Previously on SWAT...DEACON: With my retirement
coming up, I need to choose someone
to take over SWAT Academy for me.
I'm honored. That means a lot, Deac.
You're gonna do an amazing job, Victor.
I guess even retirement can't stop you from saving the city.
I'm never gonna be able to ignore the call.
This is where I belong.
HICKS: If we're gonna rebuild
this department, you get carte blanche
on the pick for six slot,
whoever you want.
How did Gamble do out there? Good, good.
She's quick on her feet, she seems sharp.
So what's the issue?
Commander, are you gonna blame her for what her father did?
I don't blame her, Hondo,
but she brings a lot of baggage.
Gamble is the right person for this job.
The only thing worse than a day-long barricade
is one that ends with a sudden sprint
through downtown. Think I pulled my hammy.
They had 12 hours inside that bank
to think of an escape plan,
and the best those geniuses could come up with
is to runfor it?
Not everyone who moves to L.A.
is a creative, Deac.
POWELL:Gamble, did they have criminals that dumb
up in Oakland?
A few. Ours tended to attack with guns,
not the money itself.
POWELL: I can't believe they thought
throwing cash at us would slow us down.
I can't believe Gamble jumped in the way
just to protect Miko.
If that's the worst bullet
I got to take for this team...
Hey, she knows I got a date tonight.
Getting hit by that dye pack would have been worse
than a bullet, believe me.
So, Gamble, one week on the job
and you already need a new vest.
You know, the city's
gonna take that out of your paycheck, right?
Those are the rules around here, Gamble.
You break it, you bought it.
Welcome to the LAPD.
That's not fair, boss.
She took one for me.
I'll take this for her.
Okay, Mr. Hospitality.
Let's go.
[chatting indistinctly]
Team's gelling, Hondo.
You did good.
Thanks, man.
TAN: Hey, Hondo. You mind taking a look
at a few proposals for SWAT Academy changes?
I want to run 'em by Hicks tomorrow.
Uh, changes?
I just had a few ideas
on how to incorporate our gear
into the curriculum. Our tools are getting
more advanced, we should be looking for people
who know how to use them.
I don't think that's wise.
We gotta teach these kids how to walk
before we can let them play with toys.
SWAT Academy, it's about fundamentals.
It's tech we use every day, Deac. It is fundamental.
Okay, hey, hey.
I know SWAT Academy was your baby,
but you gave up the reins to Tan when you retired.
Now just cause you're back, that doesn't change.
[sighs] Come on, man.
You gotta let the kid do his own thing.
Yeah. No, of course.
You're right.
That actually sounds pretty good.
Yeah. You're gonna like this stuff.
HONDO: It's all right. Just keep me updated.
["I'm the GOAT" by Chel Strong playing]
♪ Sacrificed so much to make it here ♪
♪ I came too far for this ♪
♪ They was sleeping, I was up and training...♪
One.
Two.
Three.
Bruh, you can't do that in your head?
You're killing my rhythm.
What, you want me to mess up the amount?
♪ I just do it... ♪
It's ten to a bag.
You really need help counting to ten?
Oh. [laughs]
[both laughing]
♪ I'll lead 'em gracefully ♪
♪ I'll lead the fakes to hate ♪
♪ But this what it takes to make the GOAT ♪
♪ So we tune 'em out, don't... ♪
[music shuts off]
[rhythmic knock on door]
Aw.
[sighs]
[grunts]
[gunshots, man cries out]
[groaning softly]
[gunshot][cries out]
[dog barking, someone shouts in distance]
[clattering]
[gasps]
[gunshot]
[indistinct radio chatter]
Thanks for coming on such short notice.
Wasn't far for me, sir.
What are we looking at?
A robbery gone very wrong.
That's a Compton Tiger stash house
across the street. Someone cleared
the place out. The only thing they left behind
were four dead bodies.
Looks like a fifth tried to make a run for it,
but he didn't get far.
And the civilian?
Some poor woman who picked the wrong time
to take out the trash.
Social services are with her kids now.
Look, the mayor doesn't like waking up
to photos of dead mothers
on the front of The Times.
He wants LAPD's best on it.
That means 20-Squad.
VIGNISSON: Mr. Mayor doesn't need
to get his satin panties in a bunch.
L.A.'s best is already here.
Lieutenant Raul Vignisson. L.A. Sheriff's Department.
Commander Hicks.
Vignisson. You run
the sheriff's Gang Suppression Unit.
