On the night of July 17, 1978, dozens of Northern California police officers engaged in a gun battle with five Native American who had a single .22 rifle. More than a hundred shots were fired. Three were wounded. One police officer was killed. After spending eight years on death row for first degree murder, Patrick "Hooty" Croy, of Shasta Karok decent, was granted a retrial and eventually acquitted. His new defense team, headed by J. Tony Serra, argued Croy acted in self-defense and gave supporting evidence of the genocide against California Native Americans that has continued since the 1850's. This strategy, known as the cultural defense, was used to explain why Croy feared for his life when he returned fire. Produced and Directed by Steve Patapoff. "Reason to Fear" is part of the First Peoples' TV series made possible by DreamCatchers, a non-profit organization working to bring Native films to a wider audience.

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