Mahayana Buddhist, Native American Detective Steve Lomeli, with a news crew in tow, investigates the murder of a child by a local drug dealer, who is in custody at the crime scene. A hostile crowd gathers who want to kill the suspect. Due to cutbacks, and a rash of other crimes, the scene is secured by only the Detective and 2 officers. A local Muslim agitator incites the crowd, and control of the crime scene spins downward. Detective Lomeli, true to his beliefs, will only allow non-lethal means to be used against the crowd. Backup help from other officers is delayed. Detective Lomeli and officers exhaust all means to reason with the crowd, who explode, as they wait for backup help that may never arrive.