That's a pretty elite squad. I know a bunch
of deputies who would give up their pension
for a shot to ride with the GSU.
There's always a spot open for the Hondo Harrelson
if you ever feel like switching teams.
You think the action is hot here?
Wait till you leave city limits.
Start getting statements from the neighbors.
Every detail matters.
Yeah, no one told me the LASD
was joining us this morning.
Afraid SWAT's the one actually crashing the party.
My team's been hunting the crew
behind these stash house hits for weeks now.
You mean this isn't the first house they've knocked over?
Try four-- so far.
Same pattern every time.
They come in hard, fast,
and they don't leave a single person alive.
[camera shutter clicking]
VIGNISSON: Wasn't a forced entry. The bolt's not broken.
HONDO: Shooters must've known the secret code,
caught the Tigers by surprise.
They did their research.
Do we know what they took?
Our CIs say this was the central weigh station
for the Tigers' entire operation.
Drugs, money,
weapons, they kept it all here.
Oh, a pharmacy, bank and an armory job all in one.
HONDO:And now, all that product
and firepower's in the hands of a crew
that's showing no signs of stopping.
We'd appreciate all the files
your team's collected so far.
We're going to find these killers before
they hurt anyone else.[sighs]
All due respect, but this case is still
an active Sheriff's Department investigation.
Maybe, but last night's murders
crossed into city limits.
Means it's an LAPD case now, too.
Thanks, but no thanks.
We're already miles ahead of you on this.
Miles ahead?
This was the crew's fourth hit.
And you said yourself,
you've been after these guys with no luck.
Doesn't mean we're stepping aside.
HONDO: Okay, hold on, now.
Vignisson, the more houses this crew rolls over,
the more guns they get, the more dangerous they are.
If we don't stop 'em, that woman next door's
not gonna be the only innocent
caught up in the crossfire.
We're offering a fresh set of eyes.
My team would be happy for SWAT's assistance.
But this is still a GSU case.
We run this from our station, our way.
We're calling the shots.
All right, then.
I'll call my team and tell them to buckle up.
SWAT's riding with the sheriffs today.
Right on.
♪
[indistinct chatter and radio transmissions]
Yo, 20-Squad. Over here.
Welcome to South Central Station.
Not as polished as your place,
but we make up for it with raw talent.
I'm Cesar, this is Lang.
Deacon and Tan.
We know the GSU's rep.
You guys don't mess around. Yeah. It's true.
LANG: Hey, nice to see a friendly face.
You ever get tired of being
the best looking guy on your team?
Nah, never gets old.
CESAR: So, listen, we move pretty fast
around here, so if you guys
need us to slow down so you can catch your breath,
just say the word.
Think we'llbe okay.
SWAT only rolls out when things are fast.
When you're the last line of defense like SWAT is,
there's no one you can call for backup.
LANG: Must be nice, coming to the rescue
after the rest of the LAPD
has done all the heavy lifting.
DEACON: Now, I seem to remember SWAT
keeping the entire city from burning to the ground
this summer all by ourselves.
All right, respect where respect's due.
Yo, I saw you hanging from that whirlybird on TV.
Pretty sweet.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, where's the love for the guy
hanging off the back of the speeding tanker?
We done figuring out who's biggest?
Come on, I'll show you where the magic happens.
Whoa.
What do you know?
TAN: You know that deputy?
Yeah, that's Dobes.
That's my old partner from way back in my patrol days.
Let me tell you, we were a force to be reckoned with.
We competed for everything.
Arrests,
accommodations, girls.
When did he join the Sheriff's Department?
I don't know. We kind of lost touch.
- You know, different life paths? - Mm-hmm.
We actually tried out for SWAT together.
I made it, he didn't.
Well, I'm sure he'd love to see you and catch up, Deac.
First partner's someone you ride with for life.
Hmm.
VIGNISSON: This is the center of the GSU's operation.
From here, we keep tabs on every gang in the county.
If two kids share ink, from Six Flags to Disneyland,
you can bet your ass we know about it.
CESAR: Here's everything we have
on the stash house attacks so far.
We marked all four robberies on the map here.
These guys are hardcore.
They leave no physical evidence behind.
Weapons seem to vary, too.
Automatics one job, shotguns the next.
Never the same.
Could be using the guns they steal at one house
to stick up the next. Makes them harder to track.
Robbing Peter to shoot Paul.
So far, each of the stash houses that have been hit
belonged to different gangs. Yes, sir.
L2D's, Los Mags, 42's,
all different sets
with no affiliation to one another.
