Lenny (Matt Craven), Jerry, Richie (Juilio Oscar Mechoso), Gayle (Catherine Kellner), Russell (Louis Mustillo) and Terry (Matthew Beck) arrive at an apartment complex where a large mean man has assaulted a smaller man. No one dares to press charges. Anne Bonner (Lucinda Jenney) and Jim Marsh (David Keith) are having an intimate evening together, but things become tense when Marsh moves faster than Anne is comfortable with. Upset that he would not stop when she asked, she forces him out of her house and the next day files sexual harassment charges against him. Marsh takes Randy Willitz (Cole Hauser), a rookie, out for his first day. Lenny (Matt Craven) and Jerry are cruising a residential neighborhood where they pull over a car with a dangling muffler. As Jerry approaches the car, he is suddenly gunned down and the driver speeds away.
Tony Van Camp joins his daughter Gayle (Catherine Kellner) and her partner Richie Fernandez (Julio Oscar Mechoso) for a ride along. Throughout the day Tony says racist comments that shed light on Gayle's background. Jim Marsh (David Keith) spends the day with his three daughters, each from a separate marriage. Lenny (Matt Craven) is introduced to his new partner Leslie (Aunjanue Ellis). They report to an abandoned pool, where they find an abandoned baby drowning. The baby dies and the mother is arrested. Russell (Louis Mustillo) and Terry (Matthew Beck) respond to an assault call where a man has accidently run over a dog only to have the dog's owner follow him and punch him in the face.
Jim Marsh (David Keith) and Randy Wilitz (Cole Hauser) pursue a red corvette through the streets until the driver crashes into a garage, and lands in a swimming pool. Before they can free the driver he shoots himself, leaving Willitz badly shaken. Terry (Matthew Beck) and Russell (Louis Mustillo) run into Dominic, a disabled Vietnam vet living on the streets. Later that evening, Russell returns with some blankets and money for Dominic and we discover that Dominic is Russell's brother. Marsh assigns Anne Bonner (Lucinda Jenney) to duty as an undercover prostitute, but when she gets picked up by a couple of ""johns"" who start to rough her up, her wire is found, revealing her identity. Anne is rescued by the ECPD, in the nick of time.
Lenny (Matt Craven) and Leslie (Aunjanue Ellis) are flagged down by a deaf woman who tells them her brother is being held at gunpoint. They follow the woman to her home where they find a hostage situation. Leslie comes close to shooting the woman's brother who has managed to get hold of the gun. Richie (Julio Oscar Mechoso) and Gayle (Catherine Kellner) are at the scene of a major auto accident where a small boy and his father are trapped in their van and a utility pole has been knocked down. Gas is everywhere and the power line is sparking. Finally power to the area is turned off and Richie is able to free the boy and his father. Marsh (David Keith) and Willitz (Cole Hauser) stumble upon an armed robbery and chase the robber through a church parking lot and into a public library where Russell (Louis Mustillo) and Terry (Matthew Beck) are in the vicinity. Lenny, who is covering the back exit, comes face to face with the robber and is overcome with memories of his partner's death, letti
Jim Marsh (David Keith) and Randy Willitz (Cole Hauser) pull over a man who has just rear-ended another car. After the man collapses, Anne Bonner (Lucinda Jenney), also responding to the call realizes that the man is diabetic and tries to feed him some sugar until the paramedics arrive. Terry (Matthew Beck) and Russell (Louis Mustillo) respond to a missing child report. The mother believes that the father took him, but Terry has a nagging feeling the little boy has crawled into a buried pipe at a construction site. After several minutes of digging up the pipe, they discover the little boy in the crowd that's building at the site. Marsh and Willitz try to persuade a battered woman to press charges against her husband. Marsh can't get the woman out of his mind and later keeps watch of her at her home. Richie (Julio Oscar Mechoso) is brought up on trumped up search and seizure charges. Leslie (Aunjanue Ellis) and Lenny (Matt Craven) witness a mother slapping her four-year-old daughter acr
Jim Marsh (David Keith) and Randy Willitz (Cole Hauser) finally convince Julia, the victim of domestic violence, to press charges against her husband. Len (Matt Craven) faces the Review Board about his improper firearm discharge and is suspended from street duty for five days without pay. Richie (Julio Oscar Mechoso) and Gayle (Catherine Kellner) arrive at a house whose inhabitants are high on PCP. When Andy attempts to use a stun gun on one of the criminals, he misses and shocks Gayle, leaving her temporarily paralyzed.
