All language subtitles for Law and order S15E17 - License to Kill

the people are represented by two
separate yet equally important groups,

the police
who investigate crime

and the district attorneys
who prosecute the offenders.

These are their stories.

Luis, you got
this order wrong.

I'm not doing it.

The guy wants it with egg whites.
What do you care?

I will not make bacalao
guisado with egg whites.

Hey, you know, I'm sick of all of
these bfanquitos coming in here

with all their
special requests.

Oh, no cilantro, put
the ajo on the side.

Just fix it.

I'll have that for you
in just a second.

Do you have any Equal?
No. Just sugar.

(CRASHING)

(PEOPLE SCREAMING)

DOA's a male, white, early forties.
Smashed his head on the windshield.

Damn. Dude did
some serious damage.

Our friend here have a name?
No ID on him.

Well, that's one citation,
driving without a license.

We put a call over the air to
track the registered owner.

ED: Was he talking
on his cell phone?

Didn't see one.
There was a male, white,

late teens,
in the passenger seat.

A busjust took him over
to Columbia Presbyterian.

How bad is he?
Pretty banged up,

complained about
abdominal pains.

Kept asking
for his dad.

Damn, that's rough.
Any bystanders hurt?

A waitress
and six customers.

Three of them had to be
taken out on stretchers.

One broke an arm, two got
pretty cut up by flying glass.

Freaking miracle
nobody else got killed.

Well, you know, it sounds like a pretty
straightforward case of lousy driving.

Why call us, Sarge?

Lady says she saw a another
car running lights,

chasing this one
down the block.

ED: What do you mean, like road rage?
LEONETTI: Something.

They caused a city bus
to stop in its tracks.

Driver had to jam on his brakes,
bounced a lot of passengers around.

Well, were any of them
seriously hurt?

LEONETTI: None of them
needed medical attention.

Wait till
they find lawyers.

After the crash, the witness says the
second car hauled ass out of here.

Whatever happened tojust
flipping somebody the bird?

I was waiting here
for the M-4 bus,

and I hear these
screeching tires.

I turn and I see these two cars,
like racing or something.

What do you
mean, "racing"?

They both ran the light.
The SUV got cut off,

so he tried to beat the
other guy around the bus.

And he just flew
into the restaurant.

What did the other
car look like?

It was dark green, just a
regular car, like a Honda.

Was it like a Honda,
or a Honda?

I... I... I got the license.
Great.

It was definitely an "R"
and a seven in there.

Maybe a seven?

Oh, oh, it had one of those
yellow ribbons on the back of it.

You know,
"Support Our Troops."

Definitely a dark blue
Toyota sedan.

Somewhere between a royal blue and
more like a midnight blue, maybe.

He almost killed a couple of
kids at the intersection.

Did you see the plates?
Not really.

What... What did catch my eye
is he had one of those, uh...

Yellow ribbons on the
back of the car.

For the troops?
Which is weird, right?

I mean, usually you see
them on the big SUVs.

Like maybe the troops wouldn't
be over there in the first place

if jerks like that weren't
sucking up all the fuel.

I'm sorry, I got a thing for energy
consumption. Drives my wife crazy.

Well, I can sympathize.
Thank you.

With her, I mean.

Way too much time
in the hole, this guy.

Says he saw a blue Toyota, but he won't
be sure until he sees some swatches.

(CHUCKLES) Well, the woman
thinks that the chase car

was like a green Honda with a
yellow ribbon on the back of it.

LEON ETTI: Detectives. Well, at
least they agree on something.

What you got?

We just found this
near the dead guy.

That's a hunting knife.

You're gonna see that
gets vouchered, right?

You got it. And I'll have them tow the
vehicle back to the house for an inventory.

Let's see what
AIS has to say.

Looks like the sedan cut off the
SUV where the skid marks converge.

Then the driver of the
SUV loses control,

jumps the curb, wound
up in somebody's lap.

How fast do you think
they were going?

From the length of the skid marks
and accounting for drag factors

like the weight
of the occupants

and the nearly full tank
of gas in the Explorer,

I'd say about 40.

Can we get a make
on the sedan's tires?

Not from these
skid marks.

Our witnesses' descriptions
are all over the place.

The only thing that we're fairly
certain about is that there was

a yellow ribbon magnet attached to the
back of the vehicle that got away.

Yeah. We'd have an easier time
finding a car without one.

Did you contact
the owner?