Our working theory is these thieves
are being backed by a supplier.
A cartel, maybe.
TAN: You got another big board
with cartel movements hiding somewhere?
[chuckles] We don't
keep as close an eye on them.
We stick to our own backyard.
HONDO: Well, it's a good thing
we're here. Deac, let's have the team
run every LAPD database,
and see if any major cartel players
have been spotted in L.A.
in the last month.
Tan, you start digging through these files.
Even if a cartel is behind this,
someone local's helping 'em.
Does that sound good to you, Vignisson?
[chuckles] All I care about is getting these scumbags.
If you want to do all the leg work,
I'll be happy to take all the credit later.
[laughs] Let's go get these bastards.
Dobes?
Damn.
It really is you.
Deacon.
I heard SWAT was here,
but I didn't expect to see you with them.
Heard you retired.
Yeah, well, I found it pretty hard to quit.
Uh, Hondo, this is Alex Doberstein.
Deputy Doberstein these days.
Nice to meet you, my man.
Deacon says the two of you
used to tear up Mid City.
Back in the glory days, I guess.
Before he became a big time SWAT officer.
DEACON: So, uh, when did you hop over
- to the Sheriff's Department? - Ten years ago.
Caught a few promotions in Wilshire,
but started to get a little belly behind the desk.
[laughs] It's not much better over here,
but at least I'm back on the street,
- chasing bad guys. - Well, you look great.
Been training for Vignisson's Gang Unit.
Hoping this is the year a slot finally opens up.
Those are the guys - that really get to have fun. - Well,
we're working a case with GSU now.
I-I could put in a word for you.
I'm good, Deacon.
Vignisson's the guy who convinced me
to come overto LASD.
His team is tight, but...
we're all one big family here.
It's a nice feeling.
I got to run this paperwork upstairs.
It was nice to - meet you, Hondo. - Yeah.
Can't believe we're stuck staring at screens
while the boys get to roll in the field with the freaking GSU.
Happy working as far away
from those LASD blowhards as I can be.
You know, I did a stint with the LASD before SWAT.
Uh, sorry, Powell. I...
I didn't mean it. Um,
it's a... personal thing.
You know you don't have to hold back with us.
20-Squad's a family.
Kind of our whole thing. Hmm.
Uh, my experience,
family can mean a lot of different things.
But thank you.
[door whooshes open]
I wasn't having luck with traffic cams in the area,
so I expanded my search.
Caught this hotshot
running a red, half-mile from the crime scene.
GAMBLE: That's a Soldado sign.
The Soldados and the Tigers have a very ugly history
of territory beefs.
Yeah, which means Speed Racer and his homies
shouldn't be anywhere near that part of town.
Maybe that's why - he was in such a hurry. - The timestamp's
two minutes after the first 911 call.
Could be our shooters making a getaway.
Yeah, I'll run the plate and get it to Hondo.
These gang notes are intense, man.
Your team really tracks it all.
Friendships, breakups.
Favorite fast food. Damn.
Hey, I got to ask.
Your team feels super tight.
How do you feel safe with that new chick watching your six?
- You mean Gamble? - Gamble, huh?
She must be using a fake name or something. [chuckles]
You really don't know who she is?
Don't know what?
Gamble's got a history.
Her dad ran his own little corner of L.A.
Had a nice racket until his luck ran out.
Got caught robbing a warehouse.
Killed the responding officer.
Sheriff's deputy.
[sighs]
Gamble couldn't have had anything to do with that.
You sure? Her whole family's in the life.
Got a fat file
with their name on it somewhere around here.
And... she still hangs with them.
Was with them all weekend.
How the hell do you know that?
Guys in the department have kept an eye on her
since she moved back.
Her dad killed one of our own.
We never forget,
and we never forgive.
It's a bad look, standing next to a cop-killer's kid.
You should talk to your boss.
She shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a badge.
[door opens]
Miko found a Soldado car caught fleeing the scene last night.
Car belongs to a Danny Parra, 19, lives in Huntington Park.
We know the name.
Danny's brother, Arturo?
He runs the Soldado crew.
Of the stash houses hit,
none have belonged to the Soldados.
That's awful convenient, isn't it?
Maybe you've been overthinking this.
The Soldados could just be making a play
for the big leagues, taking out their competition.
There's only one way to find out.
Knock and ask, our specialty.
VIGNISSON: The Soldados don't play, Hondo.
We've got three open murders tied
to their top lieutenants alone.
