the detective at the end

The detective let Stony go at the end because the reason all that happened in the first place was becuase he killed her little brother. She also lost her friends who were the only close people she had left. So he let her go because he figured she had been through enough and owed it to her.

That's the part that really irks me about a movie that I otherwise like very much. I just don't buy it. I mean banks have been robbed at gunpoint, people killed, cars stolen, high speed chases, property destroyed, etc. I just don't feel that he would have let her go. I think that he would have felt bad about having to arrest Stoney given that he lead the team that killed her brother. I even think that he might have put in a word with the judge and district attorney asking for leniency in her sentencing. However, I don't don't feel that letting Stoney go was faithful to Detective Strode's character.

It was a morals thing. The SWAT team killed her brother who was not involved in the bank robbery and had no priors. He saw Stony on the bus and let her go.

Now they are even.

The scene was very similar to a Death Hunt with Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin. Charles Bronson was on the run and made it to the Canadian border. Lee Marvin had Charles in his sights as he was crossing into Canada. They both looked at each other and Lee lowered his weapon and let him go.