Yeah. The Explorer is
registered to Selma Flanagan.

She's 43 years old,
lives upstate in Kingston.

Green's trying
to contact her now.

All right.
What you got, Officer?

I was finishing up
the vehicle inventory.

I came across some hunting
gear under the cargo cover.

The bolt-action Remington Model 700.
A fine deer rifle.

I had one just like
it when I was a kid.

You hunt?
Oh, yeah.

My Uncle Phil used
to take us up

to Door County, Wisconsin,
to hunt whitetail.

Of course, I always
preferred using a bow,

it kind of levels the playing field.
Uh-huh.

And the deer, what kind
of weapons do they use?

Same as the cow.

Chamber's empty and it doesn't seem
like it's been fired recently.

This hunting tag belongs
to a Tommy Flanagan.

That's the same last name
as the registered owner.

Well, if Green can't
reach Mrs. Flanagan,

call the Ulster
County PD,

have them track her down and bring
her to meet you at the hospital.

His name's
Tommy Flanagan.

That was his hunting
gear in the car.

So, where is he now?

He's being prepped
for surgery.

His belly was rigid
when he presented,

suggesting bleeding
into the peritoneal cavity,

so we sent him
right up to the O.R.

Oh, so it's serious?
Potentially.

He lacerated his liver, so we'll
have to perform a resection,

take out the damaged parts
and close it back up.

If all goes well,
he'll be home in a week.

His father
wasn't so lucky.

When can we talk to him? He'll
be in recovery all night.

ED: Doctor,
do me a favor.

When he comes to,
would you give us a call?

Sure.
Thank you.

Mrs. Flanagan?

I'm Detective Fontana.
This is Detective Green.

Where's my son?

Tommy's in surgery right now. His
surgeon, Dr. Park, will fill you in.

And Tom,
my husband?

Unfortunately, his injuries
were far more serious.

Paramedics weren't able to save him.
I'm sorry.

Oh, my God! No.

(SOBBING)

Mrs. Flanagan.

You have our
deepest condolences.

(STAMMERS) Where is he?

Well, are you sure
you want to do this now?

I need to see
my husband.

Mrs. Flanagan,
are you ready?

I guess so.

That's not Tom.

That's not my husband. I've
never seen that man before.

But this is your son's ID?
Yes.

This doesn't make sense. They were
supposed to be hunting together.

ED: Where?
I... I don't know.

But you've got
to find Tom. Please.

Does your husband have a
friend, a hunting buddy?

Um, P.J. They've hunted
together for years.

P.J.: What's wrong, Se}?

Tommy's in the hospital.

Is he okay?
He's gonna be just fine.

Listen, we need to know where Mr.
Flanagan might be hunting.

Did you guys have
a favorite spot?

What's going on, Sel?

P.J., please,
just tell them.

Sometimes Tom and me will
head out to Sullivan County,

if we're making
a couple days of it.

Where would you
go for the day?

Antler Creek State Park.

About 20 miles north,
right up Route 302.

I can take you
over there if you want.

Would you?

We should let the local PD
know we're here. Right.

This is where
Tom always parks.

There's a great blind about
a quarter of a mile in.

Still not answering
his cell phone.

Don't worry, Sel. You know Tom
turns it off when he's hunting.

Mrs. Flanagan, we need you
to wait here with Mr. Grant

while we go take a look
around, all right.

I can give
you guys a hand.

No, that's okay.
We got it. Thanks.

There goes a perfectly fine
pair of Gucci loafers.

ED: Hey. I've got
something over here.

Man down. Gunshot to
the back of the head.

I got another
one over here.

Looks like a teenage girl.

Got one here, too.

Thomas Flanagan.

What in God's name
happened here?

We've never seen this
kind of thing up here.

Did you know them?

They're all locals from Kingston
who hunt up here every season.

Stoney Anderson
and his son, Jason.

Eric and Amanda Haas.

And Thomas Flanagan.

His son gonna be okay?

Doctors say
it looks okay.

Look at this. This is the
guy that died in the crash,

the one we thought
was Flanagan.

I don't recognize him.
You think that's our shooter?

He's an excellent
candidate.

But you didn't find
aweapon in the car?

No, not one that was
fired recently.

We're gonna have somebody from
our squad e-mail you his prints

and photos as soon
as possible, all right?

Man, I don't envy those dudes,
having to notify all the families.

Better them than us. Besides,
we have a long drive back.