If they are the ones behind these stash house hits...
They're not going to like us crashing their party.
Well, it's a good thing that never stopped us before.
Right on.
Yo. If SWAT's really the best of the best,
why do you need all that crap on your belt, huh?
Do you want to borrow my spare?
If you suck in that gut,
you might be able to squeeze into it.
[laughs] Wow. No, thanks.
No need to lug around an entire medicine cabinet.
Does it make you jealous that even with 20 pounds
of gear around my waist,
I'll still smoke your ass in a foot race?
[chuckles]
LANG: Hey, by the way, Gamble?
This patch? It means we're the good guys.
Try not to shoot us in the back, yeah?
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
Just walk away, Gamble.
Careful, Tan.
She'll come for you next.
Deac's back from recon.
DEACON: We spotted both Danny
and Arturo Parra inside the house.
Hard to tell how many Soldados are in there with them.
How secure are the premises?
Reinforced iron bars, doors and windows, all sides.
Alfaro and I could make a covert approach, use the laser cutter
on the bars on the front.
SWAT's way might work when you've got time
to sit with your hands in your pocket,
but we can't waste another second stopping these guys.
What's your play, then?
We go in GSU-style.
Only our laser cutter has 300 horsies under the hood.
[engine revving]
[tires squealing]
Deacon, flashbang.
[glass breaking]
[muffled explosion]
Turn around! Turn around!
Move! On the ground! Freeze!
DEACON: Show me your hands.
Show me your hands, Arturo!
VIGNISSON: Got a runner, headed toward the back.
Mine!
Damn it! Gamble, stick close.
Tan, hold up!
Duck![gunshots]
LANG: We're clear in the back.
One casualty. It's Danny Parra, sir.
What the hell happened?
LANG: Parra popped out of the closet,
ready to ice your boy Tan.
It's a good thing I was clearing back here already.
I was trying to catch up to you, Lang.
SWAT moves as a pack.
Yeah. Tell that to your teammate you left in the dust.
You got to say something, Arturo.
We're gonna make assumptions.
We found guns, money and product at your place.
Those things are a luxury to crews
in your part of town right now, man.
VIGNISSON: You talk to all your suspects
like you're having them over for Sunday supper?
[Vignisson laughs]
When was the last time you saw your mama, Arturo?
Sara, right?
Over on Cottage Street?
Red mailbox?
When I leave this room, I am going to go
to her house and arrest her
for associating with a gang member,
stick her in County
with all the addicts and the working girls
they brought in last night, let her lawyer sort it out.
Might take a few days.
You have an auntie who lives next door, yeah?
Might just grab her, too.
There's room in our car.
I don't know anything about those robberies.
The Soldados had nothing to do with them.
Explain the guns, then.
Protection.
Everyone knows what's been going down.
We all think we're next.
- We armed up, just in case. - You're lying.
Your brother was at the Tiger hit last night,
along with someone else.
We have video.
I don't know what Danny was doing there.
- He's not like that. - Yes, he is.
He just tried to jump a SWAT officer.
Who else was in the car
with Danny? Tell me,
or he won't be the only family member you never see again.
All right, Vignisson, chill out, that's enough.
What did you mean, Danny wasn't like that?
Danny wasn't a Soldado?
He liked the cars, making stupid videos.
He never rolled for real.
I don't know what he was doing there that night,
but it wasn't Soldado business.
He was just a kid.
Tell me we found something useful
in that raid of Arturo Parra's house.
Hell of a lot of heroin,
but that's the Soldado stock and trade.
Didn't find anything that ties back
to any of the stash house robberies.
After four hits, this crew must be sitting
on a mountain of stolen product.
We know they haven't tried to resell it in L.A.
We would have traced it by now.
Yeah, but why would they be sitting on it?
That doesn't make any sense.
What if their motive had nothing to do with drugs at all?
Ballistics just came back. Got a ping from a shell casing
from the gun used to kill the mother next door.
That's a match to a gun belonging to John Flynn.
He's a Compton local.
DEACON: Flynn owns an auto shop
that was robbed a couple years ago.
He used his own gun to defend the store.
That's how it got in our system. After that, he became
a vocal anti-gang advocate.
Neighborhood watches, city petitions.
You think this is some kind of take-back-the-neighborhood
vigilante movement?
How does Danny Parra fit in?
We still don't know what he was doing in Tiger turf last night.
Impound is bringing Danny's car in now.
Maybe there's something in it that can tell us.
