In less than one hour, Phillips and Matasareanu tried to kill 64 police officers and 18 innocent bystanders. [44], On June 12, 1998, LAPD Chief of Police Bernard C. Parks released to the Board of Police Commissioners a memorandum detailing his review of officers' use of force during the February 28, 1997 North Hollywood shootout. Archived video from Feb. 28, 1997. The other location that proved advantageous for the LAPD was the backyard of 6641 Agnes Avenue. From the Archives: The 1997 North Hollywood Shootout On Feb. 28, 1997, two heavily armed bank robbers in body armor exchanged a storm of gunfire with Los Angeles police on the streets of. 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out TV Movie 2003 R 1 h 43 m IMDb RATING 6.3 /10 5.3K YOUR RATING Rate Play trailer 0:31 1 Video 11 Photos Action Crime Drama After a failed bank robbery, two heavily armed men hold the Los Angeles Police Department at bay for 44 minutes. If you look at the civilians who were injured, the policemen who were injured, the cars that were destroyed, it was amazing that nobody died., Request product info from top Police Body Armor companies. [14] In May 1996, they robbed two branches of Bank of America in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, stealing approximately US$1.5million. In 2004, the Los Angeles Police Museum in Highland Park opened an exhibit featuring two life-size mannequins of Phillips and Mtsreanu fitted with similar armor and clothing they wore, and weaponry they used. Instead of the$750,000 Larry PhillipsJr.and Emil Mtsreanu had expected, the men were only able to make off with$303,305 and threedye packswhich later went off, ruining the money they stole. One location that Officer Richard Zielenski of Valley Traffic Division effectively used for cover was the adjacent Del Taco restaurant's west wall, 351 feet (107m) from Phillips. Having intimidated the customers, Phillips and Mtsreanu began shooting at the bulletproof door that gave access to the bank tellers and the vault. The North Hollywood shootout involved two bank robbers wearing bulletproof vests and homemade body armour on their legs and carrying automatic rifles. Both robbers were killed, twelve police . After a bystander reported the robbery to authorities, responding officers were met with a barrage of gunfire from Phillips as he casually walked out of the bank and into the parking lot. One witness described the weaponry as "army machinery." [30] Officers across the street continued to shoot Phillips' body several times while he was on the ground. The ambulance driver testified he believed he was in danger by being in the area. Archived footage from Feb. 28, 1997. Phillips and Matasareanu were able to obtain a little over $300,000 from the bank, but as they were about to leave, they were met by dozens of police officers. This may be called Tools or use an icon like the cog. At 10:01 AM, February 28, 1997, a shootout between two heavily armed bank robbers and officers of the Los Angeles police department came to an end after more than 2,000 rounds were fired. and Privacy Policy. Haynes' patrol car. See production, box office & company info, The Screen Junkies Show: Greatest Movie Bank Robbery Ever, Number of real LAPD Officers used as extras: 35, Number of rounds of blank ammunition fired: 40,000, Amount of theatrical blood used: 10 gallons. An infuriated Phillips loosed a full 75-round drum of 7.62x39mm into the bank vault, destroying much of the remaining cash. The sound of heavy gunfire echoed in the streets as two bank robbers armed with assault rifles opened fire in an attempt to make a getaway. They looked like zombies, no emotion. In addition, the jaws of bolt cutters cannot open anywhere near wide enough to cut conduit, especially of that size. Archived video from Feb. 28, 1997. At that point he pulled out his Berretta M9FS handgun to continue his shootout with the police. All rights reserved. [4], Mtsreanu, enraged at this development, argued with Villigrana and demanded more. Phillips also fired at an LAPD helicopter flown by Charles D. Perriguey Jr. as it surveyed the scene from above, forcing it to withdraw to a safer distance. It was all broadcasted live on TV and forever changed the course of policing. 