Hey, didn't that
AIS detective say that,

that Explorer had
a full tank of gas?

Yeah. He factored that into
the weight of the vehicle

to determine its speed.

Well, those SUVs, the gas
mileage is practically nothing.

So, if they started up here, they
had to fill up on the way in.

That's what I'm saying.

Excuse me. Were you working
here this morning?

Yeah. Something wrong?

You remember seeing
this man here?

He was driving a green Ford Explorer,
had a teenage boy with him.

Yeah, they filled up
around 9:00, 9:30.

Was there another
car behind them?

Not that I saw.

Did he pay
cash or credit?

Cash.

Do you remember anything
unusual about him?

They pulled up to the bathroom
before they pulled up to the pump.

And the bathroom
is on the side?

Yeah.
Yeah, thanks.

Nothing in there a little
Lysol wouldn't help.

Joe, look at this.

"John Wyatt."

Oh, looky here.

Semiautomatic.

That's no hunting rifle.

So John Wyatt is the dead
driver and the upstate shooter?

One and the same.

The rifle we found is
an AR-15 semiautomatic.

It's a positive
ballistics match

for the murder weapon, and
Wyatt's prints are all over it.

They found his pickup truck about three
miles from where the shootings were,

so it looks like he just
ran to the closest car.

The guy's a poster child
for anger management.

He was thrown out of high school, half
a dozen arrests for barroom fights,

and he just got fired from his
warehouse job for throttling his boss.

Just the type of dude you want
running around with an AR-15.

It still leaves us the question
of who ran Wyatt off the road.

I'm taking you two
out of the batting order

until we tie up
the loose ends.

With all due respect, Lieutenant,
whoever forced Wyatt off the road

saved Thomas
Flanagan's life.

And hurt a whole bunch
of innocent people.

I'll be expecting your best
efforts here, Fontana.

Yes, ma'am, 100%.

So, if you're driving south
on that side of the Hudson,

you have to pay a toll
to get into New York City.

Did Flanagan's Explorer have
an EZ-Pass we can track?

No such luck.

VAN BUREN: Maybe
someone called 911?

We already checked that.
In Ulster County?

Took you fellas long enough.
I called 911 yesterday.

We understand that, Mrs.
Haiduk, and we're sorry.

Uh, you complained
about some hunters?

That's right. In the same woods
where all those people were shot.

Unbelievable, isn't it?

Maybe if somebody would
have showed up sooner.

You were here when
you heard the shots?

Back in the laundry room.

There must have been nine or ten
shots this time, by the road.

This time.
There were others?

Last weekend, there were a couple
of hunters on my property.

Hell, I must have called
the cops a dozen times

since the hunting
season started.

First two times, they
came out to look around.

Now they don't
even bother.

Well, after the shooting
stopped yesterday,

did you happen to see
someone drive by?

Can't say that I did.

Thank you.

I was on Route 302 in Nanuet,
near the Palisades,

and this green SUV came up
from behind me out of nowhere,

and went flying past me.
Almost ran me off the road.

You called 911
from your car?

Well, lthought the guy
was gonna kill somebody.

But my cell phone died
in the middle of the call.

Is that the last you saw of the
vehicle, Mr. Stoller? Yeah.

But about a minute
after the SUV went by,

some otherjerk
did the same thing.

Yeah. Can you
describe that vehicle?

A dark-colored sedan.

ED: Did it have any
stickers on the back of it?

Not that I noticed.

Last I saw, they were both on the
ramp for the Tappan Zee Bridge.

Which leads
right to the city.

Thanks, man.
FONTANA: Thank you.

Lot of trouble to go through to
find the guy who rescued that kid.

Maybe you'd rather be outside
picking up quarters.

I'm just saying that we looked at
a couple thousand cars already.

And I'm just saying we're gonna do it all
over again in case we missed something.

Hey, there's
a green Explorer.

FONTANA: Wrong
license number.

You sure you have
the right time frame?

I'll tell you what
we're going to do.

We're going to expand the time
frame 15 minutes on each side,

just in case.
(CELL PHONE RINGING)

Hello.

You know, I'm beginning to not
like your attitude at all.

Sorry.

Joe. Tommy Flanagan's
out of recovery.

My dad made me go. He said the
fresh air would wake me up.

But you stayed in the car? Yeah.

I was too tired to go hunting.
I fell asleep.

Iwoke up when the car
started moving again.

