Law & Order: Los Angeles Episode 1.03 Harbor City

It's dawn at Lunada Bay in Palos Verdes, and the surf's up! Former surf champ Trevor Knight returns to his SUV to find it keyed while a baby blue Impala lowrider lingers threateningly in the parking lot. He returns to his grow-op (medical marijuana store), where aging hippy Jerry Tooney reports that everything's going fine. A kid stops in to warn about the lowrider, but Trevor shoos him out the door, assuring Tooney that if there's trouble, it's nothing he can't handle. The next morning, TJ and Winters are on the scene to investigate his murder. There's three sets of footprints in the blood, and blood on the biometric lock on the safe. If it's the same four-man crew that's been hitting other dispensaries; this is a big escalation. TJ can't figure why Trevor would fight for the safe, but Winters knows that Trevor's reputation for drunken brawling ended his surfing career.

Tooney tells the detectives he found Trevor's body just after 6:00 a.m., having come in early to start deliveries - competition in the marijuana business is cutthroat, and the neighbors aren't happy to have the grow-op in their neighborhood. When TJ and Winters ask to see the books, Tooney refers them to Trevor's wife Deena, who lives with his mother Liz, who's dying of melanoma. Liz thinks Trevor should have been back in Hawaii with Deena, training, but he decided to open the shop to pay for her chemo while restarting his career. Deena tells Winters it wasn't her choice to come to L.A. or to sell weed, and the store's take was only $20,000 per week. There was about $100,000 in the safe. Trevor kept missing armored car pick-ups to take his mom to the hospital - that's why he installed the safe last month.

Back at RHD, TJ and Winters take another look at the robbery ring, which has hit five dispensaries in the last two months. Since the cases share no similarities, they decide to start by questioning the manager of Security Arms, the armored car company who picked up Trevor's cash. Dufresne claims Trevor's security was a mess - that's why he advised him to install the safe. When TJ notices a couple of trucks painted with different company logos, Dufresne explains. His company bought up a bunch of smaller companies, and they're still consolidating - now all the dispensaries are being serviced by one armored car company.

TJ and Winters interview dispatcher Barbara Lydell, who claims she's divorcing her jailed husband, even though they have record of her recent conjugal visit. They're pretty sure she used her maiden name to get hired, and that her man has something to do with the pot robberies. Asking for a deal, Barbara admits she gave a guy named Chuck Roker a list of 10 dispensaries and Trevor's was at the top of the list. Winters gives her a chance to come clean by setting up another target for Roker. Later, TJ and Winters man the counters at Holistic Green, waiting for Roker and his crew to come in and rob the place. Unfortunately, a kid blows their cover, just as the deal's about to go down. Nevertheless, TJ and Winters apprehend Roker and take him downtown for questioning.

Roker invokes his Fifth Amendment rights until TJ makes it clear they want to tag him with murder. Roker immediately signs a waver and cops to all the dispensary robberies except Harbor City. He staked out Trevor's shop, but a giant Samoan in a light blue Impala lowrider chased him off with a sawed-off Mossberg. TJ and Winters proceed to the Parker Center to talk to Detective Nino Rivas of the gang unit. He immediately recognizes Sons of Samoa member Joey Fatu, who does own a blue Impala. The emergency contact listed on his parole reports is Deena Knight, who admits Fatu was her first husband, and Trevor's silent partner in the pot shop. Fatu gave Trevor $20 grand to get the business off the ground and took a cut every week. Since Trevor dealt with Fatu, Deena has no idea where to find him.

Stumped, the detectives visit Tooney to ask about Fatu. They arrive at the RV Tooney calls home and parks at Dockweiler State Beach, only to find the door's been kicked in. They pull out their guns, but the thieves are long gone. Tooney rues the loss of the good old days when you could park at the beach and leave the door open with no worries. TJ notices a nasty cut on Tooney's cheek and a couple of his fingers look broken. Tooney admits Joey Fatu tore his place apart, while accusing him of killing Trevor and stealing the money. When Tooney turned the tables and accused Fatu of the same thing, Fatu claimed that if he wanted to kill Trevor, he would have done it clean back at Lunada Bay.

The detectives return to RHD to survey surveillance camera footage from the Lunada Bay parking lot. With the gift of modern technology, they're able to pull the license plate number off the Impala. Armed with a warrant, their guns and a bunch of burly cops, TJ and Winters knock on Fatu's door later that night. When there's no answer, they bust in to find Fatu in flagrante delicto with his girlfriend Tracy, who immediately starts screaming and jumps in front of her massive boyfriend. Winters grabs his taser and downs Fatu, who splats on top of Tracy, rendering her unable to breathe. Back at HQ, Fatu explains that Trevor was his meal ticket, and the pot shop is only small potatoes. In exchange for helping Trevor make it back to the surf circuit, Fatu was due 40% of future endorsements. The only person he's laid a hand on is the one guy who might beat Trevor, pro surfer Del Broadleaf.

Surfboard maker Del tells the detectives about his run-in with Fatu, who tried to scare him out of an upcoming surf tournament. Trevor told Del the Samoan was out of line and apologized, then asked to buy a new competition board, since his got smashed by some dudes at Lunada Bay. Nowadays there are too many bodies in the water and not enough waves. TJ and Winters check out Lunada Bay, taking photos of what looks like gang graffiti and talking to a local surfer, who carries a dinged-up surfboard and a knife. A heckler on the deck of an expensive home interrupts their conversation - they're trespassing on his property! TJ angrily reminds the homeowner that the entire California coastline is public property.