Alfaro, grab Hondo and pay Flynn a visit.
Deacon, stay with the Parra car.
Something tells me this kid's wrapped up in all of this.
So, some LASD jerk talks sideways to your teammate,
and you've got nothing to say?
Guess both of us have been quiet about a lot of things... Gamble.
Gamble is my mother's name.
And I'm not hiding from my past.
I was waiting for the right time to tell the team.
Well... [clears throat]
...got my attention now.
I never wanted anything to do with my father's life.
It's the whole reason why I became a cop--
just to prove him wrong.
The second I got my badge, I said
if I saw anything illegal, I'd personally haul him in.
That didn't stop him, though, did it?
No. It didn't.
And it caught up to him in the end.
Nearly destroyed my life,
my entire family's life in the process.
- Does Hondo know? - Of course.
He got me the slot with Oakland P.D. after the shooting.
He saw all this coming.
The stares, suspicions, the threats.
I meant, does Hondo know you're still in touch with your family.
I know you saw 'em this weekend.
It's been ten years since I've seen my mom in person.
I actually got to hug her on her birthday.
I do not regret that.
I get hiding what your dad did. That wasn't your fault.
But if you're still associating with criminals...
They're still my family, Tan.
I'm sorry you found out this way.
I wasn't ready to tell the team,
but after seeing you
side with some guy you just met over me,
and for some bro points,
maybe I was right to wait.
Dobes! They got you doing delivery?
Sometimes that's the job.
Can you sign these impound papers? Sure.
Do you want to stay, check the car out with us?
I'm good. Thanks.
Hey, Dobes.
You were cold this morning, but now you're practically subzero.
What the hell's going on?
Come on, Deac.
[sighs] We're too old to be dredging up ancient history.
Let's just leave the past in the past and get back
- to our own lives. - What are you talking about?
We were each other's first partner.
There's no way I'm turning my back on that.
Then why haven't I heard from you in 20 years?
We were best friends, man.
Deacon and Dobes.
And then you made SWAT and poof. You disappeared.
[sighs] Look, those first few months were very intense.
I had to prove that I belonged here.
You know how bad I wanted SWAT.
We wanted it.
SWAT was my dream, too.
I mean, it didn't feel good not making the cut,
but it felt worse going back to the beat alone.
I... [sighs] Every day,
the dream got further away.
I needed my partner,
and you never reached out.
Guess you were too busy for me.
- Oh, come on. - I mean, admit it.
You moved on to-to bigger things.
You didn't have time for some patrol cop as a friend anymore.
No, that's ridiculous.
I didn't think I was bigger than anyone.
Yes, SWAT took up a lot of my time.
I also got married.
I had children.
Dobes, it's called getting older.
Everyone gets older.
Most find a way to keep in touch with people they care about.
[stammers] I'm... I'm over it, really.
I made real friends in the LASD.
Vignisson, the rest of the guys,
they pulled me out of my spiral,
got me motivated again.
They're real family.
[sighs] POWELL: All good, Deac?
- Yeah. - Who was that guy?
Just someone I used to work with.
So, did you find anything that might explain
why Danny was racing through Tiger territory last night?
How about hair ties and some lipstick?
Look like something
that a 19-year-old boy would have?
Danny doesn't have a sister.
And his brother didn't mention anything
about a girlfriend, either.
Maybe because Danny didn't want his brother to know.
She look like someone a Soldado should be dating?
This girl's name is Emma Roddy.
She's a straight-A senior at Compton High School.
Her brother was one of the Tigers
who was killed last night.
She lives in the stash house that was hit.
We couldn't find Danny's phone at the raid,
but we were able to get a warrant for its data.
We found secret messages
between Danny and Emma. They were dating.
Star-crossed lovers from rival sets?
No wonder - they kept it a secret. - DEACON: Well, there's more.
Emma texted Danny while the robbery was going down.
POWELL: Danny says, "Go hide," that he's "on his way."
DEACON: Wait.
Emma was the other person in Danny's car
at the red light camera.
He was picking her up after the robbery.
That makes Emma the only witness
to survive one of these attacks.
All right, we already put out a BOLO.
- We have to find her. - Deac. Tan.
We got to talk to the commander, now.
What's going on?
Something happen - at Flynn's auto shop? - Not hardly.
That guy's done a spiritual 180
in the past few years.
He's all namaste, wouldn't hurt a fly.
We asked about the gun used in the Compton Tiger robbery.
Flynn said he got rid of it last Christmas.
Part of his new outlook.