I thought it was my
Dad taking us home.

It was some strange
guy that was driving.

You'd never seen
this guy before?

(CRYING) He stuck
a knife in my face.

I thought he was gonna slit my
throat if I didn't sit still.

Tommy.

This guy's not going to hurt you anymore.
He's dead.

Do you remember making any stops
on the way into the city?

TOMMY: Oh, yeah, for gas.

He threw a rifle
in the dumpster.

I was gonna run,
but I was too scared.

Did you make
any other stops?

Just to slow down for the
toll at the G.W. Bridge.

The George Washington,
and not the Tappan Zee?

Right. I was gonna try to
jump out, but he didn't stop.

He just ran the EZ-Pass
lane, the far left lane.

Do you remember seeing
another car following you?

Got real nervous when
we got to the bridge.

Kept on looking
in his rearview mirror.

Mom.

Hi, sweetie.
How are you feeling?

We were just
finishing up.

You have a very brave son here, Mrs.
Flanagan.

That driver who
followed our car,

I hope you find him so I can
at least say thank you.

Mom, where's Dad?

Is he coming
to see me?

You think the kid
had it right?

Are you kidding me?
Down to the exact lane.

So, when Stoller
said that he saw them

headed towards the Tappan
Zee, he was lying.

Or mistaken.

You don't really
believe that.

No, I do not.

In all the excitement, I
guess I just got confused.

I'll tell you what I think
happened, Randall.

I think you saw what
happened in the woods,

and when Wyatt tried to take
off, you took off after him.

That's not true. I don't know
why you keep lying about it.

You saved a kid's life, for
crying out loud. You're a hero.

You think so?
Absolutely. Sit down.

And between us,

that son of a bitch that killed
those hunters in the woods,

who's gonna miss him?

Nah, I never
followed him.

I just tried to get the plate
number and call the police.

I'm very disappointed
in you, Randall.

Hey, Joe.

Did you know that the Port Authority
takes photos of every vehicle

that goes through
the G.W. Bridge tollbooths?

I did not
know that, Ed.

Check this out.

Here is the Flanagans'
green Explorer

going through the far left
EZ-Pass lane at 9:57 a.m.

Followed 30 seconds later by a blue
Toyota Camry, registered to you.

FONTANA: Oh, come on, why don't you
tell us the rest of the story?

I promise you, it's not going to be
a tenth as bad as you think it is.

I want a lawyer.

All right.

Here you go, big-shot crime fighter.
Hook yourself up.

You can read yourself
your own rights, too.

Stoller followed Wyatt from the
scene of the hunting massacre

all the way
to Washington Heights.

Where was Wyatt going?

Best we can figure, he has a cousin
who lives on Amsterdam Avenue.

When Stollertried
to cut him off,

Wyatt sped up, and his car
veered out of control.

The only fatality was the
perpetrator of the massacre.

Still a homicide.

What are we going
to charge him with?

The last thing
the police need

is vigilantes playing bumper cars
on the streets of Manhattan.

An argument can be made that Stoller
saved Tommy Flanagan's life.

It was only dumb luck that
Stoller didn't kill him, too.

He nearly ran over a family
of four at an intersection.

What's the defendant
say about all this?

Nothing.
He lawyered up.

If Stoller wants to stonewall,
we don't have any choice.

Charge him
with manslaughter.

That is not gonna go down so
well outside this building.

This guy's on his way to
becoming a media darling.

We're not here to win
a popularity contest.

Until we get
an accounting from Stoller,

let's prosecute
the case we have.

“Docket number BMW.
People v. Randall Stoller.

"One count manslaughter,
eight counts of assault,

"one count leaving
the scene of an accident."

How does he plead,
Ms. Chenier?

Guilty to being
a hero, Judge.

His heroics resulted
in a fatality

and eight seriously
injured people, YourHonoL

The only fatality
was the lunatic

behind the bloodbath
at Antler Creek.

And the young man who was
abducted is alive today

because of Mr. Stoller's
actions.

To prosecute my client
for this is an outrage.

Aside from the fatality
and the injuries,

dozens more
were endangered.

My client is
a hard-working family man,

a law-abiding citizen who's never
so much as had a parking ticket.

I'll set bail
at $1,000.

On a homicide, Judge?

That's right,
Ms. Borgia.

I don't see the defendant as flight risk.
Call the next case.

