Chapter 196 Sincerity
Different from domestic ones.
California police officers can work part-time.
Many police officers will do security and detective work during their vacations.
Luke has no psychological burden on charging consulting fees.
It is not difficult for him to investigate Val's case of self-defense, but it will waste some time.
Luke checked the surveillance video again and found some new clues.
Although the fight is a monitoring blind spot, it does not mean that monitoring is useless.
The surveillance did not capture Val and the suspect, but it did capture the onlookers.
These onlookers can be witnesses. Of course, the premise is that they have seen all the scenes of the conflict.
If they didn't see Val being choked by the suspect, but only saw Val beating the suspect, it would be bad for Val.
This is also the dilemma Val is facing now. The police questioned several onlookers at the scene, and they all rushed over after hearing the movement. They only saw the scene of Val beating people.
Time node judgment is very important.
Otherwise, the witnesses brought in can only be a disservice.
The person Luke is looking for must be someone who has seen the whole process of the fight, so as to help Val clear the suspicion.
There are a total of three cameras outside the mall. Luke carefully compared the three cameras, analyzed the time, path, and demeanor, and found a black man who might be watching the whole process.
The black man was also in the blind spot of the surveillance at the time. When he appeared in the video surveillance, he was shooting a video with his mobile phone, and he probably captured the scene of the conflict between the two sides.
The problem now is that it is not clear when the other party took pictures.
If the other party captures all the scenes of the conflict, Val's innocence can be proved as long as the video is obtained.
Some people may think that this case is not difficult, because the police can't figure it out.
Actually, the reason can be analyzed from ordinary theft cases.
If the house is patronized by thieves, will the case be difficult?
Not difficult to do.
Checking the community monitoring may be able to find the thieves.
Can you catch the thief?
High probability is not possible.
Sounds contradictory and illogical, but it happens every day.
If you talk about why Luke can check it so easily.
It can only be said to be an all-round dimensionality reduction blow.
In terms of investigation, if the Patrol is compared to the CBA, then the Robbery and Murder Division belongs to the NBA. They all play basketball, so the level is definitely different.
Luke is also a James-like existence in the NBA. Going to the CBA does not mean abuse.
Luke carefully checked the man's whereabouts and found that he was just passing by the supermarket and did not enter the supermarket.
From the analysis of the man's movement trajectory, he probably went to the parking lot behind the supermarket.
Luke called up the surveillance in the parking lot and found that the man's car was a gray Chevrolet.
Luke contacted Matthew and quickly found the owner's information.
Name, Pidar Newt
Sex: Male
Date of Birth, March 2, 1986
Mobile phone number, 6268767821
Address, Carrier Community, No. 125
Social Security Number, 623-53-1326
License plate number, 7Seb323
Some things are inconvenient to say on the phone, now that the owner's address has been found.
Luke is going to bring Val to visit directly.
…
The next day.
Jariel Community, No. 125.
A taxi is parked outside a gray two-story building.
Luke and Val got out of the car. Luke didn't drive his own Mercedes-Benz G500. He thought it would be more appropriate to take a taxi for this occasion.
Val looked at the house number in front of the house, tidied his clothes, held a gift bag in his hand, and asked Luke beside him, "Do you think I can do this?"
"Very well, as long as you are more sincere for a while, I don't think it's a big problem."
Val nodded, strode into the yard, stood outside the door and knocked on the door, "Dong Dong."
The door opened after a while, and a black man stood at the door, looking at Val and Luke, "Who are you? What's the matter?" After the man finished speaking, he stared at Val carefully again,
"Hey, I think I've seen you before."
Val nodded, "Yes, there was a man who went to rob the supermarket at noon yesterday, I stopped him, and the two of us fought.
You should have been there. "
The black man raised his eyebrows, "How did you know I was there? You probably didn't notice me at the time. Forget it, I don't really want to know, what's the matter with you?"
Val said, "Can you go in and talk? It's not convenient to talk here."
