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"Now we've got a relationship we can build on."
―Jack Travis to Smitty

Former Lieutenant Jack Edward Travis of the LAPD, was a brutal and corrupt police officer and the main antagonist of Lethal Weapon 3. He had a bad reputation and was brought up on charges pressed against him, and had been suspended and reprimanded many times. One day, while Travis and a partner of his were on a stakeout, he disappeared while on the job for a cup of coffee and never came back, thus ending up going AWOL. Upon retirement, he ended up becoming an illegal arms dealer on the black market; he used his still-valid access to the police storage to steal weapons and sell them on the street and the black market for profit. He also owned a construction company called Mesa Verde Construction at Rancho Arroyo. He and his gang used armor-piercing bullets, being classified by Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh as "Cop Killers".

Biography[]

Jack has had a bad reputation for most of time, taking the job as a police officer way too serious than any other officer would take seriously. According to Captain Ed Murphy and Lorna Cole, he was a dirty and brutal cop who could beat a confession out of anyone, and even went AWOL while he and his partner went on a stakeout, left for coffee and never came back. As a result, he ended up having charges pressed against him with his bad reputation. Somewhere along the line thereafter, he ended up becoming an illegal arms dealer on the black market, while constructing an establishment with illegitimate money, while using his still-valid ID to get into the police storage unit to steal weapons and sell them on the black market.

Lethal Weapon 3[]

Building a "relationship"[]

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Jack Travis watches as Smitty is buried alive in cement

Jack Travis was at the site of his new housing development in Rancho Arroyo being built by Mesa Verde Construction with illegitimate money. He met up with his dealing partner and foreman Tyrone to discuss business and that he takes no failures or anyone who tries to double cross him. He calls over one of his henchmen, Smitty, telling him what's the matter with his actions. After a brief little chat, he tells Smitty he wants to start their relationship over and give it a new foundation. At that point, Hatchett throws Smitty into the pit and Travis orders him and another henchman to bury him up in cement where he suffocates and drowns.

Travis later goes to the police station using his still-valid ID pass, to visit Billy Phelps while covering up his face in a brilliant way knowing there was a surveillance camera watching him. Unfortunately, just like Smitty, because he failed his boss, Travis exchanges words with Billy, before and after shooting him in the sound proof questioning room with a silencer. Upon leaving, when one of the officers asks if he got the information he needed from Billy, he said no and that it was a "dead issue". However, Travis was unaware he was caught on a secret surveillance camera installed in the interrogation room by Internal Affairs, which Riggs, Murtaugh use to figure out his identity and through Leo Getz find out he will be at a hockey game at The Forum.

Near capture and pressure from Tyrone[]

Travis wounds Leo

Travis wounds Leo and escapes from the rink

He is later seen sitting right by the penalty box in the Forum. He seems to enjoy the hockey game from where he is sitting cheering on the LA Kings. Just then, the speaker's voice (Martin Riggs) can be heard all over the stadium, notifying everybody that Jack Travis is under arrest and the LAPD has surrounded the building. Travis makes his escape, almost running into two cops and being jumped by Leo. He is tackled onto the ice, and wrestles with Leo. Travis grabs his gun and shoots Leo in the forearm as a means of escape; nobody stops him, fearing their own lives.

Back at the construction site, Travis later gets a phone call from Tyrone, regarding their deal in the arms dealership after his guns were confiscated by the cops and that they might come after him. After Hatchett passes the phone to Travis, Travis tells Tyrone to shut up and not back down on the deal now or else he'd make sure that only his dentist would identify his body. Tyrone tells Travis he'll need more ammunition, because he's out of business without it. Travis then tells him he will give him and his men more ammunition later.

A hideout of time's past[]

In the meantime, Travis kidnaps Captain Ed Murphy (by faking an injury) and tells him to drive to his secret underground subway hideout. He shows the Captain all around his place such as where he keeps his special armor piercing "cop killer" ammunition, before handcuffing him and leaving Hatchett to watch him, and then kill him afterwards.

Finding out where Travis' armor piercing bullets are kept, Riggs and Murtaugh, together with Lorna Cole and rookie cop Officer Edwards begin a shootout in the underground subway of Los Angeles with Travis and his men. In the ensuing gunfight, Travis manages to kill Edwards with his armor piercing bullets. He then makes his escape with his trusty henchman in a white pickup truck. Riggs chases after them while Murtaugh borrows his captain's car and Cole waits for emergency help to come for Edwards. Captain Murphy manages to get away from Hatchett and kick him into the electrical circuit of the subway train tracks, thus electrocuting him and killing him in the process.

Travis makes it out of the tunnel, but not without firing shots at Riggs, who catches up to him on a subway rail car. Thinking he has outran Riggs, Travis is pursued by him on a motorcycle and chases Travis all the way to the closed off construction on the highway bridge. But a tight turn from the wheel of his driver, the truck charges at Riggs and Travis fires multiple shots but fails to hit Riggs with them. He is able to escape without being pursued by the police.

Firefight and death[]

Later that night, Jack Travis is back in his trailer at the Rancho Arroyo construction site when he hears shots being fired at Capt. Murphy's car. Fortunately, he knows the cops are there and a gun battle ensues, as he loads his firearm with armor piercing ammunition. After Riggs sets the site on fire, Travis shows up in the blaze and shoots repeatedly at Lorna Cole, seemingly killing her, but she survived having on two bulletproof vests, thus stopping the armor-piercing bullets. Riggs then fights Travis in the burning household, but Travis manages to pummel him easy.

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Travis' death

As the ground collapses, Riggs is injured and Travis kicks him in the back and taunts him. He then hops on a mini-digger to squish Riggs right in front of him. Just when it looked like Riggs was about to be killed by Travis, Murtaugh tosses Riggs a 9mm MAC-11 machine pistol filled with "cop killer" bullets, and Riggs shoots at the plow, which goes through the metal and hits Jack Travis. Though he doesn't die right away, he lifts up his head to see Riggs and tells him with his last words "Go to hell, Riggs," to which Riggs replies to him "You first." Riggs then lifts Travis' foot off of the brake lever allowing the digger to head into the fiery housing development, taking Travis with it, thus incinerating him.

Quotes[]

  • Smitty. Come here. Don't I treat you good?
  • Now we've got a relationship we can build on. (Having his henchman Smitty knocked out and thrown in the cement pit and buried.)
  • Hi, Billy. (fires bullets at Billy) Bye, Billy. (Checks his pulse to make sure he is dead) See ya, Billy.
  • Not really, it's a "dead" issue I'm afraid.
  • Fuckin' weasel. (Shoots Leo in the arm)
  • You try to back out on the deal now, I'll make certain only your dentist can identify the body. Is that a good enough reason for you? (Threatening Tyrone to keep him on the deal they had previously)
  • Two fingers, Murph.
  • You know what a future a cop has, Murph? None. You punch a clock for 30 years, retirement, pension... nothin' to do. Drunk at noon, bullet in the brain by evening. Well, not for this kid! The police department's got it all: guns, ammo, drugs, cash... it's a one-stop shopping center. If you've got the balls and the brains, there's not a fucking thing anyone can do about it!
  • Take a left!
  • Fuck you, asshole.
  • Killed in the line of duty, Riggs!
  • Go to hell, Riggs. (famous last words before his death and Riggs replies "You first.")

Gallery[]

Image

To view the Jack Travis gallery, click here.

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