(BANGS GAVEL)

I want to offer
my condolences

to the families
in Ulster County.

And I'm real thankful Tommy
Flanagan's gonna be okay.

REPORTER 1: What about the
bystanders who were injured?

I'm very sorry about that.
(CAMERA CLICKING)

I just hope those people don't
lose any time off theirjobs.

REPORTER 2: Mr. Stoller, have
you had any conversations...

That's all my client has to say
for the time being. Thank you.

Didn't take long for Julia to
start working the jury pool.

You have any
sway with her?

Our paths have crossed
a couple of times.

Julia's aggressive.

But she knows a good deal when
it comes across her desk.

See what you can do.

JULIA: I have Larry King
calling me, okay?

Not one of his flunkies.
Larry King.

And some studio exec who's talking
about a six-figure rights deal.

Sounds like a ticket
out of Legal Aid.

Who said I
want a ticket?

What about Stoller?
You don't understand.

This guy's not looking for his 15 minutes.
He's for real.

What are you
looking for?

A walk.

That's not
going to happen.

Yeah. I know the game,
charge high, plead low.

So, let's play. Assuming his
story's consistent with the hype,

one count of manslaughter to
cover everything. (CHUCKLING)

Stoller saved you guys the
trouble of incarcerating

John Wyatt
for the next 50 years.

John Wyatt
deserved atrial.

You're starting to sound
like your new boss.

Not to mention the eight people
who wound up in the E.R.

Can't do it.

We might throw in avery sweet
sentencing recommendation.

I'll get back to you after our
motion to dismiss your indictment.

You wanna order
some spring rolls?

Why should I dismiss this
indictment, Ms. Chenier?

Because the law authorized my
client to make a citizen's arrest.

He may have been authorized
to make an arrest,

but not to engage
in a high-speed chase

down Dyckman Street
and cause a fatal accident.

Mr. Stoller's conduct
was gross recklessness.

My client was doing
his duty as a citizen.

We've recognized the legality of the
citizen's arrest for hundreds of years,

from medieval England to the
posses of our frontier.

And this mentality
has been the source

of countless unjustified
lynchings and mob violence.

Times have changed.
But the law hasn't.

The Penal Law permits a private
citizen to use deadly force

to prevent the escape
of a perpetrator

who has committed a serious
felony in his presence.

You can't derail a train
because a fugitive's on board.

The statute requires
a citizen making an arrest

to do everything reasonable
under the circumstances.

Which is exactly why I
need to know a little more

about what happened
in Ulster County.

I'm ordering a hearing
on your motion, Ms. Chenier.

My department was alerted by
two New York City detectives

that they needed our assistance
in Antler Creek Park.

I got in my cruiser
and met them there.

And what did you
find when you arrived?

Five bodies
in the woods.

Three of them were
friends from high school

who took their kids to hunt
once they were old enough.

The members
of this hunting party

were chased down
and slaughtered?

Were you able to determine
what provoked the shooting?

On a previous occasion,
one of the victims

had complained about the
shooter, John Wyatt.

Said he was trespassing
in one of his tree stands.

These guys get pretty
possessive about that.

And he said Wyatt was
using an automatic rifle.

JULIA: And that's a problem?

RHODES: It really isn't
appropriate for shooting deer.

A gun like that'll maim an animal
more often than it'll kill it.

Was Randall Stoller in Antler
Creek Park that day, Officer?

He pulled off the road to hunt at the exact
time that Wyatt was killing these folks.

At any time, did Mr. Stoller
report what he saw?

Only when he made a short 911 call while
he engaged in pursuit of the SUV.

Headed east
on Route 302?

That's right.

What's on Route 302

between Antler Creek
and the Palisades Parkway?

It's a rural area, but there are
a couple hundred houses there,

two gas stations,
a church, a mini-mart.

So if Mr. Stoller was unable
to use his cell phone,

he could've stopped at any of
those places and called for help?

RHODES: I suppose so.

And on the Parkway itself,
there's a State Police barracks?

Two, in fact,
just off the exits.

JACK: And a tollbooth at the
entrance to the G.W. Bridge.

All right, I get
the point, Mr. McCoy.

Do counsel have anything
to add to their arguments?

It's quite apparent what
happened here, Judge.

My client saw
a crime take place.

He attempted to apprehend
the perpetrator.

An objective which may have been
accomplished by the police,

without the collateral damage
inflicted by the defendant.

The operative word
being "may."