1 martie 1997. An LAPD car was riddled with bullets after coming under fire from a bank robber armed with a fully automatic assault rifle. It's the most comprehensive and trusted online destination for law enforcement agencies and police departments worldwide. The bloody confrontation with police lasted nearly an hour. The lesson is, very plainly: Just because youre shot doesnt mean youre going to die. During the trial, Vojtecky testified he said something similar. [4], Phillips and Mtsreanu continued to engage the officers, firing sporadic bursts into the patrol cars that had been positioned on Laurel Canyon in front of the bank and in the parking lot across the street. Police1 is revolutionizing the way the law enforcement community [1], Larry Eugene Phillips Jr. (born September 20, 1970) and Decebal tefan Emilian "Emil" Mtsreanu (born July 19, 1966) first met at a Gold's Gym in Venice, Los Angeles, California, in 1989. The case was declared a mistrial in 2000 and later dismissed. They were also suspects in two armored car robberies. The dye packs later exploded, ruining what money they did get. The documentary style works well, and unlike most cops vs. robbers movies it shows the motivation and thoughts of the bad guys without glorifying them. It sounded like a war, like death, said Lopez, 58, who is now retired. [8], On October 29, they were arrested in Glendale, northeast of Los Angeles, for operating a stolen vehicle. On that Friday morning, after months of planning two armed bank robbers entered and robbed the North Hollywood Bank of America branch in California. Commonly known as the North Hollywood Bank of America Shootout, the incident quickly appeared on news channels throughout the nation as the drama unfolded," the Los Angeles Police Department said in 2010. The SWAT team (Donnie Anderson, Steve Gomez, Peter Weireter, and Richard Massa) arrived 18 minutes after the shooting had begun. Below, watch NBC4 News footage from that day. They arrived at the bank at 9:17 AM. For Matasareanu and Phillips, suspected of pulling off a number of sophisticated bank heists, the North Hollywood robbery was to be their biggest yet. All rights reserved. Haynes and Officer Whitfield, who were both wounded and had only marginal cover behind trees across Laurel Canyon Blvd. The facts about the 1997 North Hollywood shootout are all nearly unbelievable, from the number of rounds fired during the siegeto the kind of weaponsthe assailants used. Eleven officers were wounded, but none. The North Hollywood shootout ended with the two perpetrators Larry Eugene Phillips Jr., 26, and Emil Dechebal Matasareanu, 30 dead in the street. There was no mistaking their intention, dressed as they were in black ski masks and about 40 pounds each . "Shoot-Out in North Hollywood: Command and Communications" by Nancy J. Rigg (focusing on dispatch and command post coordination), 27 minutes of helicopter footage of the shootout from the LA News Archive, Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums, Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners, Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, North Hollywood Amelia Earhart Regional Library, Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=North_Hollywood_shootout&oldid=1141508680, Law enforcement operations in the United States, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2018, Articles with dead external links from October 2022, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Sergeant Larry "Dean" Haynes was hit in the left shoulder, Officer Martin Whitfield was shot and seriously wounded four times in the left arm, right femur and chest, Officer Conrado Torrez was grazed in the right side of the neck, Officer James Zboravan was shot twice and seriously wounded in the lower back, hip and thigh, Detective William "John" Krulac was hit in the right ankle, Detective Tracey Angeles was grazed in the stomach and buttock, Officer Stuart Guy was hit twice in the right femur and right forearm, Detective Earl Valladares was hit in the head by flying debris, Officer Ed Brentlinger was hit by gunfire and by concrete fragments on his face and left forearm, Officer William Lantz was hit in the right knee, Officer John Goodman was hit by flying glass and shrapnel, Officer David Grimes was injured in a traffic accident, John Villigrana was struck across the head by the stock of an assault rifle, Barry Golding was hit by flying glass and shrapnel, Michael Horen was hit in the left side of the chest, Jose Haro was hit by flying glass and shrapnel, William Marr was hit by glass and shrapnel fragments in the right arm, left temple and nose. A golden retriever was shot in the nose while on the way to his vet. He then attempted to open the bank's ATM, but due to a change in policies, the branch manager no longer had access to the money inside. [10] Initially charged with conspiracy to commit robbery,[11] both served 100 days in jail and were placed on three years of probation due to plea bargaining. