When Mathews comes to the door of the diner, a spotlight from one of the patrol cars is aimed at him and it illuminates the entire area. Police spotlights are not that bright and do not illuminate a large area as was shown, indicating a production floodlight was used instead.
Mathews violates police procedure upon arrival at the diner by failing to radio in his location and then not checking the license plate of the suspicious vehicle, which he had been given a few minutes earlier. Since the plate was associated with an armed carjacking, he again violated procedure by walking into the diner without calling for backup.
Mathews tells the wounded clerk, who had been shot and was lying on the floor unable to move, "Now look, don't move."
Inside the diner, the criminal fires once at Dan and misses, then a few seconds later fires three more shots that also miss. Outside, Sgt. Williams says "Three shots" when four had been fired.
Williams makes a tactical error by not either verifying Dan was uninjured or in the absence of a positive response entering after the first shot had been fired inside the diner. One of the subordinate officers suggested entry, and Williams rejected it. Williams subsequently checked on the well being of Mathews.
After the suspect is in custody, Mathews leaves the scene without regaining his gun.