So that gun could be in anyone's possession right now.
No. Flynn said he traded the gun in at a police buyback.
The hell? To which station?
South Central Sheriff's Department.
I checked the records, and the officer running the buyback:
Lieutenant Raul Vignisson.
What exactly are you accusing these deputies of, Hondo?
Sir, think about the group we've been chasing.
Enough skill to storm fully-armed houses,
enough intel to find them,
and enough insight to avoid leaving any evidence behind.
DEACON: This is a list.
The GSU arrests in the last month.
The night before each gang stash house robbery,
Vignisson's teamhauls in
a street-level dealer
from the same gang.
It could be how they pick their targets.
Bust a small fish, get the location of the stash.
Commander,
the GSU are the stash house robbers.
DEACON: It explains why they never
leave a witness alive.
No matter how well you hide your face, a cop
- still moves like a cop. - HONDO: And it can't be lost on you, sir.
The only body that dropped today
was been a potential witness SWAT discovered on our own.
- Danny Parra. - HONDO: That's right.
Tan, I need you to think very carefully.
Did you see a gun on Danny Parra during the raid?
I... I didn't really see Danny.
He came at me from behind. Lang took the shot.
But afterward. The weapon.
Lang went right to the body, kicked the gun away.
He could've planted it. I wouldn't have known.
Wait a minute. Danny wasn't the only witness
at the Tiger house robbery.
No, his girlfriend, Emma. We've got a BOLO out.
It won't take long for Vignisson
to figure out why we're looking for her.
Well, we need to find her first.
Well, Danny probably took her somewhere safe to lay low,
somewhere not connected to the streets.
Powell went through her social media.
She's got an aunt who lives down in Torrance.
Well, that's our best shot. Get down there now.
If we figuredit out,
you can bet Vignisson will, too.
This is LAPD!
We're looking for Elsa Roddy.
Officers, good Lord. What's this all about?
Ma'am, we're looking for your niece, Emma.
Have you seen her in the last 24 hours?
She showed up here this morning
looking scared.
I wish she would move out that horrible house
and get away from her brother.
We need to speak to her, ma'am.
[sighs] I'm sorry. Her boyfriend Danny texted her.
Asked her to meet him at a park
by her house.
She left about 20 minutes ago.
Thank you for your time.
[sighs]
The GSU must've pocketed Danny's phone.
They sent that message to Emma.
Which means she's headed straight to them right now.
Let's go.
Patrol just arrived at the park by Emma's house.
No sign of her.
All right, we got to find Vignisson
and get him to come back to HQ without a scene.
Find me? I'm right here.
SWAT catch a break in the case?
HONDO: Where's the girl, Vignisson? Where's Emma Roddy?
I have no idea who that is.
Drop the act. We know everything.
Oh. [laughs] That's a relief.
Felt like you were chasing your tails.
Where's the rest of your team?
Following a lead. But it must be a dead end,
seeing as you already solved this, right?
How about you call them into SWAT HQ?
We could talk about it more there.
My men don't answer to you.
And neither do I.
This is your one chance to end things cleanly.
You tell us where Emma Roddy is, and you turn yourself in,
or I promise you, we will hunt your whole team down.
I don't know where she is, Hondo,
but girls like that run away
all the time.
Sometimes very far away.
And they're never heard from again.
Good luck with the search.
Hey. Give me a second.
I'll meet you at the car.
Did you know?
Did you know what Vignisson's crew was up to?
What are you talking about?
Oh, come on. The GSU. They're the ones
robbing the stash houses and murdering people
to cover it up.
What kind of cop says that about other cops? Disgraceful.
- Did you know? - I don't know what kind of
messed-up head game this is,
but Vignisson is like a brother to me.
You're talking about my family.
For God's sakes, Dobes,
he doesn't care about you.
His team is a bunch of thugs.
He just dangles that open slot
to surround his guys with gullible deputies
desperate for his attention.
You are never gonna make GSU.
Just like I never could make SWAT, right?
Guess I was right
about the way you looked at me all these years.
Yeah. Yeah, you're right.
You remember how we used to
look at the SWAT guys?
Like they walked on water.
When I finally got in,
maybe I let that go to my head.
I thought I was better than everybody else,
including you.[sighs]
I'm sorry.
Back at Wilshire,
I hated how we used to always try to outdo each other.
I mean, I always just trying to keep up with you, but you...
you wanted to win.
I just wanted to be the best,
to stand out, and I still do.
And sometimes, I hate myself for it.
