Law & Order: Special Victims Unit – Extinguished

By starrymag | February 27, 2025

By: Kaylyn Bell

 

 

A young man Danny (Ethan Jones Romero) makes dinner for his grandfather, Angel (Jose Febus), who asks when he’s going to drop the “security guard thing” and become a real cop. Danny says that he took the test three times, but they didn’t even call him back.

Velasco (Octavio Pisano) gets into bed to start reading when loud music starts playing through the walls from Danny’s apartment. Velasco knocks on his door and asks him to turn it down.

Anna (Mariana Garzón Toro) and Moses (Andres Rodriguez) are in Highbridge Park looking for a rock for her geology class. They find what they’re looking for when a man appears in front of them.

Velasco arrives at work, where Silva (Juliana Aidén Martinez) asks why he looks so tired, and he complains about his neighbor’s music. Bruno (Kevin Kane) jokes he should’ve called the cops. Captain Benson (Mariska Hargitay) enters and informs them of a new case where two teenagers were assaulted at knifepoint in the park and the girl was raped. Velasco points out that it’s near his place, and Benson instructs him and Bruno to go to the scene while Silva and Fin (Ice-T) talk to the victims.

An officer on scene (Annalisa D’Aguilar) informs Velasco and Bruno that the classmates were attacked by a man in his 30s with a knife. She says they were tied up, the girl was raped, and a homeless man (Bob Leszczak) found them. They ask her to pull footage from the nearest camera. Velasco says there have been some assaults and robberies in the neighborhood recently, and its residents complain about the lack of police help. Another officer shows them a lamp cord in an evidence bag and explains that the homeless man had it. They ask her to send it to the lab so hopefully they can get touch DNA. Behind the fence there is a crowd of locals yelling about the police’s shortcomings. Bruno points out that since his neighbors know he’s a cop, they have to catch this guy before they start knocking on his door.

At the hospital, Benson and Silva get Anna’s statement. Anna is hesitant to answer questions and asks her dad if it’s okay to answer. Silva says she understands they don’t have faith in the police but assures them they’re only there to help. She says the man had a box cutter and tied their hands, then he raped her. They ask her to do a rape kit.

Fin talks to Moses, and he says he saw the man’s face; he says the man looked Chino-Latino. Fin asks him to come to the station and sit with a sketch artist.

The squad reconvenes at the station, and Velasco says they couldn’t find any witnesses at the park, but some people probably saw something and didn’t want to cooperate with the cops. There was also nothing found on the security cameras, and the lab hasn’t found any DNA yet. The sketch artist brings in the completed drawing. Benson directs the squad to get this photo sent out to news, social media, and schools. Benson asks Velasco if he really thinks the man lives in the same area he attacked in, and Velasco says he’s pretty confident. Benson tells them to scout the area and for Velasco to take point.

Silva and Bruno are in a bakery sharing flyers when Fin calls a situation over the radio. They arrive when they see a man fleeing. A group of locals starts to attack the man on the ground, but the detectives intervene. Velasco recognizes one of them as Danny. Danny tells them that they got the rapist from the sketch. Bruno gets the man up off the floor, and Fin says his resemblance is close enough to the sketch to arrest him. Danny asks if they’re going to thank him, but instead Velasco arrests him for assault.

Benson tells Velasco that 1PP is getting bombarded with calls from upset community activists and asks what he did last night. He says they had to arrest a group of vigilantes, including his upstairs neighbor. Fin adds that the vigilantes thought they caught the rapist. Benson asks if they did, and they explain the man’s name is Eddie (John-Peter Cruz) and he’s a close match to the sketch, but they’re still unsure because he’s at the hospital for a concussion from the takedown. Benson tells Fin to bring Moses and Anna for a lineup as soon as Eddie is released.

Silva and Bruno speak to Eddie at the hospital, and he’s adamant he didn’t do anything.

Danny is arraigned, and his bail is set for $10k. Angel finds Velasco after court and asks him to help Danny. He pleads that Danny was just helping apprehend a rape suspect. Velasco says he can’t do that because he’s not a cop. Angel asks if this is about Danny’s music, and Velasco says it’s not, and it’s out of his hands. He tells Velasco that all Danny wanted was to be a cop and to not let this ruin his future.

Moses arrives at the station for a lineup. He almost thinks it’s Eddie, the second in the lineup, but then concludes the man isn’t there. Anna comes to the same conclusion.

Silva tells the squad that the rape kit wasn’t a match to Eddie, so they’re back to square one. Velasco turns on the TV and shows footage of a protest in the neighborhood because of Danny’s arrest. Benson tells him that they need to get this neighborhood on their side to find the guy.

Velasco visits Danny at Rikers and tells him that he went after the wrong man. He says the ADA is willing to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor and release him. Velasco asks him to help find the real rapist using the support the neighborhood has shown him.

Bruno, Velasco and Silva take Danny out to canvass the street, and locals are willing to talk with him and look at the sketch.

At the precinct, Fin tells Benson the tipline is getting lots of hits, but there are no leads yet. He gets a message from the lab that they identified Omar Aziz (Kenneth De Abrew) as a match to DNA on the lamp cord, but it’s not a match to Anna’s rape kit. He’s a manager at a dollar store, so Benson asks Fin to see if he sells lamp cords.

Velasco and Fin arrive at Omar’s store and ask if he sells lamp cords. When he says that he does, they ask him to check who he recently sold one to.

The squad is informed of an attempted rape with a lamp cord where the suspect was seen fleeing the scene. Benson calls the chief and asks for a tactical patrol unit to ensure the suspect doesn’t get away.

The squad arrives at the scene, and a captain informs them they set up roadblocks, formed a perimeter, and have people searching door-to-door. Benson says she’s going to take the victim’s statement and directs them to find witnesses.

Benson gets into the ambulance with the victim, Lina (Mia Morgan), and she explains that he threw her on the ground and tried to tie her up, so she kicked him and ran. She says he had a tattoo of a ram, like the zodiac, on his neck.

The captain returns and informs them they found a group chasing a man that matches the description. The group starts attacking the man on the ground, and Velasco asks Danny, who’s watching this happen, to help get the people to back off.

Back at the station, Benson says they’ve identified the man as James Aquino (Glen Llanes), and his DNA is a match to the rape kit. With all the evidence they have, Benson thinks Carisi can get him for predatory sexual assault, rape, and attempted rape in the first. She directs the squad to inform Anna and Moses and asks to speak with Velasco in her office. Benson thanks him for a good job on this case. Velasco says it wasn’t him; the neighborhood came together. She credits this unity to his leadership.

Velasco meets Angel for a drink upon his request. Angel thanks him and tells him that his career – and reputation in the neighborhood – is just beginning.

Silva and Bruno tell Anna, Moses, and their families that they caught her rapist, and they likely won’t need to go to trial.

After Angel leaves, Fin meets Velasco at the restaurant. Velasco asks him to give his friend in the Community Affairs Bureau a call on his behalf about Danny. Fin says he’ll give him the contact, and he can call since Benson thinks he’s such a good leader.

Velasco arrives home when he hears Danny’s music blasting through the walls again. He heads upstairs and knocks on Danny’s door. Velasco tells him he found an auxiliary police program for him to join, and even though it’s not the same as being a cop, he gets to help the community and ride in a cop car. He says he has already made the call and got him assigned to their neighborhood.