The black man directly refused, "No, I don't like strangers entering my house."
Val handed over the bag in his hand, "Sir, this is a gift for you. We are here to ask for your help, and we won't waste your time too much."
The black man opened the bag and took out a bottle of champagne, "I'm curious, how do you know I live here?"
Luke said, "We watched the surveillance video of the supermarket and found that you were there at the time, and after we inquired about it, it happened that an acquaintance knew you.
My friend was falsely accused of intentional injury by a mugger, and he needs your help now.
Of course, it is your freedom and ultimately your decision whether you want to help, but before that, I hope you can give us a chance to ask for help and let us make things clear.
We are here with great sincerity. "
Luke spoke very politely. Since he came to ask for help, he had to show his posture.
If it’s awesome to ask for help, it’s no wonder they can help you.
The black man looked at Val, then at the bag in his hand, and stepped aside, "OK, let's go in and talk."
Luke and Val entered the living room. The area was not very large, and the room was a bit messy.
From the living environment of a person, one can see the state of a person's life. Luke feels that this buddy should not be living very well.
After observing the surrounding situation habitually, Luke sat in a corner of the sofa, "Sir, what's your name?"
Does Luke know his name?
Of course I know, and not only know his name, but also more detailed information.
But if you know, you still have to ask.
This is not superfluous, but necessary.
Two strangers came to your door suddenly, and immediately called out your name, everyone will feel vigilant.
When the time comes, the other party will have certain doubts about what you say.
"Pedal Newt, what do you call them?"
"My name is Luke Lee, and his name is Val Sullivan."
Pydal Newt crossed his hands, put his elbows on his knees, looked at Luke and Val and asked, "I can tell you why you are here, but I don't necessarily promise to help you."
Luke nodded to Val.
Since you are asking others for help, you should explain the matter clearly, and understand it with emotion and reason.
Comparing your heart with your heart, maybe someone will take the initiative to help you.
Although you don't meet often, there are still good people.
Val said, "The person who fought with me at noon yesterday is a suspect who robbed the supermarket.
This is the third time he has come to our supermarket to rob.
It is wrong for him to do so. It not only caused losses to our supermarket, but also had a very bad impact on the whole society.
I really couldn't stand it anymore, so I wanted to stop him.
I know it's silly to do this, but this society needs some 'fools'. "Val's tone is very sincere, like a person who has been wronged for justice,
"I followed him all the time and saw him push the shopping cart out without checking out, so I followed him out of the supermarket and tried to stop him.
I didn't make a move at first, just grabbed the shopping cart, he grabbed my neck first, and then I started to fight back.
He also spat at me and said a lot of insults, and I couldn't help but beat him up.
He acted first, and I belonged to self-defense, but I happened to be monitoring a blind spot at the time.
I had no way to prove all of this, and the robber in turn sued me for intentional injury.
I was wronged, and you were there at the time, so it should be very clear.
I want you to testify for me. "
Peter Newt nodded, "Dude, I sympathize with what happened to you."
"Thank you, now only you can help me, as long as you are willing to testify for me, you can prove that I belong to self-defense."
Pidar Newt was a little embarrassed, "Well, I'm afraid this is a bit difficult. You should understand. The robber is a black man, and I am also a black man.
If I testify for you, things will get complicated.
Maybe even causing some trouble in my life. "
Luke said, "Mr. Newt, I don't quite agree with your statement. Why do we have to divide black and white? We are all Los Angeles.
The guy who robbed the supermarket is disrupting the normal order of our city, we should all stop him and let him accept the punishment of the law. "
Pidal Newt said, "You are right, but the problem of skin color does exist, just like the neighborhood where I live is mostly black, and I am also a black person. If I want to help a white person Another black man was sent to prison.
What will other black people think of me?
It's a very real problem, I can't ignore it.
Not everyone can look at the problem rationally, and a small group of extremists will not let me go.
And this group of people is precisely the most dangerous. If I really do this, I believe that the glass in my house will be smashed tomorrow, and my family will also be threatened.