Marsh (David Keith) and Willitz (Cole Hauser) respond to a 911 call where they find a man who has murdered his wife and looks as though he might turn the gun on himself or his daughter. Willitz negotiates with the man and after several hours resolves the situation by winning his trust. Leslie (Aunjanue Ellis) and Lenny (Matt Craven) discover a dealer using a small child to sell cocaine. The child reminds Leslie of her daughter, who she gave up for adoption ten years before, and she worries that she might be in a bad home. Russell's (Louis Mustillo) brother Dominic shows up looking to start his life over with Russell's support. Gayle (Catherine Kellner) and Amy arrest a psychotic man who is tormenting people at a laundromat.
Russell (Louis Mustillo) and Terry (Matthew Beck) are involved in an accident on the freeway due to the thick blanket of fog that has descended on the city. The scene gets worse when more cars crash into the others. Jim Marsh (David Keith) and Randy Willitz (Cole Hauser) arrive at a crime scene where a young girl has been murdered and must notify her mother of her death. Gayle (Catherine Kellner) and Richie (Julio Oscar Mechoso) arrest a man after they catch him picking up prostitutes on two separate occasions.
Gayle (Catherine Kellner) and Richie (Julio Oscar Mechoso) answer a 911 call where they find an emotionally distraught father who claims to have mistaken his son for a burglar and shot and killed him. Later it's discovered that it wasn't an accident. Jim Marsh (David Keith) and Randy Willitz (Cole Hauser) investigate a suspicious man and discover he's keeping illegal immigrants as slaves. Leslie (Aunjanue Ellis) and Len (Matt Craven) are on a stakeout, looking for a young man who robs women at an ATM at knife point. Terry (Matthew Beck) discovers that he used stolen materials to build a nursery for his soon to be born baby. Leslie continues to search for her daughter.
Andy (Dylan Bruno) and Russell (Louis Mustillo) are called to the West Valley Zoo where several animals have somehow escaped. The most troubling escapee is a 600 pound bengal tiger. Gayle (Catherine Kellner) and Richie (Julio Oscar Mechoso) respond to a burglar alarm at a home, and find a suspicous man who claims he's taking care of the plants and looking after the house for his friends who are on vacation. The officer's catch the man swallowing something and arrest him. Later they recover two diamond rings which have worked their way through his system. Lenny (Matt Craven) and Leslie (Aunjanue Ellis) investigate a disturbing the peace complaint and find a seven-year-old boy bound and gagged in the attic and covered with burns. Julia, who is separated from her abusive husband, invites officer Marsh (David Keith) over for dinner. Julia's husband is leaving the apartment as Marsh arrives. Minutes later, Marsh finds Julia dead on her bed. Leslie finds out where the daughter she gave up fo
When Gayle (Catherine Kellner) is badly wounded in the line of duty, the El Camino police force begins a desperate search for the perpetrator. New cast members are introduced including, Blair Underwood as Officer Mike Rhoades, Lisa Vidal as Officer Jessica Helgado, and Lindsey Frost as Sergeant Helen Sullivan. Beth (Lesle Boone) experiences a series of false labor pains causing her husband Terry (Mathew Beck) to panic. When she is finally ready to deliver, Terry is not around and it is a nervous Russel (Louis Mustillo) who must take over. Gayle dies as Beth gives birth to a healthy 7 pound, 6 ounce baby boy.
Jim Marsh (David Keith) finds his car has been vandalized by Julia's murderer, her husband, who insanely blames Jim for breaking up his marriage and forcing him to kill his wife. Terry (Matthew Beck) has become a new father and must deal with Russell's (Louis Mustillo) paternal feelings as well as his own. Jessie (Lisa Vidal) and Mike (Blair Underwood) feel their talents are being wasted when they are assigned to bus patrol. A nasty mob attacks the bus, changing their minds.