I wasted a long time being bitter
when I didn't make team leader.
Even now,
I can't handle someone else running SWAT Academy.
You retired and came back, Deac.
You still get to be SWAT.
Don't you realize what a gift that is?
Dobes.
I'm not here as your friend.
The GSU, they are holding a young girl hostage,
and we need to find her, please.
They're such a tight group, Deac.
They don't share much with anyone.
Well, anything, anything could be helpful.
I overheard Lang
mention a place out by Diamond Bar
where they "shoot tin cans."
I... I never understood that.
We got a range here at the station.
Okay. Well, that-that's something.
I'll run it by my team.
Thank you for trusting me.
Vignisson's playing dumb, but he knows we're coming for him.
Rest of his team's MIA.
They're probably destroying anything
that ties them to the robberies,
but that's all hearsay unless we find physical evidence.
Yup. [sighs] What's that mean for Emma?
TAN: They'll need to find out if she's talked
to anyone else, any last loose ends.
After that...
We'll find her.
We never found their stolen stash.
If their hideout is safe enough
for all that money and drugs,
then it's safe enough to hold and question Emma.
Deacon's old partner heard the GSU guys
talking about shooting tin cans in Diamond Bar.
I remember competing in an LASD shooting competition
back when I was a deputy.
It was at this old building-turned-shoot house
out in Diamond Bar.
Check out who hosted the event.
Vignisson. This is the place.
Tan, fire up Black Betty. I'll reroute Hondo and Deacon.
What about Vignisson? He's still at the sheriff's station.
You leave him to me.
Come on, sweetheart. We need to know
where you ran off to that night.
Who else did you talk to besides your boyfriend, Danny?
Vigs said torch it all.
That's a cool mil, up in flames.
Plenty more where that came from
when this all blows over.
Look at me!
You know what's gonna happen here,
so tell us who you talked to.
We can end it this way,
or we can end it that way.
What's the hurry, Lieutenant?
[chuckles]
Commander.
What, you here to arrest me?
I'll let Hondo have that honor
when he returns with the girl you kidnapped.
I'm just here to make sure you don't go anywhere.
And I brought a couple of black-and-whites with me,
in case you get any funny ideas.
[chuckles]
Do you know why all the other cops can't stand you SWAT guys?
Hmm?
It's this holier-than-thou schtick.
The rest of us are out here doing the best we can,
trying to survive.
Is that what you call theft and murder?
We clean up the streets, we stop the flow of drugs.
We're just doing our jobs.
I don't think you'll have one for much longer.
Let's wait to see whose team makes it back.
Looks like they're here.
HONDO: All right, our priority is Emma Roddy.
She's an innocent caught up in all of this.
Now, they can try and hold us off,
but we are not leaving here without her.
These men will protect their secret at all costs.
They will shoot to kill.
Now, they may not be acting like cops,
but they're still trained like them.
Probably protected by the same gear we are, too.
Only difference is, they play dirty.
Hey, don't get it twisted. They may have training,
but they do not have our training. They are not SWAT.
Keep tight to your two, heads on a swivel.
Let's go. We're moving in.
HONDO: Niko, door.
[rapid beeping, alarm whooping]
That's the motion sensors.
Ronnie, cover the fire. Lang, hide the cash.
- Then gear up. - How are they here already?
Doesn't matter.
All that matters now is they don't leave.
HONDO:Hold.
Cover.
You know, I stayed out of the trash talking all day,
but now I gotta warn you.
SWAT's about to run - circles around you. - Doubt it.
Your toys won't save you here.
You're in our house now.
Hondo, visual. Suspect deep moving.
[rapid beeping, alarm whooping]
- Damn it, I lost him. - Does anybody have eyes?
Cover, cover![gunfire]
We can't all stay pinned down in this room
or they're gonna pick us off.
We've got to find Emma.
20-Squad, break off in pairs! Move, now!
[alarm whooping in distance]
TAN: 25-David, found another training room.
Checking it out.
Damn it.
Stay focused.
Remember our training.
This is just target practice.
[mechanisms clicking]
[mechanism clicks]
[grunts, groans]
ALFARO: Stay down! Don't you move!
[alarm whooping in distance]
How about this time we stick together?
Gamble!
Tan!
[grunts]
I'm so glad I get to be the one to do this.
[grunting]
Stay down!
Honor's all yours, Gamble.
[gunfire] Cover fire, Deac!
We can't let them pin us down!
We got to keep moving! On me.