The detectives show their graffiti photos to the local sheriff, who immediately recognizes the tag as belonging to the Moon Bay Crew, three wealthy local surfer kids with their own web page. Recently they beat down a 17-year-old kid from Torrance, but the case disappeared. As it turns out, Carlton Campbell, Logan Rudman and Patrick Scott all have sealed juvie records. Video on their website shows luxury vehicles and high-end sports equipment. DMV records show that Patrick is the only one of the boys driving a crappy car so Morales tells the detectives to target him, betting he has the worst lawyer of the bunch. TJ and Winters find Patrick outside his rundown-looking house with his hands all busted up. Patrick claims he injured himself surfing, but veteran surfer Winters knows the cuts are teeth marks, which probably match Trevor's dental records.

TJ and Winters exit the interrogation room to report that Patrick lawyered up and won't budge. Telling them to turn the cameras off, Morales goes in alone, busting on Patrick's lawyer - one of these days, Morales will let him win a case, but not now. He's ready to offer a deal if Patrick will testify against his friends. When the chips are down, the rich kids will turn on Patrick; he'll never be one of them. Patrick explains they were just trying to teach Trevor a lesson. He claimed he was in training and hogged all the waves. When Trevor wouldn't back down, they went to the store, where Carlton kicked in Trevor's head, decided they should make it look like a robbery, and took the money.

A uniformed maid opens the door to a swank beachfront Campbell home, where Logan, Carlton, their lawyers and their parents are waiting for TJ and Winters to make their search and arrests. Gray Campbell instructs his son not to talk, telling the cops that both boys have invoked their rights, and videotape has been taken to establish their physical condition. Later, Morales finds Gray in his study, which has windows overlooking the beach. Gray claims that Carlton's only mistake was befriending sociopath Patrick, whom he blames for the crimes. Morales notices a petition that Gray's circulating to limit beach access to local homeowners. Remembering sweltering childhood summers when the beach was the only relief, Morales reminds Gray of the California promise - the beach belongs to everyone. Offended, Gray reminds Morales that his search warrant doesn't cover the study and kicks him out.

At the arraignment hearing, Carlton and Logan are charged with one count of murder with gang enhancement and special circumstances robbery. They plead not guilty, and their lawyer Sarah Widmer asks for bail. Price protests, pointing to the severity of the charges, which carry the death penalty, and that both boys have the financial means to flee. Bail is denied. Afterwards, Widmer chases down Price, who points out that the bloody footprints at the murder scene match the boys' shoes sizes. Widmer rallies. Not only does the prosecution not have the shoes, their star witness is a sociopathic liar, who is also guilty of rape at the Campbell house - for which she has a sworn affidavit.

Price and Morales proceed to the county lock-up, where Campbell admits Logan and Carlton pushed him to have sex with a drunk, "halfway passed-out" girl at a party while they cheered him on. Carlton's dad covered it up and paid off the girl. With their case greatly weakened, Price and Morales review their evidence. Spying a bottle of lighter fluid near the fireplace in Gray's study, Morales sends Price to get a second search warrant. When lab tests come back, they meet with Widmer and Gray. Residue in the chimney is consistent with the burning of neoprene wetsuits and money. The same evidence was found on the fireplace tools, along with Gray's fingerprints. Widmer tells Gray not to respond and whisks him out. Angry, Morales resolves to charge Gray with the willful promotion of felony gang activity, and orders Price to get him booked and processed immediately.

Widmer protests in superior court. Morales' crazy charges are an attempt to bully Gray into testifying against his son, a frivolous waste of the court's time. Morales argues that by legal definition, Gray is a member of the Moon Bay Crew, and promises to give proof of his criminal liability. The judge decides to schedule a preliminary hearing to determine whether a trial is needed. At the hearing, Morales calls Detective Rivas to the stand to define gangs and their activities and establish that Moon Bay Crew is a gang. On cross, Widmer establishes that the primary activity of MBC isn't criminal, it's surfing. Amy Reynolds takes the stand to tell the story of her rape. Afterwards, when she woke up, Carlton told her that calling the police would destroy her life; no one would believe her story. Then he offered her $5,000 and drove her to the bus stop.

Widmer puts Gray on the stand to tell his side of the story. He admits to offering to pay Amy's medical expenses since she was raped at his house, but he didn't bribe her. Furthermore he doesn't engage in gang-related criminal activities with his son. On cross, Morales demands to know why Gray didn't report Amy's rape. His $5,000 was supposed to make it go away? Does Gray recall paying $10,000 to Peter Markham, the outlander the three boys assaulted for "trespassing" on Lunada Bay beach? Gray's checkbook has been facilitating MBC's criminal conduct, especially since Gray covers all of his son's expenses. Furthermore, he heads a citizens group which is petitioning to limit beach access - all of it makes Gray nothing more than a thug defending his turf.

In her closing statement, Widmer claims the state failed to show that Gray participated in murder or illegal activity. Furthermore, the Moon Bay Crew isn't really a street gang. Morales disagrees; MBC is defending their turf. Gray drilled the belief that the beach should belong to the elite into his son, then materially supported his son's harassment of so-called trespassers, and covered up the crimes he committed against those trespassers. The judge agrees and sends the case to trial, allowing Gray to remain free on bond. Later, Gray meets with the lawyers. Morales warns that if Gray doesn't turn on his son, he'll be going to jail alongside him. After all, Gray's the one who filled his son full of so much entitlement that he stomped a man to death over a wave.

Gray breaks down, telling Morales about the night of Trevor's murder, when he found Carlton burning the bloody money in the fireplace. How could this have happened? Later, a circuit court judge settles the plea agreement. Carlton and Logan are sentenced to 15 years to life for second-degree murder, and Patrick gets six for manslaughter. After court is adjourned, Morales takes Price to the beach for lunch. Price isn't much of a beach girl, since she hates gritty sandwiches, skin cancer and crappy parking. According to Morales, Price doesn't really know what she's missing - California's gold.