Jim Marsh (David Keith) and Randy Willitz (Cole Hauser) pursue a truck full of illegal immigrants until it crashes. A bystander videotapes the incident, as Marsh uses force to contain and arrest the driver. The driver accuses Jim of using excessive force. A passenger of the truck later dies of wounds the driver inflicted on him. Mike and Jessie respond to a two-car collision. Mike is harassed by the gathering crowd for not protecting ""his own,"" after he cites a black man for reckless driving. A member of the Algerian women's Olympic track team steals a diamond bracelet from a jewelry store because she wants to be put in jail in America so she won't have to return home where she fears persecution.
A bomb explodes in a sleazy motel. Hours later, a second bomb explodes in the back of a station wagon. Jessica (Lisa Vidal) gets a soda from the ECPD vending machine, and discovers it's attached to a bomb inside the machine. Willitz consoles her, as a bomb expert diffuses the situation. Meanwhile, Len, who is having marital problems, thinks he is falling in love with Lynette, his deceased partner's widow. He goes to her to confess his feelings. Leslie finally meets the daughter she gave up for adoption, ten years before. Terry and Russel respond to a call about a possible truck bomb only to discover a stash of marijuana buried under a load of manure. The bomber turns out to be the owner of the station wagon that blew up. Jim Marsh, Randy Willitz and Mike chase him into a drainage channel. The bomber has dynamite strapped to his chest and threatens to blow Marsh and himself up. Marsh convinces the man that his children need him.
Mike Rhodes (Blair Underwood) arrests a 15-year-old juvenile and takes him under his wing. Later the teen is beaten-up by his step-father. He finds his step-fathers gun and threatens to shoot the man. The kid is coaxed into dropping the gun by Rhodes and the abuser is arrested. When Len's son, Joel is missing, the El Camino police force come together for the search and Sue (Elizabeth Harmon-Haid) blames Len's affair with Lynette for their distraught son's disappearance. Len goes undercover and gets the convicted child molester who took his son, to lead him to where the attacker took him. Joel is scared but unharmed. Meanwhile, Russell is concerned about his baptism duties as the christening date for Terry's son approaches. Leslie finally tells her peers about her long lost daughter.
Halloween is a cop's nightmare. Halloween day begins with a station wagon crashing into a prison bus, allowing four convicts to escape. Halloween night is even more tense. Lenny Gayer (Matt Craven) is crushed when his wife decides that she doesn't want him to spend Halloween with her and the kids. Randy Willitz (Cole Hauser) must face the fact that his father is an alcoholic after he's arrested for DUI. Leslie (Aunjanue Ellis) is torn between Trick-or-Treating with her daughter Anita, and being a good cop. Russell (Louis Mustillo) spends his day trying to scare Sergeant Sullivan (Lindsay Frost).
El Camino is shaken by a 6.2 earthquake. Jessie (Lisa Vidal) and Mike Rhodes (Blair Underwood) are called to a collapsed tunnel, where they attempt to save the life of a young woman in labor. The woman is trapped inside an ambulance and bleeding. Mike breaks one of the ambulances small windows, and Jessie squeezes through. The woman later bleeds to death, but Jessie must continue to deliver the baby. The boy baby is born healthy. Just when Terry (Matthew Beck) and his family think they made it through the earthquake unharmed, they learn their home has been destroyed.
Lenny (Matt Craven) is jealous of Mike's (Blair Underwood) interest in Lynette. Jim Marsh (David Keith) discovers that Sargeant Sullivan (Lindsay Frost) has temporarily made herself his partner. Russell (Louis Mustillo) and Terry (Matthew Beck) stop a medical student for an illegal left-hand turn, and discover he's carrying a cadaver in his trunk to sell to a man that re-sells them to off-shore medical schools. The department tries to apprehend a group of professional robbers who have been assaulting armored truck drivers and stealing the money.
This was the series finale. This episode was a take of the bank robberies in the Los Angeles area. In this episode several officers were hit in the line of duty and it was clear that the series was either changing directions or they the producers knew that the series was over and just left all of us to hang in the wind. High Incident deserved a much better sendoff..