The defendant might have
had better options,

but hindsight's
always 20-20.

I'm ruling that by
engaging in this pursuit,

the defendant was attempting
a citizen's arrest.

It's unfortunate that these
bystanders were injured,

but the manslaughter and assault charges
against the defendant are dismissed.

The count of leaving the scene
of an accident is retained.

(JUDGE BANGS GAVEL)

One dead, eight hospitalized, and
all we have left is a traffic case.

It's pretty clear
Judge Fillmore

got caught up in
the tide of public opinion.

We'll file an appeal.
Which could take years.

Maybe Judge Fillmore will be
in private practice by then.

Mr. McCoy, lthought you'd like
to get that as soon as possible.

Tommy Flanagan's liver
failed. He's dead.

We can't prosecute Stoller
for Wyatt's death,

but now we can indict him
for Tommy Flanagan.

Stoller's conduct
didn't change.

Like I've always said, there's no
education in the second kick of a mule.

I don't think the mule's
going to kick this time.

A newjudge will be hard-pressed
to toss this case,

now that we've got
an innocent victim

instead of a dead
mass-murderer.

What about a jury?

I can't guarantee a win.

But I'll make them
think long and hard

before they hand Stoller a
license to kill Tommy Flanagan.

BRANCH: What about
the equities here, Jack?

Do we really think he deserves
a manslaughter sentence?

JACK: As opposed to murder?

The last time
we approached him,

he wasn't interested
in any kind of sentence.

Selma Flanagan lost
a husband and a son.

If it's the son you're throwing
down the gauntlet for,

I'd want to know
if she's of the same mind.

They said if Tommy's
liver hadn't got hurt

in the accident, it never
would have happened.

They did everything
they could, but...

We're very sorry,
Mrs. Flanagan.

This is an extremely
difficult time,

but we need to make some
decisions about Randall Stoller.

I thought you said
his case was dismissed?

Now we can try Mr. Stoller
for your son's death.

You told the police you felt
he was a hero, but now...

Obviously, things
have changed.

You mean, if he hadn't
followed our car,

Tommy might still be alive.

But they said
that man had a knife.

BORGIA: He did.

So, he might have
killed Tommy anyway,

since Tommy
could identify him.

Or, if Mr. Stoller had
acted more responsibly,

Wyatt might have been
apprehended by the police

before any more
violence occurred.

What if this were
your son, Mr. McCoy?

Wouldn't you want somebody
to try and help him?

There were other ways
to help, Mrs. Flanagan.

I believe if Stoller hadn't taken
the law into his own hands,

your son would
still be alive today.

John Wyatt is the one who
should have paid for this.

But he got off easy.

So many families have
been destroyed already.

Is sending Mr. Stoller to jail
going to bring my son back?

It would have been nice to
have her in the courtroom.

So, do you still want to re-file?
Why not?

With all due respect
to Mrs. Flanagan,

her emotional response
in her darkest hour

shouldn't be our
only consideration.

So, what is driving
this, Jack?

What did Stoller think he was going
to do once he stopped Wyatt?

Take out his deer
rifle and shoot him?

Fortunately,
he didn't.

Another six inches
here or there,

and we'd have
a dozen dead bystanders.

But there weren't.

I understand there's value to making
an example out of him, but...

As far as I can tell, Stoller's taking
the position that he's beyond reproach,

that he doesn't have
to account to anyone.

And whenever I hear that,
it's a huge red flag.

My client is sick
that this young man died.

Then he should accept
some responsibility.

He tried to save
Tommy Flanagan's life.

JACK: And he didn't do
a very good job of it.

Even if I grant you the benefit
of every doubt, Mr. Stoller,

there's criminal
responsibility here.

You should seriously consider
a plea to manslaughter.

I have a wife and three kids.
What are they going to do?

You had an hour and half to think about
them while you were pursuing Wyatt.

Have you explained
to your client

that if he loses, he could
get twelve and a half-to-25?

It's his call. You'll
offer the minimum?

Three-to-nine.
And that's a gift.

Why should I plead guilty if I
tried to do the right thing?

Because it wasn't the right thing, Mr.
Stoller.

You ignored the lives
of everyone out there.

And Tommy Flanagan
died as a result.

I'm very sorry
about what happened.

But I was raised that when you see
somebody in trouble, you try to help.

That's what I did.

I'm just going to have to
put my faith in ajury.

