the back in his office.

Can I help you, officers?

Omar Aziz.

What's this about?

We're investigating an assault

on two teens in Highbridge Park two days ago.

Yes, I heard about it.

Yo, your DNA was on a lamp cord found at the scene.

It was used to tie up the vics.

I had nothing to do with it.

Hmm.

Well, maybe you know someone who did.

Do you sell lamp cords here?

I'll show you.

[suspenseful music]

♪

That's it.

You sell any of these cords lately?

I'd have to check.

All right. We'll wait.

And we need a list of all your employees.

♪

So Omar Aziz is not our rapist.

What about his employees?

Most of the cashiers are women,

and the only two male stock boys had alibis

and gave DNA samples.

But we did show Omar the sketch.

And?

He vaguely recalled

a guy looking like that buying a lamp cord a week ago.

But the guy paid cash.

So no help there. Any cameras?

Not inside the store.

There's a few across the street that we're checking.

And there's no other reports

of anyone getting assaulted with a lamp cord?

- Not that we can find. - Okay.

Well, he could be a first-time offender.

If he is, he found his MO pretty quick.

We put a public safety team outside all stores

that sell lamp cord in the surrounding area.

And we haven't found one person

who recognizes the sketch?

No, but after what happened to Eddie Soto,

I think people are just afraid

of pointing the finger at the wrong guy.

So you know what?

We keep at it, we keep at it.

[notifications chiming]

Attempted rape, 167th Street and Riverside Drive.

Vic had a lamp cord wrapped around her wrist.

Witnesses spotted the perp running from the scene.

We all head up there.

I'm calling in support.

Not letting this guy get away again.

Chief.

Chief, I need a tactical patrol unit.

I have a rape suspect fleeing on foot at 167 and Riverside.

[tense music]

Captain! What do we got?

As you requested, we formed a four-block perimeter

from 158 to 165th.

Okay. You set up roadblocks on Broadway?

Checking everyone. Cars, trucks.

We got unis, task force canvassing.

What about apprehension teams?

Search teams? - They're going door to door.

- Any update on the perp? - Same.

Witness saw him run up Riverside

wearing a ripped shirt.

Great, okay. Thank you, Captain.

And where's our vic?

Around the corner in the bus.

Okay, great.

- Are you all right, Velasco? - Yeah, all good.

All right, guys, I'm gonna go take the victim's statement.

Keep searching, find witnesses.

On it, Liv.

[suspenseful music]

Benson's got a full NYPD platoon on the ground.

Yeah, she ain't playing.

Detective Velasco!

Danny, what are you doing here?

I want to help!

I'll meet you over there.

We got a full mobilization down here already, okay?

We're good.

Could have been me, you know.

It still can.

- After failing the test... - You didn't fail.

You just didn't get called back.

- Can I at least help, though? - No.

Not if it means that you gotta spend another night in Rikers.

I won't do anything stupid, I promise...

Danny.

You've done enough.

But we didn't catch this guy yet.

You activated a whole community.

Somebody called in an attempted rape because of what you did.

It's my neighborhood.

I grew up here.

I just don't want you to get into any more trouble.

Okay?

♪

Okay, Lina, how are you holding up?

- I'm good. - Yeah?

You up for a few questions?

Yeah, I wanna catch this guy.

Okay. Um, can you describe him?

Under 6 feet,

somewhere in his 30s, and Filipino.

That's very helpful.

Um, can I show you something?

Yeah.

Okay.

Did he look like this?

Yeah, that was him.

Okay, very good.

So, Lina, tell me... tell me what happened.

I was parking my Citi Bike, and...

and he came up from behind me and grabbed me,

and that's when I saw the box cutter.

Uh-huh. And did he say anything?

He just said, "quiet,"

and... and he forced me into the bushes, and...

All right, take... take your time.

It's okay.

And... and he threw me on the ground

and he got on top of me

and he tried to tie my wrists up with an electrical wire.

And then what happened?

Well, the box cutter, it scared me.

But the... the cord, it really freaked me out.

I get claustrophobic and I was not gonna let him tie me up.

So I kicked him hard right in the nuts.

Okay, good for you.

Good thinking.

I just... I ripped his shirt and I got out from under him

and I... I ran the hell away.

All right.

Um, is there anything else about him, any other detail

you can... [door opens]

- Lina. - Mama.

Baby.

- I'm okay, I'm okay. - Sure.

Your daughter is tough.

I know. I raised her to be.

Okay.

Wait. One more thing.

I think this guy might have been born in April.

What makes you say that?

He had a tattoo of a ram, like the Zodiac.

It was on his neck.

I saw it when I ripped his shirt.

Thank you, Lina. That's, um, quite helpful.

You take care.

♪

[indistinct radio chatter]

How is she?

She can ID him.

He has a tattoo.

It's an Aries symbol on his neck.

- I'll alert the team. - Great.

Storm's gathering.

Certainly looks like it.

Yeah, it looks like the retaliation committee.

We have to find this guy before they do.

I have a report.

A group chasing a man

who fits the perp's description near 164th.

That's three blocks away. Let's move, let's move!

All right, follow me!

[siren wailing]

[tense music]

♪

- They caught the rapist! - Don't let him get away!

Get back, get back, get back!

- Hey! - Danny!

- NYPD! - Danny, come on!

- Get back! - Get the people back!

You heard the man! Everybody get back!

Get back! - Get back!

