Original subtitles

Major Crimes - 04x07 - Targets of Opportunity

It's been 30 minutes.

Why are the bodies of L.A.P.D. officers

still lying in the street?

S.O.B. was required to secure the scene

and set up a safe zone before they could be removed.

A safe zone?

Chief Taylor, why do we need a safe zone?

You haven't been receiving my counter-terrorism reports,

which tell me law enforcement is extremely vulnerable

when it masses like this.

To ambush?

Ask yourself, captain...

In the past year, have police departments

become more or less popular?

Let's make sure tonight is as bad as things get.

Detail.

Atten-hut!

Our fallen officers... James Leary, age 42,

and Leigh Ann Tracy, only 23.

We're just now getting to the dead civilian in the Honda.

But it looks like he was shot with the same gun.

Do we know why Officers Leary and Tracy

might have stopped the Honda?

No, and their dash cam wasn't on.

- Light bar was off, too. - Got a copy of the last radio transmission.

Doesn't help very much.

7-Adam-33, be advised, the driver's license number

you inquired about does not exist.

Copy that. Thank you.

Okay, so your I.D.

And the name you gave us are fake, Mr. Prescott.

Big surprise.

So who are you?

You won't be able to hide behind Spanish where we're taking you.

Might as well drop it now.

Okay, have it your way.

Come on, Trace.

You have to know someplace romantic.

I told you, the restaurant on top of the hotel.

Think of somewhere you can afford to take someone.

Okay... budget romance.

McDonald's has take-out, Leary.

Okay, Mr. Prescott.

So, if these passport cards are as fake

as your driver's license, you are going to be

in Agua Caliente con americanos federales, comprende?

You want to help us or I.C.E.?

Hell's going on up there?

Weird way to pull someone over.

Yeah.

Maybe they need help.

Stay here with Mr. Prescott.

I'll be right back.

Put us code 6.

How you doing, officer?

I, uh, pulled this guy over...

Get down!

Officer Leary never drew his weapon,

but Officer Tracy had time

to return fire before she was wounded.

And, Captain, when they removed the body,

there were two bullet impacts and fragments on the sidewalk.

So she was executed.

But most of the shots fired this way

came from between here and the Honda, ma'am.

Officer Tracy's weapon wasn't with the body.

Where did it go?

Julio, you get the headlights, please.

No, no, no, no!

- What are you doing?! - Had no choice.

No, no, no, no!

Get in the car.

- Shit! - Let's go! Get in the car!

Damn it.

What are you trying to determine?

If I could tell the man in the Honda's dead from here,

but I can't

so our officers didn't stop for that.

- I need my witness. - What witness?

Tracy and Leary had an arrestee in the back of the car,

- the notional Mr. Prescott. - Ah.

Right, arrested for selling fake passport cards.

But this driver's license isn't so bad, either.

Where are the fake passport cards?

Launching facial recognition program now.

Okay, driver's wallet is gone, but we found

his license and registration on his lap.

As if he was pulled over by us?

Well, it's the first thing we usually ask for.

And there's blood spatter.

Peppars. Gordon Peppars.

No record... no wants or warrants.

But on the receiving end

of two bullets to the chest and one in the neck.

Haven't done a liver temp yet,

but I'm gonna say inside an hour and a half.

Based on what?

An ATM receipt I found in his pocket.

He withdrew $300 95 minutes ago.

- And the money? - Not on his person.

Buzz, track down the ATM Mr. Peppars used.

See if the security cameras caught his transaction.

- Yes, ma'am. - Captain, folks.

Okay, this is, uh, our patrol car...

that belonged to our two dead officers.

Here is our Honda.

And this is right over here.

S.I.D. says that we have a... an extremely fresh skid mark,

indicating a third vehicle.

Which must have left the scene.

So Officers Leary and Tracy notice what?

Was it an altercation between two drivers?

Was it someone robbing Mr. Peppars?

Why did they pull over?

Facial recognition strikes again,

at least on one passport card.

Paco Lopez.

He's got a record.

Oh, the record doesn't cover it.

Paco's high up in MS-13.

And they run El Salvador now.