CLAIRE: We were sitting here,
having breakfast

when we heard some
tires squeal outside.

We turned to see what it was, and
we saw this carjump the curb.

It was coming sideways,
straight at us.

I've never been
so scared in my life.

It came smashing through the front
window, right where we were sitting.

What happened
to you as a result?

My face was cut from the flying glass.
I got 14 stitches.

I'm going to have a scar,

and I broke my arm and my wrist
when the car knocked me back.

It took me six weeks to get
back to work, and it's...

It's still not right.

I have no questions
for this witness.

WOMAN ON TAPE: 911 Operator.
What's your emergency?

RANDALL ON TAPE: Uh, yeah, I'm behind a green
Explorer on County Road 302 going east.

It's a New York
license plate, R-J-"I...

(BREAKING UP) Some...
I can't make it...

OPERATOR: I'm sorry, sir,
you're breaking up.

RANDALL: He's heading east,
but I can't keep up.

(BREAKING) I think he's got some...
In the back seat... Sure...

OPERATOR: Sir, could you
repeat your message?

RANDALL: Okay, but I'm not really...
(BREAKING UP)

OPERATOR: Sir, please
repeat your message.

Sir. I lost him, Eddie.

Host him.

Can you identify
that call, Officer?

That was a 911 call placed on Randall
Stoller's cell phone at 9:17 a.m.

Thank you.
Nothing further.

Officer, could Mr. Stoller
have reported this incident

at the Palisades Parkway
toll plaza?

The manned booths have intercom
lines to the shift supervisor.

And if he went through
an unmanned booth?

There's a bright yellow emergency phone
every five miles on the Parkway.

It's not an easy case, Jack.

You're just gonna have
to convince the jury

that this guy's
way over the top.

Do I look worried?

Maybe you should be. People are
going to identify with this guy.

We've all been in
situations like Stoller.

Pursuing
armed murderers?

I saw a huge man punch
a woman in the face

on the subway stairs
a few years ago.

When I saw that she had
help, I followed him.

What were you going to
do if you caught him?

I wasn't really sure.

You and Randall Stoller.
I got lucky.

A cop rode by,
and I flagged him down.

You're making my point!

BRANCH: if folks had been
a little more vigilant,

maybe September 11th would still be
known as Bear Bryant's birthday.

"Folks" like the FBI?

And some flight school
instructors I can think of.

Given the state
of the world,

folks just don't feel comfortable
sitting on their hands.

Agreed. Vigilance is one thing.
Vigilantism is another.

Sorry, I still don't get why
we're prosecuting this guy.

His actions led to the death
of innocent young boy.

Accidents happen. He was
pursuing a mass murderer.

Talk about facts not in evidence.
He didn't know that.

At best he knew that he might've
observed a single shooting.

But we know
that's not the case.

We know that now.
He didn't know that then.

Look, you haven't
been here very long.

You can do better
than that, Jack.

All right, how about we chalk
it up to an emotional response,

not a legal response?

How about well-intentioned
people can disagree?

Not about homicide!

Not in this office.

Look, I'll make
it simple.

If you listen to my cross and
you still don't understand

why this guy's on trial...

What, I should go back
where I came from?

Your choice.
Not mine.

I was going deer
hunting that morning.

I pulled to the side of 302 and
that's when I heard shots.

Then I heard
a girl screaming.

JULIA: Could you tell what
was happening, Mr. Stoller?

Not really.

I jogged down the road to get closer,
and that's when I heard more shots.

And then, in the woods,
I saw a figure in orange

sort of like
crumble to the ground.

And then, out of nowhere, I
saw a guy in a hunting jacket

run towards the side
of the road.

Hejumped in a green
Explorer and drove away.

And what
did you do?

I ran back to my car
and went after him.

And then, Mr. Stoller?

I kept following him.

And then, I noticed there was
somebody else in the back of the car.

Did you make any attempt to
report what had happened?

Sure. I called 911
on my cell phone.

But that darn thing died
in the middle of the call.

So you followed the Explorer
straight into New York City?

Not straight. He stopped
at a gas station on 302,

and I pulled over to see
what he was gonna do.

How far away from him?

Like 100 yards.

The guy got out of the
Explorer, and he pulled

a kid out of the back,
a teenage boy.

And what did you
observe at that point?

Well, I lost them
for about a minute.

But when the kid tried
to get in the back seat,

the guy opened the front door
and, like, shoved the kid in.