This guy's firing at us like a madman.
He thinks he's got us over a barrel.
Then we got to take away his advantage.
Kill that confidence.
If this shoot house is anything like ours,
there's a system control for the instructor.
There it is. Far wall.
I'm on it. Cover me.
HONDO: Go!
♪
Drop it, now!
Put it down!
On your knees.
Hands behind your back.
20-David, one suspect in custody.
ALFARFO: 25-David, GSU number two in custody.
GAMBLE: 26-David, that's a hat trick, sir.
HONDO: Get up. Get up.
[breathing heavily]
Y'all took on SWAT.
It was never a competition.
[grunts]
[phone buzzes]
Looks like you backed the wrong horse.
Emma's safe.
A lot of mistakes got you here, Vignisson.
Don't make another one.
[scoffs]
You see, that's where our departments differ.
SWAT is so damn meticulous.
Sheriffs?
We shoot from the hip.
[gunshots]
[groans]
[groaning]
[panting]
Well, I guess we won't be waiting for Hondo.
[groans] You're under arrest,
Lieutenant.
You know the drill.
[indistinct chatter]
We recovered a lot of the evidence
these guys were trying to destroy.
Hopefully, we can trace it back to the houses it came from
and pin the GSU to each robbery.
Along with Emma's testimony,
this case should be open-and-shut.
I know it must've been tough for you two,
having to go up against fellow officers.
HONDO: No.
They're nothing but criminals, plain and simple.
Amen to that.
Come on, we got a meeting with the sheriff.
We got a lot to discuss.
Okay. Bye.
Well, I guess there's finally a slot open on the GSU.
Too bad the sheriff's scrapping the whole team.
[sighs]
Just my luck. I did all those
push-ups for nothing.
[chuckles]
Dobes, we never would have found Emma if it wasn't for you.
You chose SWAT over the GSU,
and I'll never forget it.
I didn't choose SWAT, Deac.
I chose you.
Despite everything that happened,
you're still one of the best cops I know.
And I hate to admit it, but...
...I still look up to you after all these years.
Dobes, I j-- I just want to say--
Don't need another apology.
Fresh start'll do just fine.
How 'bout a fresh start and a cold beer?
Maybe a couple steaks on the grill?
Ah. [chuckles] Now you're talking.
How come you never gave SWAT another shot?
It's not like I didn't want it.
Hell, I still want it.
But being told you're not good enough, it...
cuts deep, man.
Well, it's-it's never too late to try again.
[chuckles] You're joking.
Enrollment just started. I mean,
you've got the experience. You got the training.
Oh, come on, Deac. I'm pushing 50, man.
We don't have an age limit at SWAT.
I mean, if I can pass the PFQs,
you sure as hell can, too.
You push yourself as hard as you can.
You shoot for your dream.
This time, pass or fail,
I will be right there by your side.
Be just like old times.
Deacon and Dobes.
[chuckles softly]
Come on.
[chuckles]
♪
Hey, Gamble. Hold up.
We barely had a minute to check in today.
You good?
I heard you caught some flack over your family history.
Uh, y-- A little.
Slapping the cuffs on those GSU bastards
did ease the pain.
What about you and Tan?
Damn. You don't miss a beat.
Yeah. We, uh... Me and Tan, we had some words.
But we worked it out.
Mm, all good.
The hell are you talking about, Gamble?
Way more than good.
- Hey. - More than good.
HONDO: All right.
I like that.
[chuckles softly]
Is that my car?
Scuse me. Scuse me.
Wait, what?
This is all the details of my dad's arrest.
Where the hell did this come from?
POWELL:It was just blasted to HQ
from an anonymous LASD email.
Someone here must have printed out a bunch of copies.
Is this real, Gamble?
Did your dad kill a cop?
TAN: Hey.
Gamble's the one on this team, not her father.
HONDO:That's right. And she's done nothing
but earn her place on this team since she got here.
Anybody got a problem,
you speak on it right now.
Nah. Just needed to know if people were spreading lies
or running their mouths.
Look, either way,
you don't mess with one of our squad.
I told you--
we've got your back, no matter what.
Thanks. But that's everything my dad did
right there in black and white.
Now that it's out,
this kind of stuff's not gonna stop.
Hey, listen up!
Whoever put these out, you got one warning.
You mess with Gamble, you mess with 20-Squad.
That means you mess with me.
♪
[indistinct chatter]
ALFARO: We got you.
Captioning sponsored by CBS
and TOYOTA.
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org