For a gang that imports drugs and exports arms,

I.D.s like these are gold, ma'am.

I just got a hit from I.C.E. from a print found

on the fake Mr. Prescott's driver's license.

His real name is Enrico Fornes.

Salvadorian national, deported 17 months ago.

El Salvador... that's twice.

Same guy Tracy and Leary picked up.

Fornes... Diego Fornes is a big shot in MS-13.

If this kid Enrico is related to him,

that could be the reason why

our Officers Tracy and Leary were killed, ma'am.

All right, let's talk through this.

Our officers arrest this Enrico Fornes in the park.

Someone sees it. They call his gang.

The gang sets up, uh, this decoy, poor Mr. Peppars here.

Our officers pull over to help Mr. Peppars,

for which they are assassinated.

But...

If these murders are part of an escape plan,

why did our escapee Enrico

kick through the windows of our Explorer?

He is involved, yes.

But how?

Is he our suspect?

Or is he our only witness?

Either way, we've got to find him.

Our fellow police officers and first responders grieve

along with the families of our fallen

who gave their lives to protect and serve

the city of Los Angeles.

Could you turn that down? I can't hear.

We ask the public for their help to commu...

- What? - Exactly.

Listen to this message again.

Hey, yeah, Rusty?

My name's Gustavo Wallace, and I want you

to tell your friend Alice that I love her,

and I love Paloma, too,

and that I know I made mistakes and I want to fix them.

Tell her I'm sorry about Vegas,

but I need to know where everybody is.

Call me back immediately at 667-555-0127.

I need to hear from you, please.

So, all the reverse-number lookup gets me

is the phone store where this guy bought his prepaid cell.

What if this Gustavo guy is like a human trafficker?

What if that apology he made

is for all those burn marks on Alice's back?

What if he shows up with a gun?

I'll meet him in a public place.

Look...

We've only been friends for, like, a month.

But if there's one thing that's totally obvious about you,

it's that you're... you're overconfident.

You need to know more about this Gustavo

before meeting up with him.

Seriously.

What if there was a way we could get

a police background report on him?

How? You said you couldn't involve your mom.

And it looks like she's crazy busy right now.

I won't say all roads lead to MS-13 extracting

Enrico Fornes from our patrol car,

but it does look possible.

What makes this Enrico kid so valuable

MS-13 would kill two cops to get him back?

Before I.C.E. deported him last year,

Enrico lived in the United States

from the time he was three years old

through his sophomore year at Arizona State.

He knows America like an American, sir,

which makes him useful to his uncle, Diego Fornes,

who runs the Southern half of El Salvador, sir.

In short, chief, whether this young man

was directly or indirectly involved,

he is a valuable witness and could probably give us

insights into the most dangerous gang in our hemisphere.

Unless he's the reason our two officers

were shot to death in the street,

in which case, he's responsible for murder

and his insights matter less to me than his arrest.

Well, meanwhile, Metro has grabbed this gangster

that we identified off of those fake passport cards.

Uh, maybe this guy can tell us more about this Enrico kid.

I'm not holding off on a full-out pursuit of the boy

for that long.

I want his face released to every law-enforcement officer

in the southwest and every damn news show.

- I... - Chief, wait.

- What, captain? - At this point,

Enrico doesn't know we've identified him.

He walked off with Tracy's sidearm.

Chief, the Captain's right.

Enrico Fornes is not some ordinary immigrant gang member.

If he identifies more as an American

than as a gang member, I think he's...

Release the picture.

Tell the press he's a person of interest

with gang affiliations, and warn the public

that he is likely armed and dangerous.

That's an order.

And let's hope MS-13

doesn't have something bigger in the works for us.

Um, Captain.

You asked for a moment to sit down

and discuss an issue in your division.

Yes.

It'll keep.

The L.A.P.D. is on the lookout this afternoon

for 20-year-old Enrico Fornes,

who's been named a person of interest

into the killing of two police officers.

We need to get out of L.A.

No, I-I-I'm not going back to El Salvador.

We'll get our car out of the shop

and drive you to Arizona, okay?

We can stay at my cousin's house.