- Back it up! - Hey, don't do this!

Just let the police do their job!

You've done enough!

I don't know what any of this is about.

No?

I've always heard Aries were stubborn.

Cuff him.

And take him to the hospital.

♪

SVU captain to Central. We got one under.

So we've confirmed that James Aquino

is the Highbridge Park rapist.

His DNA was a match

for the lamp cord found at the scene and Anna's rape kit.

And he lives a block from the park.

We found another brand-new lamp cord in his apartment.

And with Lina's ID of both his face and his tattoo,

I think Carisi has enough to get him

on predatory sexual assault, rape,

and attempted rape in the first.

All right, so you two wanna let Anna and Moses know?

- On it, Captain. - Okay. Go, then.

Also, uh, all of you, take... take the rest of the night off.

- Sounds good. - Yeah.

Before you clock out, uh, my office.

Something wrong?

Wrong?

Uh, no, Velasco, I...

I called you in here because I wanted

to pay you a compliment about how you handled this case.

Oh.

Thanks.

You know, I'm still digging into it, though.

How do you mean?

Well, I started checking cold cases in the Bronx,

Brooklyn, Queens, anything with a similar MO.

Okay, well, let me know if you find anything.

It wasn't just me.

You know, the neighborhood really came together.

Well, I can tell you why.

Two words.

[soft music]

Command presence.

You showed real leadership, Velasco.

- Thanks, Captain. - Yeah.

Go home.

Get some sleep, will ya?

[sighs]

I'll try. - [chuckles]

♪

Mr. Rocha?

Hey. Thanks for meeting me, mm?

Is everything okay with Danny?

Oh, yeah.

I just wanted to talk to you.

About?

What you did for him. [chuckles]

You're a stand-up guy.

Can I buy you a beer?

Sure.

Mr. Rocha, how you doing?

Hey, I want you to meet my friend here.

I know you. You're that cop, right?

- Joe. - Ah, nice to meet you.

I'm Rudy. - Can we get a table?

One of my regulars? Anything.

Hector, get that table bussed.

[upbeat Puerto Rican music playing]

Two beers.

You're off duty, right?

I am now.

Ah.

What?

You never been in here before?

No.

It's just around the corner from our building.

Yeah, I work a lot.

Yeah, I remember those days.

You know, I might be a little older than you,

but you and I, we're not that different.

How so?

I wasn't born in New York.

I came from Puerto Rico.

[indistinct chatter]

What, um...

what made you choose Washington Heights?

Uh, back then,

they didn't want people like us below 96th Street.

Right.

♪

So what are we toasting to?

Being a cop.

[bottles clink] Mm?

My career's over, but yours is just beginning.

So is your reputation.

At least around here.

Yeah, I don't know about that.

Well, I do.

[chuckles]

Trust me.

From now on,

people around here are gonna remember your name.

♪

Mrs. Beltran, we caught the guy

and he's down at the station being booked as we speak.

So that's good news.

That's very good news.

And the man that we caught tonight, Aquino, well, uh,

we confirmed that it's the same guy

who assaulted your daughter.

He also tried to rape another girl earlier tonight.

She managed to get away. She helped us ID him.

Is it over?

W-what happens now?

Will our kids have to testify?

There are no guarantees,

but our ADA feels pretty confident

with all the evidence, Aquino will probably take a plea.

We appreciate the work you did, detectives.

Thank you.

Gotta admit, I'm kinda jealous.

Of what?

You know any of your neighbors, Silva?

Nah, this is New York.

I thought we were supposed to ignore our neighbors.

Yeah, I thought that too.

Well, maybe we should change that.

You first.

Let me know how that goes.

[engine turns over]

Velasco.

Got your call. You a'ight?

Yeah.

Just wanted to talk to you about something.

- What is it? Liv? - No, we're good.

Believe it or not, she actually gave me a compliment.

She told me that I have command presence.

Command presence, huh?

That means she thinks you're a good cop.

Well, speaking of which, Danny Rocha,

he wants to become one.

I was thinking maybe we can help him out

by giving him some more hands-on experience.

- We? - Yeah.

You got a friend in the Community Affair Bureau, right?

Yeah, the Auxiliary Police.

So maybe you could give him a call for me.

Well, you know what, Velasco?

Since you have command presence,

how 'bout I give you his number and you make the call?

Doing okay here, Joe?

Yeah, we're good, brother.

Can I get you anything? Beer's on the house.

On the house?

That's what I'm talking about. Let's go.

They know you around here, huh?

What can I say?

This is my neighborhood.

[lock clicks]

[sighs]

[upbeat music playing upstairs]

♪

[pounding on door]

♪

Oh, sorry. Is this about the music?

[chuckling] No.

Wanted to give you something.

What's this?

Well, since you didn't get a call back

after your police exam,

I found an NYPD Auxiliary Police program.

Auxiliary, huh?

I know it's not the same, but

you get to ride around in a cop car

and help with non-enforcement police issues

like crowd control and traffic.

Yeah, honestly, I don't know anymore, man.

You never know.

This could lead to something else.

Plus, I already put in a call for you.

I got you assigned to a neighborhood

that could use somebody like you.

Which one?

This one.

Do I get to wear a uniform?

Yeah, you do.

So give me a call on that number

and I'll get you in touch with the right guy, all right?

Oh, and Danny?

Huh?

Turn the music down.

♪

[dramatic music]

♪

[wolf howls]