It's not that I don't want to help, but the premise is that it doesn't affect the normal life of me and my family. "
Luke has been in Los Angeles for so long, and he also understands the situation here. Pidal's worry is reasonable, and it is not entirely an excuse.
Luke retreated to the next best thing, "Mr. Newt, I saw in the video that you had been recording the video. I don't know when you started recording the video? Did you capture the picture of the suspect choking Val's neck?"
Pydar Newt didn't hide anything, "Yes, I did shoot the video, and I started shooting from the moment Mr. Sullivan grabbed the shopping cart and the two started arguing.
It is true that the suspect was choked by the neck of Mr. Sullivan. "
Val showed a look of joy, "Mr. Newt, can you give me the video?
This is very important to me to prove my innocence.
And you don't have to go to court, nobody knows you made the video. "
Pydar Newt hesitated, "Even so, I'm still a little worried.
You can find me, and the suspect might be able to find me too. What if he knows that I gave you the video and they retaliate against me? "
Luke persuaded, "You don't have to worry about this, the video can only be seen by the police.
I promise the suspect won't find you. "
Pydar Newt sighed, "Can I think about it? You leave your contact information, and I will contact you after I think about it."
The evidence was right in front of him. How could Luke leave easily? He also saw that Pidal Newt was not a warm-hearted person, and Val's tragic experience could not move him.
Then there is only another way, "Mr. Newt, we are really sincere and understand your concerns. In order to express our gratitude, we are willing to pay you a thank you fee.
Pydal Newt glanced at his big lips, "How much?"
Sure enough, in the final analysis, it still depends on money.
Luke offered, "Three hundred dollars."
Pydar Newt shook his head, "No, there are too few nono, this is not a sincere price."
Luke asked back, "Mr. Newt, how much do you want?"
Pydar Newt rubbed his chin, "Before we say anything, let's make one thing clear. It was you who offered to buy it. I didn't ask you for money, but you offered to give me money."
"That's right, we offered to buy it."
Pydar Newt thought for a while, and stretched out 5 fingers.
Luke guessed, "Five hundred dollars."
Pydal Newt shrugged, "Add a 0 after that."
Val looked embarrassed, "Man, I'm just a shopping guide who is still in the internship period, let alone 5,000 dollars, I can't even get 500 dollars.
Even if it was $300, I would borrow it from friends and family.
For the sake of everyone's difficulty, can it be cheaper? "
Pydar Newt didn't buy it. "You guys want to buy it yourself. I'll offer a reasonable price. If you don't want it, forget it."
Val is in a hurry. This is related to his life for the rest of his life. "It's not that we don't want to buy it, but the price is too expensive, and I really can't afford it."
"Then how much money do you think is appropriate?"
Val thought for a while, "500 dollars, this is the highest price I can offer."
Pydar Newt made a gesture of seeing off the guests, "Sorry, I'm afraid I can't help you. If there is nothing else, please go out."
Luke backed down, "We can give you a thousand dollars."
Luke received a consulting fee of 30,000 US dollars from the supermarket, which he was willing to give.
"No, I said, five thousand dollars."
Luke persuaded, "Mr. Pedar Newt, you can't make enough money, so how about making friends?
Send us the video, you have nothing to lose, a thousand dollars can buy you something for yourself or your family, nice. "
"As I said just now, if I give the video to you, I have to bear certain risks. If those people find me and injure me, the thousand dollars is not enough for medical expenses." Pidar Newt said in a tone Very firm.
Luke flashed his police badge, "I'm a policeman, I can guarantee that no one will dare to disturb you because of this matter.
If anyone bothers you about the video, you can call me.
I promise to make them disappear and never appear in front of you again. "
Pydar Newt swallowed, looked at the police badge, with a nervous expression on his face, "Are you really a policeman?"
"certainly."
“Uh… does a thousand dollars count?”
Luke directly took out ten green bills and put them on the table, "I always keep my word."
(end of this chapter)