We can't even pay our rent,

much less pull our car out of the shop.

I'll write a check for it.

By the time it bounces, we'll be...

L.A.P.D.

Hide. Hide.

Un momento!

Open the door, ma'am.

Good morning.

We're looking for Enrico Fornes.

We heard he lived in the building.

Mm-hmm.

You live alone?

Sola. You live sola.

Esta sola?

But you do know that guy, don't you?

Are you protecting him?

'Cause that guy is a cop killer. Do you understand?

Mucho mal-o hombre.

Entiendes?

Your neighbor told us he drives a red Taurus.

Uh, caro rojo, donde esta?

Ah.

- Towed. - Towed?

His car was towed? When? Where?

Come over here.

She knows so much more than she's letting on.

So I say...

Let me work her over right now, right here.

- No, no, no, listen. - Stop... stop talking.

Listen, man.

Don't forget what Jorge told us when we were in County.

Stop.

MS-13 protects this whole complex for a reason.

We're in enough trouble without pissing them off, all right?

So just calm down, all right?

Look, we're watching your whole neighborhood.

- Do you... - All right.

Look, if Enrico drives back here

in a red Taurus and knocks on your door...

Hey, what's in here? Did you check this?

Okay.

We're okay.

Look.

You see this guy, you call this number, huh?

And we catch him, it's $10,000 for you and your baby, huh?

That's good, right?

Get the reward, honey.

Call us.

Yes, I understand, ma'am.

But you're calling the wrong number.

If your husband is harassing you,

hang up right now and dial 911.

Sharon.

Oh, sorry, I can't stop right now.

We're managing two searches, 30 extra officers,

and at least that many volunteers.

Anything I can do to help?

I could use an extra pair of hands.

Uh, what do I do?

Well, these tip sheets are marked with a 1, 2, or 3.

1s take priority. Bring those to me or to Lieutenant Tao.

3s are least useful.

Now, the names on the 2s need to be run

back through criminal history, which is operating over there.

So, you do... you do background checks

on people calling in tips?

People turn in their bosses,

their ex-boyfriends, their landlords.

We need to establish a tipster's credibility...

Make sure that they don't have

any outstanding warrants or criminal records.

Welcome to the process of elimination.

Yeah, thank you.

Captain, a P.R. claims he drove

by two police vehicles at the crime scene.

- Two? - Mm-hmm.

Did he see any shooting?

Couldn't say, but... ugh... He's been in and out

of court-ordered rehab,

so he's probably a tipsy tipster.

Two police cars, and the registration

and license were in Mr. Peppar's lap.

Captain, we have Paco Lopez in Interview One.

As you might expect, he knows absolutely nothing

about why his face is on a fake passport card.

Let's see if we can improve his memory.

Buzz, we're up.

That looks like me, but it's not me.

Too bad, because a dude who looks like you

is about to go back to prison for violating his parole.

No way.

I don't break no rules at all, man.

I cross with the light, you get what I'm saying?

Tell us about Enrico Fornes.

- Who? - Fornes.

How about his uncle back in El Salvador, Diego Fornes?

I think he's 40, maybe 50.

I think he's retired, or maybe dead.

Things move real quick in El Salvador, man.

Things move even quicker here, man.

Let's talk about the three problems you have right now.

One... you violated parole

by purchasing a fake passport card.

What? It's not even my name on it.

We're not pausing to define "fake" for you, paco.

Two... we turn you over to the FBI

for counterfeiting federal I.D.s,

which is an act of terrorism.

Oh, terrorism.

You understand that. That's good.

Here's your third problem.

Tell us what you know about Enrico Fornes...

Where he lives, where he works, what kind of car he drives...

Right now, or the moment that you are finished serving

your state prison sentence,

you join the feds for the rest of your life.

How does that sound?

Enrico is nothing, okay?

An errand boy, a gopher.

- Who does he go for? - I'm not a terrorist.

I'm an American citizen.

Do you want a list of Americans charged with terrorism

and the federal penitentiaries

where they are spending the rest of their lives?

How about this, Paco?