Then they pulled to the pump,
got some gas, and drove away.

And then you followed
them into New York City?

Right. He went over the bridge. He
was trying to get away from me.

But I followed him
to one of the first exits.

Once he got off, it was harder to keep
up with him in all the city traffic.

What happened? Well, we wound
up on this street up there.

He was running lights,

and weaving in and out of
traffic at a pretty good clip.

I was trying not
to lose sight of him.

At one point,
he's in the right lane,

and I see a bus start to
pull out from the curb.

And it looks like I can box
him in and get him to stop.

But then, he speeds up
and cuts in front of me,

and his car went
skidding to the left,

and then I heard
a huge crash.

Did you stop?

I panicked.

I know I should've
pulled over,

but I just
kept driving.

One last question,
Mr. Stoller.

Why did you
do all of this?

Well, I was pretty sure
this guy just shot somebody.

And when I saw him with that
kid at the gas station,

I knew something
was wrong

and somebody had to stop
him from getting away.

And I was the only
one who could do that.

Thank you.

You testified
that you followed Wyatt

because you
heard gunshots

and a girl scream,

and you saw a man
crumble in the woods?

That's right.

Did you ever stop to find out why
she was screaming, Mr. Stoller?

Or to help the man
who had fallen?

I didn't have time.
Wyatt was getting away.

Did you have time
to stop at the gas station

and tell the attendant
to call 911?

He was standing right there.
I was scared.

What about after he left? What would
that have taken, about 10 seconds?

At which point, you could have
easily resumed your pursuit.

I didn't think of it.

Did you think about what you would've
done if you had stopped him, Mr. Stoller?

Started shooting?
No.

Well, how would you have
apprehended John Wyatt?

Were you going to do the job of the
entire New York City police force?

I would have
gotten help then.

Really?

Did you get help
after the crash?

I told you,
I panicked.

The truth is you fled.

And you never
contacted the police

to report what you saw
in Antler Creek Park.

I thought I would
get into trouble.

And when detectives
interviewed you

about the events
of that day,

you lied

because you'd
get into trouble?

That's right. You were more
concerned with what happened to you

than with the victims
of this incident?

That's hardly the mindset of
a hero, is it, Mr. Stoller?

You're treating me like I
killed those people up there.

What about the people
you did kill?

Don't they count?

Randall Stoller
awoke one morning

to see a horrific
crime take place.

He risked his own life
to pursue a murderer

who had taken a hostage.

And now,

not only are his actions being criticized
because they were not letter-perfect,

he is being prosecuted,
for manslaughter.

We live in
a dangerous world,

where there isn't always a police
officer around when we need one.

And on those rare occasions when
we see the law being broken,

the ordinary among us

are called upon
to make a choice.

Do you watch
from the sidelines,

or do you
have the courage

to perform atime-honored
civic duty?

We've heard
countless stories

of people in dire
situations, saved by brave

and selfless individuals
who act on a moment's impulse.

Which is what any good
and decent human being,

like Randall Stoller, does when
life hangs in the balance.

The question is not what could
he have done differently,

but whether you
should send him to jail

for doing what he did.

Ms. Chenier is right about one thing.
We do live in a dangerous world,

and we might be ready to give
someone an "A" for effort,

even iftheirjudgment
was fatally bad,

as long as we believed
they were fighting back

against what scares us.

The defendant
calls himself a hero,

and it would make things
easier if we could believe it.

But Mr. Stoller
was no such thing.

By his own account,
he was two men,

one brave and clever, the other
blind and stupid with fear,

unable to decide
where to hang his hat,

whether to offer courage
or panic as his defense.

He chose both.

Why would he claim
two contradictory motives

to explain away
what he did?

The answer is simple. He
doesn't want you to notice

what the bare facts say,

that after his
reckless play for glory,

he's made one
long, continuous

and guilty-minded attempt

to escape responsibility

for endangering
a lot of people

and causing the death
of Tommy Flanagan.

He's still trying.

Hold Mr. Stoller
accountable.

There are real
heroes out there.

You don't have
to settle for a fake.

Has the jury
reached a verdict?

FOREPERSON: We have,
Your Honor.

How do you find?

We find Mr. Stoller not
guilty of manslaughter.

Oh, thank you.

You can't really be surprised
they let him get away with it.

Just disappointed.

The more people fear,
the more they tolerate.

We all need
heroes, Jack.

So did Tommy Flanagan.