LAPD response times were obviously never this fast. This wasn't exactly a wealthy neighborhood.
Bradford knew it perfectly well, but he obviously had to cover for his guys. Whatever was going on had to stay strictly in-house.
"LAPD response times have always been this fast!"
Neal didn't want to keep arguing with Bradford, so he issued an ultimatum.
"Bottom line, FBI is going in to conduct an investigation. Tell your guys to stand down!"
"No way! LAPD is investigating too!"
Bradford's attitude was hardline. He refused to give an inch.
While two bosses deadlocked, newly arrived LAPD officers looked incredibly anxious.
"Sirs, this involves homicides. Should we just go up together?"
Neal shot the speaking officer a glance, mouth turning down in a scowl. If that cop wasn't dirty, he'd eat his own badge.
Still, continuing a stubborn standoff right at the restaurant entrance was completely pointless.
"Fine, we go in together."
Bradford immediately nodded in agreement. His precinct brass could accept this outcome.
This scene downstairs completely panicked people upstairs.
Right after submachine gunfire erupted, Toretto's crew had all hit the deck. But after staying down for a while, there was zero follow-up movement.
So Dominic signaled Vince and Jesse to check next door. They ended up finding a room completely littered with bodies.
"Dom, bad news! Room next door is full of bodies!"
Dominic, who had just finished untying Mia, jumped at Vince's words.
"What did you say? Show me!"
Dominic walked into the adjacent luxury room and saw exactly that: multiple people shredded by submachine gunfire. Three submachine guns lay on the floor—just enough for the three of them.
"I recognize a few of them. They're Bonanno family capos! Are all these guys Bonanno capos?"
In an instant, Dominic realized he had been dragged into a massive conspiracy.
"Fuck! We need to get out of here, now!"
Without hesitation, Dominic hoisted his sister onto his back to flee the Korean restaurant, but just then, a chorus of sirens wailed outside.
Those sirens actually saved Toretto's crew. If they had walked out right then, they would have marched straight into a trap.
"How did cops get here so fast? Jesse, check the perimeter."
Jesse cautiously peeked out the private room window. His face instantly contorted in despair.
"Dom, we're completely fucked! There's tons of cops out there, and FBI too!"
Dominic froze. He'd never seen a mobilization like this, leaving him totally unsure of his next move.
"Dom, think of something! Do we jump out the window?"
"What good is jumping? Cops are in the back alley too! Right, call Lawson! He said to call him if shit went sideways!"
Dominic quickly set Mia down and pulled out his phone to dial Lawson.
"Lawson! Situation over here! The Bonanno family..."
"I already know."
"You know? How the hell do you know?"
Because of the Spy Pen, obviously!
Lawson had contacted Brian an hour earlier, instructing him to plant a Spy Pen inside the largest private room of the Korean restaurant. He watched Alberto's every single move with crystal clarity.
"Don't worry about it. Bottom line, I'll draw LAPD's attention, then pick you guys up. Make sure you hit your window!"
"Lawson, how are you distracting the cops?"
"You'll find out real soon!"
Phone transmitted a roaring engine. Dominic recognized the sound instantly.
Outside the Korean restaurant, just as Neal and Bradford prepared to enter together, someone called out to stop them.
"Sir, an Asian male claiming to own this restaurant wants to come through."
Neal and Bradford locked eyes, then spoke simultaneously.
"Bring him over!"
"Why are you blocking me? This is my spot, why won't you let me in?"
Neal stared at the Asian guy, who clearly looked a bit on edge.
"You're claiming you own this restaurant?"
"Yeah! Name's Johnny Tran."
"We just heard shots fired upstairs. What's the deal?"
"No way? I don't know anything about that!"
Bradford immediately followed up with another question.
"If you own the place, why are you outside? And why is your restaurant completely empty of staff?"
"We hosted a group of VIPs tonight. They prefer quiet, so I let staff clock out early while I stepped out for a smoke. What exactly happened?"
Even though the Asian man's excuse sounded perfectly reasonable, Neal sensed a lie. It was an instinct honed by years as a veteran agent.
Just as he was about to press further, a deafening exhaust roar tore through the street from a distance.
A purple Dodge Viper slammed its brakes at the intersection. It looked like it wanted to pull in, but stopped dead upon seeing the massive police presence.
Spotting that familiar purple Dodge Viper, Bradford's adrenaline spiked instantly.
"Purple Dodge Viper? That's the car! What are you waiting for? Bag that Viper driver!"
Viper's driver wore black sunglasses, a baseball cap, and had a scarf wrapped around his face. He was clearly prepped for this.
Seeing LAPD officers sprinting toward him, he instantly threw the Viper in reverse, slammed the gas pedal, and backed away rapidly.
"Mount up! We absolutely catch this guy! Somebody call for chopper support!"
Neal stared in complete disbelief as Bradford and his men tore off aggressively in pursuit of the purple Dodge Viper.
"What the hell was that?"
The few remaining LAPD officers smiled awkwardly. That purple Dodge Viper looked exactly like the one from the May 28th incident.
Realization hit Neal. He'd watched the news on May 28th and spent a long time laughing at LAPD over it.
"That explains it! Ignore them, we're taking the restaurant! Mr. Tran, do you mind?"
As he spoke, Neal specifically locked eyes with Johnny Tran. Tran's gaze wavered slightly, but he still answered.
"Of course not!"
"Mr. Neal, LAPD is heading in too. After all, we got a 911 call."
"Then let's move in together."
Just as Neal put one foot inside the restaurant, another blaring horn echoed out. This time it wasn't the purple Dodge Viper, but a mid-sized white van.
Exploiting the gap left by departing LAPD, the white van sped furiously toward the Korean restaurant. Right before T-boning an FBI Chevrolet Suburban, it aggressively drifted, sliding flawlessly into the back alley.
The alley was just barely wide enough for one vehicle. Nailing that turn right past the Suburban without a scratch proved the driver had insane wheel skills.
Neal instantly sensed trouble and barked an order.
"Stop that van!"