We put you back in state prison

to finish off the last year and a half on your assault beef

so it doesn't look like you helped us,

and this passport issue just goes away.

That sucks.

What about, um, Witness Protection?

It takes too long.

Do you want to spend the rest of your life in prison,

or do you want to tell us what you know about Enrico?

Echo.

Echo... he works for Echo.

Checking the gang moniker database for Echos.

- Echo who? - I don't know the dude's last name. Echo.

Come on. Echo, man. Enrico, he drives a red Taurus.

Two Echos, one's dead.

That narrows it down. Who's the other Echo?

Ah, Echo.

So, let's talk about Enrico Fornes.

Who?

Careful, careful, careful!

That's very, very, very, very sensitive...

Sorry, I'm just a girl, and this 3-D printer

we found at your house... whew, it's heavy.

What are you using this printer for, Echo?

Uh, I'm an artist.

An artist.

I... I make collages.

I... I copy things.

I make copies of my art pieces.

Huh, you copy holograms

and embed R.F.I.D. microchips in your artwork?

Oh.

This is very impressive.

So, how much do these little art projects of yours go for?

Those? Those aren't mine.

I've never seen that before in my life.

Let's start over, shall we?

Aah!

That's... that's a one-of-a-kind 3-D hybrid

printer/scanner of my own design.

I'd be in a lot of trouble if it breaks,

which is why I asked you to be mindful

of it's very... very...

delicate calibration.

Oh, we are extra mindful.

Now, Enrico works for you, right?

Not directly.

But I work with a subcontractor

who hired Rico to... yes, yes, yes, yes!

He works for me! Delivery only!

Please, that scanner is... that scanner's...

It's very important nothing happen to it.

Where does Rico live?

Look, you don't understand, okay?

Deputy Chief Howard, we are about to need a rapid response team.

But his uncle... his uncle is...

- Oh, God! - Aah!

Sykes, you're right. This little sucker is heavy.

I don't know how much longer I can hold it up.

I gave him a ride home once! Just once!

Please, put the printer down!

I'll give you his address.

L.A.P.D. Stay right there. Don't move.

Clear.

Go.

- donde esta Enrico Fornes? - Clear.

All clear.

Where are you packing to go?

Hey.

- Where's Rico? - donde esta Rico?

I don't know where Rico is.

And if I did, I wouldn't tell you.

Pick up line two!

Oh, hey.

Thank you for helping out today.

Now you really are a member of a cop's family.

And are you... are you any closer to finding your killer?

Possibly.

We've taken a young woman into custody.

She might be able to help us.

She's not feeling very talkative.

Keep up the good work.

Yeah.

Come here, Ms. Martinez.

Come on.

Look out here.

See all these people?

You have any idea what they're doing?

Looking for Rico?

That's right. Do you know why?

They don't know where he is.

And I don't, either.

Actually, Emmy, we know that he stopped

by your apartment after the shootings

because he left behind this envelope

full of counterfeit passport cards.

And since we found those cards in your apartment,

you're criminally liable for them.

Is that why you read me my rights?

- Partially. - But it turns out

you harbored Rico knowing he was wanted.

That's a crime, and if Rico's a murderer, that makes you

an accomplice after the fact to a triple homicide.

And if he's connected to gangs, Emmy...

Oh, my God, you people! Rico's not in a gang.

He's paying his uncle for helping

get him back across the border.

By distributing fake passports to MS-13 gang members?

And stealing weapons off of dead police officers.

When you saw him last, did Rico have a gun?

I don't know anything about a gun.

You say Rico's not in a gang,

he doesn't have any friends or family nearby.

- We're not from California. - Where's he hiding?

Look.

Let me explain this to you.

I don't want the reward you're offering.

We're not offering a reward for Rico.

- The other cops said you were. - What other cops?

The ones who came looking for Rico this morning.

Nicer cops. They knocked.

Did we have people canvassing her neighborhood this morning?

- All over the place. - What's this about a reward?

Probably confused it with something she heard on TV.

Un momento.

Okay.

I heard that, when we stopped by your apartment this morning,

you were packing a suitcase... You were going somewhere.

Was it in Rico's car?

