Carter's Father

Carter's Father was the father of Detective James Carter. He isn't seen throughout the film series but is mention in Rush Hour and ''Rush Hour 2. ''Just like Lee's father before him Carter's father was also a police officer.

Before the series
Carter's father was a Police Detective who was on the job for fifteen years in the Los Angeles Police Department.

During a routine traffic stop he attempted to give a suspect a ticket for speeding however the suspect refused, pulled out a gun and shot and killed Carter's father. His partner was supposed to stop the suspect however he refused to get out of the car and didn't assist him because he feared for his own life.

As a result of his father's death, Carter joined the LAPD to make his father proud.

Rush Hour
While eating Chinese food in Chinatown, Carter mention to Lee that he learn from his father that he should never trust partners which causes him to work alone on such cases. He also mention to Lee that his father was a police officer for fifteen years in the LAPD. Lee too reveals that his father was a police officer as well for HKPF but is unknown how many years he had been with the force. Carter also mention that his father arrested 15 people in one night by himself and saved five people from a burning building.

When Lee is forced to go back home to Hong Kong after being ordered off the investigation of Soo-Yung's kidnapping. Carter sneaks on the plane to enlist Lee's help but when Lee refuses he tells Carter that he's ashamed of being a police officer and that he dishonored his father's name. Carter tells him that he doesn't know anything about his father and explained about his father's death cause his partner watched helplessly and didn't come to his aid during a routine traffic stop. This surprises Lee as before then Carter had seemed to care about no one but himself.

Lee agrees to help Carter and they save Soo-Yung during the climax of the film.

Rush Hour 2
While being dropped off the Airport by Lee, Carter hears him explain about his father's death and his last case as a Police Detective, about his partner Ricky Tan resigning from the Force and that the case was never solved. Carter realizing that Lee lived his life without a parent asks him to come on the plane with him to Los Angeles as he too lived without a parent when his father died.

At the end of the film Lee lets go of his past about his father by giving Carter his father's police badge. Carter refuses at first but Lee tells him to keep it saying that he can finally "let it go". Upon being given the badge Carter possibly also let go of his past about his father as well.

Trivia

 * The only times Carter mention his father was during his cases of Soo-Yung's kidnapping and the Embassy Explosion case.
 * After being given Lee's father's police badge, Carter possibly let go of his past about his father's murder just as Lee let go of his.
 * Carter's father has a wife as Carter mentioned that his mother was telling everyone that he was a drug dealer which isn't true.