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. Unlike so many other shootouts that start and end within a few . "It all comes back and it's kind of in you, just realizing if I had messed up somebody might not have a parent," Bellard said recalling the shootout as she stood next to the bank. They gathered their automatic arsenal, including a Chinese-made AK-47 for Phillips, with a 70-round drum magazine, and a Bushmaster XM15 assault rifle for Matasareanu, with twin drums containing 100 rounds. Mtsreanu, born in Timioara, Romania to parents who relocated to Los Angeles in 1974, was a qualified electrical engineer and ran a relatively unsuccessful computer repair business. Officers, who were mostly armed with then-LAPD standard-issue Beretta 92F/FS 9mm pistols, Smith & Wesson Model 15 .38 Special revolvers, and 12-gauge Ithaca Model 37 pump-action shotguns, continued to return fire at both robbers, but found quickly that their handguns and shotguns would not penetrate the body armor worn by Phillips and Mtsreanu. At 9:16a.m., Phillips and Mtsreanu entered and robbed Bank of America's North Hollywood branch. Larry Phillips and Emil Matasareanu opened fire on cops and bystanders after robbing a Bank of America in North Hollywood. Archived video from Feb. 28, 1997. CNN. It began with an attempted robbery at the Bank of America branch in North Hollywood. The two men were later tied to two San Fernando Valley bank heists netting $1.67 million, as well as an armored truck robbery in which a guard was killed. Matasareanu, shot twice in the bank parking lot, took cover in a getaway car and slowly drove toward Phillips, who continued walking and shooting. But the only people who died were the gunmen: Larry Phillips and Emil Matasareanu. The North Hollywood shootout is still vivid for those who suffered through it, and it has become part of the cultural lore of Los Angeles. His gun jammed when he was pinned down behind a car. 1997 bank robbery and subsequent shootout between bank robbers and police, This article is about the real-life incident. Without electricity, the house and party go quiet. finds relevant news, identifies important training information, Thousands of rounds were fired as two heavily armed bank robbers were confronted by LAPD officers in the streets of the San Fernando Valley. The North Hollywood siege ended at 10:01 a.m. As the gunfire suddenly ceased in front of her Archwood home, Anna Kazanchyan crouched inside with her two young children watching it play out on TV. Family of robber killed in L.A. shootout sues". Larry Phillips and Emil Matasareanu opened fire on cops and bystanders after robbing a Bank of America in North Hollywood. It was really a seminal moment in law enforcement, said Burbank Police Chief Scott LaChasse, who served as LAPD commander during the shootout and who now lectures around the world on how it changed police tactics, weaponry, communications and mutual aid. They were only able to obtain $303,305 rather than the expected amount of $750,000. [23][24][25][26], Two locations adjacent to the bank's north parking lot provided good cover for officers and detectives. Larry Eugene Phillips Jr., 26, was a gruff-looking man with a pencil mustache, a former grifter once arrested for real-estate fraud. North Hollywood Bank Robbery Feb. 28, 1997: Los Angeles, Calif. It's obviously a bit of a PR piece for the LAPD, but it also makes some really good points about the availability of assault weapons and the failings of the justice and political system in keeping crooks from getting them. Matasareanu tried to hijack a pickup, but he was unable to get it started and then began a 6-minute gunbattle with police, until he collapsed from his injuries. His partner, Officer Dean Schram, saved his life by drawing returning fire. Events unfolded after attempted robbery at the Bank of America branch in North Hollywood. Additionally, each man had a watch sewn onto the back of one glove, in order to monitor their timing. We have pea shooters compared to what these guys have.. Sezonul 1. One particular firearma short-barreled AR-15 with an aftermarket red dot sightwas later released from evidence for use by a law enforcement agency. Enter https://www.police1.com/ and click OK. On the morning of February 28, 1997, two heavily armed men wearing body armor burst into a Bank of America branch, took a little more than $300,000 and fired their way out. I cant forget that day, said Kazanchyan, now 49. The shootout continued onto a residential street adjacent to the bank until Phillips, mortally wounded, succumbed to a self-inflicted gunshot wound; Mtsreanu was incapacitated by officers three blocks away and subsequently bled to death before the arrival of paramedics more than an hour later. (1.7M/43 sec.. One of the most violent days in LAPD history unfolded on live television on Feb. 28, 1997 when two bank robbers wearing body armor and wielding assault rifles engaged in a ferocious gunfight with officers on the streets of North Hollywood. After a failed bank robbery, two heavily armed men hold the Los Angeles Police Department at bay for 44 minutes.After a failed bank robbery, two heavily armed men hold the Los Angeles Police Department at bay for 44 minutes.After a failed bank robbery, two heavily armed men hold the Los Angeles Police Department at bay for 44 minutes. The sound of heavy gunfire echoed in the streets as two bank robbers armed with assault rifles opened fire in an attempt to make a getaway. The North Hollywood shootout was a confrontation between two heavily armed and armored bank robbers, Larry Phillips Jr. and Emil