- Where's Rico's car? - I don't know.

It's not parked on the street. It's not in impound.

- Where is it? - It's a piece of crap!

It's in the shop. It doesn't even run.

What shop?! Where is your car being repaired?!

Why?

Because if Rico's planning an escape in that vehicle

and he's armed...

Ms. Martinez, we need to know what garage

Rico's car is in right now,

or it is very likely that your baby

is going to grow up without a father.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Get out of here.

That's him! That's him, guys!

Air Two to the two S.I.S. units, suspect is on the move.

I repeat, suspect is on the move

wearing a light gray hoodie.

Suspect is going through the backyards

of the houses on 42nd Street.

Okay, give me a second, guys. I lost him between the trees.

I lost him under some trees. Give me a second.

Okay, I got your guy again. He's coming southbound still.

Suspect is still on foot.

He is headed out towards Figueroa.

Suspect is on the street. He is right in front of you.

Policia! Policia! On the ground!

Hands on the ground!

You have the right to remain silent.

Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.

You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one,

one will be appointed to you by the courts.

Let's start with a simple question, Mr. Fornes.

Why you?

Why was your gang desperate enough

to kill two cops and an innocent man

in order to get you back?

Is that the way you answered questions

during your two years at Arizona State University?

I swear I didn't see anything.

What do you know? Instant English.

Mr. Fornes, we're all very interested

in what happened to you last night.

I didn't see anything.

You were handcuffed, not blindfolded.

I didn't have anything to do with those cops getting killed.

Those officers have names.

This is Officer Leary.

This is Officer Tracy.

They have families.

Officer Leary has three kids.

Officer Tracy has parents and brothers.

Or do you not care about any of that?

Of course I care. It's awful.

But you fled the scene.

Because I didn't want to get deported again.

Look, I don't... I don't know shit about El Salvador.

I may not be an American, but I spent my whole life here.

All right, so is there nothing that you can do?

The I.N.S. is the least of your problems, son.

You either killed these two police officers,

or you're covering up for who did.

If you're worried about MS-13,

we can protect you, even in prison.

Look, the gang wasn't there, all right.

You don't know.

You really don't know. It was cops killing cops.

Cops on cops.

That's a new one.

There was a tip to that effect.

Somebody reported seeing two police cars there.

And somebody offered Rico's girlfriend a reward.

And it wasn't us.

You actually saw police officers

shooting at other police officers.

Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

O-o-okay, here... Um, Officer Leary

and Officer Tracy were with you in a police vehicle.

These other officers were where?

They were in a black charger.

And they almost picked me up twice...

At my apartment and at the garage.

- At the garage. - Look, if you're gonna frame me,

there's nothing I can do about it.

- Maybe they heard us coming. - I'm not a citizen.

- I don't have any rights, okay? - Look, kid.

If it really was cops shooting cops...

Nobody wants to catch dirty cops more than we do.

That's why you're hunting me instead of them.

Look, now that I told you what you already knew, I want a lawyer.

If what you're telling us is true, you're a witness.

Witnesses don't get lawyers.

Look, if we find these dirty cops...

Let's... Let's assume that they're fake cops.

If we find them and arrest them, you can identify them?

Yeah.

- Yes? - Yes.

It's like Detective Sanchez just said.

That would make you a material witness.

And if all of this turns out to be true...

Let me think about this for a second.

This is the tip sheet.

Chief, do you know if there were any reports

of imposter cops shaking down people in that area?

Not in the last few weeks.

But that kind of stuff has always gone down

in the poor parts of town.

Our civilian victim, he had just pulled money out of an ATM.

Yes, the attached security camera only saw Mr. Peppars.

But that ATM was in a grocery store.

Easy enough to spot the old man getting his cash.

Shaking down a guy at an ATM machine?

That's what this is about, and two cops are dead?

Okay, look, you've been asking a lot of questions. Let me get in one.

If those guys that killed the officers that I was with...

If they're not really cops, then how did they find me twice?

Well, probably because we plastered

your picture and your name

all over television.

And you're a relative of one

of the most notorious gangsters on earth.

If these other cops are professional lowlifes,

they would know who's who in their neighborhood, ma'am.

Yeah, t-they came to my apartment.

They offered my girlfriend a reward to turn me in.

That's right.

And how is she supposed to do that, turn you in?

Hi, this is Emmy.

You came by the apartment looking for Rico.

Yes, I speak English.

I'm sorry for misleading you, but I was scared.

Look, is the reward still good?

No, he... he escaped from the police again,

and he came by the apartment,

but I couldn't see letting him stay.

He's trying to get out of the country.

He's afraid of his uncle now. He screwed up, so he...

He's going to see a priest who offered him help.

At St. Andrew's Church.

Father Provenza.

He helps people go back and forth into Mexico.

There he is.

Pull up on the next block.

Hey, where are you going? I got this.

Stay in the car and watch the back.

Try not to kill anyone.

Hey, buddy.

Where can I find Father Provenza?

He's right behind you.

If you're seeking a shortcut to hell, my son,

you've come to the right place.

Hands behind your head. Down on your knees now.

That's him.

That's one of the guys.

I'm sorry. Officer, can you help me?

- What do you want? - For you to remain very still.

Hands on the roof.

Whatever the hell your name is,

you're under arrest for murder.

You have the right to remain silent.

If you give up that right, anything you say

can and will be used against you in a court of law.

You have the right to an attorney,

if you cannot afford one, one will be appointed for you.

Get up against the wall, you waste of flesh.

You can't always go by appearances.

- Just because he has an arrest or two... - Or three of four.

Doesn't mean Gustavo is a terrible person.

If you look too hard at anyone's past...

You'd find a violation of Nevada Statue

200.471, subsection "B."

"Assault with a deadly weapon"?

Hey, I'm about to bless all our volunteers.

- You'll miss my homily. - No, I won't.

Congrats on catching the killers, though.

Um, who were they?

Oh, well.

You'd hope that they had been terrorists

or master criminals and that our people

had died fighting the worst of the worst.

But they were a couple of ex-cons

playing dress-up and shaking down old people.

Hmm.

Well, at least we got them off the streets.

And you... you... well, it was great

seeing you out there today, lending a hand.

Yeah, makes me feel that my sterling personal example

hasn't been completely wasted on you.

Ahh.

Uh, didn't you say you needed to, like, bless your flock?

Oh, um, yeah. Indeed I do.

And, uh, it's good to see you again...

- T.J. - T.J.!

T.J.

Um, you know, Patrice and I

should have you two over for dinner or something.

Yeah.

Maybe I can remember to ask her.

You're right.

You can't always go on appearances.

Are you talking about my day as a volunteer?

Because I've hardly ever felt crappier

about anything I've ever done, and that's saying something.

Pretending I was here to help.

Yeah... Damn it, I should have been here to help.

And w-what does it matter what this Gustavo guy did, anyway?

He knew Alice and her sister.

I have to meet him.

Okay.

But at least now you know to take precautions.

And also to take me with you.

You need me there.

This deal requires you to testify truthfully in court

as to what you saw the night our two officers were murdered.

And your passport card charges go away.

In the meantime, we put you and Emmy in Witness Protection,

straighten out yours

and your parents' immigration status,

and hopefully put you back in college.

The other part of the deal... and to be honest,

the one that's paying a lot of the freight here...

Requires you and your mom and dad

to offer the FBI insights

into your uncle's business and personal life.

And you will need to be extremely up front.

It's the best we could do.

Wow.

When I, uh...

I lived in this country from my third birthday.

I grew up in American schools.

I spent my whole life pledging allegiance

to flag of the United States.

And when I'm 19, I get deported

to a country I didn't even remember,

where I was in danger every day,

and I was told never to come home.

And now i-it's all okay?

'Cause... 'Cause I... 'Cause I witnessed a murder,

like, maybe I can stay here legally?

I mean, come on.

How is that right, man?

Rico, there are 1,000 different answers to that question.

And we don't have any of them.

Murder is not a political issue.

It is the ultimate betrayal of human rights.

If you really want justice for you and your family,

it begins right here with your signature.

Okay.