Mtsreanu, and members of . The bank was expected to have more than $750,000 to accommodate a Friday payday. Police likely shot Phillips with their handguns while Phillips was still firing and taking cover near the four vehicles adjacent to the North wall of the bank (gray Honda Civic, Ford Explorer, white Acura Legend, and Chevrolet Celebrity). The shootout also left indelible marks on scores of cops and civilians, with many suffering depression, nightmares and flashbacks more typical of battle-scarred soldiers. No officers or bystanders were killed in. Accesat n 25 martie 2008. Do Not Sell My Personal Information, If you need further help setting your homepage, check your browsers Help menu, Open the tools menu in your browser. Out back, their bullet-ridden getaway car, a destroyed LAPD black-and-white, and an armored car that helped rescue cops and civilians gathers crowds. NORTH HOLLYWOOD >> LAPD Officer James Zboravan was two months and eight days out of the police academy when he faced a barrage of machine-gun fire, shot and wounded a bank robber and dove. The robbers, clad in cut-up Kevlar, emptied their clips, sending hot rounds through concrete walls, iron fences, dozens of cars and through the walls of a nearby ice cream parlor and pizza joint. [19] He was then shot in the right hand by Officer Conrado Torrez, causing him to drop the pistol. The memorandum contains many details about the shootout including badge numbers of officers and detectives, where they positioned themselves in the perimeter around the robbers with distances of fire, and how many rounds they fired from their weapons. Rather than asking a bank teller to put the money in a bag, the two men who destroyed a quiet town went on an all-out assault of the LAPD and did an untold amount of property damage before ending their lives in one of the most violent police altercations to ever occur on USsoil. The shootout lasted over 40 minutes and resulted in the death of Phillips and Matasareanu. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. The High Incident Bandits' plan went belly-up the moment it began, thanks to the fact that they were spotted by two officers who were on a morning patrol and thought there was something fishy about two grown men wearing body armor,ski masks, and the arsenal of a small armywhile entering a bank. However, aramid body armor worn by Phillips and Mtsreanu covered all of their vitals (except their heads), enabling them to absorb pistol bullets and shotgun pellets, while Mtsreanu's chest armor, thanks to a steel armor plate, successfully withstood a hit from a SWAT officer's AR-15. 12 aprilie 1997. "It did change the course of law enforcement across this country as we recognize that the proliferation of weapons and firearms and the sophistication of those firearms is only increasing, and is something, unfortunately, we continue to see to this day," Moore said. They shot their way into the bank's vault using assault rifles with armor-piercing bullets. In the initial shooting, Phillips wounded Sgt. Emil Mtsreanu tried to surrender, but eventually died of trauma and blood loss. Below, watch NBC4 News footage from that day. The gunmen fired at least 1,000 rounds at the police, who fired an estimated 1,000 or more right back at . SWAT officers joined by sheriff's deputies using K-9s went door-to-door in search of possible additional suspects in the North Hollywood Shootout. Forgetting my wallet was the luckiest thing I ever did, said Lemus, 59, who still works at Mountain View Tire. One of the most violent days in LAPD history unfolded on live television on Feb. 28, 1997 when two bank robbers wearing body armor and wielding assault rifles engaged in a ferocious gunfight with officers on the streets of North Hollywood. Director Yves Simoneau Writer Tim Metcalfe Stars Michael Madsen On Friday, February 28th, 1997 the Los Angeles Police Department would face one of the most dangerous criminal acts in its history - The North Hollywood Bank Shootout. After Mtsreanu backed the Chevrolet Celebrity out of the handicapped space in the north parking lot, Phillips received a gunshot wound to his left wrist, based upon helicopter news footage that showed him react to pain. And it was at the key shack that he dove atop Detective William Krulac and Officer Tracey Angeles as Phillips returned fire. Zielenski fired 86 9mm rounds at Phillips and is believed have hit Phillips during their exchange. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Filming According to Situation Critical, Mtsreanu, who was wearing the trauma plate, successfully survived a double-tap from aSWAT officer's AR-15. With such an overwhelming number of shotsfired, it's amazing to think that there were only two fatalities. Their assignment on February 28, 1997 probably would have gone off without a hitch had they not been spotted by two LAPD patrol officers as they entered the bank. [4][20], As they entered the bank, each armed with a Norinco Type 56 S-1 rifle, Phillips and Mtsreanu forced a customer leaving the ATM lobby near the entrance into the bank and onto the floor. North Hollywood Shootout". Realizing how badly they were outgunned, some of the officers got rifles at nearby gun stores. [4][18] The Forensic Toxicology Laboratory of the Coroner's Office later also found ephedrine and phenylpropanolamine in Phillips' blood, and phenytoin in Mtsreanu's blood. Two police officers on patrol saw them enter the bank wearing ski masks and body armor, and carrying military grade rifles. Upon arrival, they commandeered a nearby armored truck, which was used to extract wounded civilians and officers from the scene. One seriously wounded officer who later quit the force to become a minister said: I heard the devil; he told me: Youre gonna die, youre gonna die.. Coming from Duncan. After firing a few more shots with one arm, Phillips discarded the HK-91 and retrieved the Norinco Type 56 before exiting the parking lot and retreating onto the street while Mtsreanu drove down the road. Before entering, . [4][5] Before meeting, Phillips was a habitual offender, responsible for multiple real estate scams and counts of shoplifting. [48] In 2003, a film about the incident was produced, titled 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out. Phillips took cover behind a truck and continued to fire his rifle at police until it jammed. But in the time it took them to place the money on a cart and leave the building, the LAPD had surrounded the bank, and the SWAT team was on its way. [28], After LAPD radio operators received the second "officer down" call from police at the shootout, a tactical alert was issued. Copyright 2023 This film is a real cut above most cable fare and is really worth watching. Unable to clear the jam, he dropped the rifle and drew a Beretta 92FS pistol, which he began firing. SWAT members started shooting below the car and hit Mtsreanus unprotected legs. They were armed with AR-15s, and wore running shoes and shorts under their body armor, as they had been on an exercise run when they received the call. At 9:16 AM, Larry Philips Jr. and Emil Mtsreanu begun their robbery of Bank Of America's North Hollywood branch. Because of how heavily armed and protected they were it was nearly impossible to take the two men down. Each took muscle relaxants to calm their nerves, and synchronized their watches before entering the bank. The responding officers were carrying only pistols. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. The robbers forced assistant manager John Villigrana to open the vault. [4] As the two were walking in, they were spotted by two LAPD officers, Loren Farell and Martin Perello, who were driving down Laurel Canyon in a patrol car. He had brain surgery months before his death and was estranged from a wife and two kids. Their plan was beginning to fall apart, and the adrenaline partnered with the intense stress led the two men to unravel. Events unfolded after attempted robbery at the Bank of America branch in North Hollywood. The memorandum lists the injuries of all officers who received injuries at the hands of the robbers. Both robbers were killed, eleven police officers and seven civilians were injured, and numerous vehicles and other property were damaged or destroyed by the nearly 2,000 rounds of ammunition fired by the robbers and police.REF 12303 To license this footage or use in a broadcast contact Launchpad Entertainment, info@lpe360.com His gun jammed when he was pinned down behind a car. The North Hollywood shootout was an armed confrontation between two heavily armed bank robbers and officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in the North Hollywood district of Los . The robbers attempted to flee the scene, Phillips on foot and Mtsreanu in their getaway vehicle, while continuing to exchange fire with the officers. Daily News, Los Angeles. According to reports, the two robbers, 26-year-old Larry Eugene Phillips Jr. and 30-year-old Emil Matasareanu, entered the Bank of America in North Hollywood early in the morning on February 28, 1997, wearing body armor and ski masks. Both men left the bank and took aim at the surrounding officers. Shootout!. Like drugged. North Hollywood Bank Shootout_February 28, 1997 LA News Archive 10K subscribers 4.7M views 9 years ago Raw footage from the North Hollywood Bank Shootout. 45. All rights reserved. 211 is the code for robbery. The two robbers were confronted by LAPD officers when they exited the bank and a shootout between the officers and robbers ensued. The lawsuit was tried in United States District Court in February and March 2000, and ended in a mistrial with a hung jury. Its owner, Fred Abdo, was headed to work when he saw the bandits, in dark clothing and ski masks. The Los Angeles officers who found themselves under a barrage of heavy machine-gun fire from the North Hollywood bank robbers quickly realized that their 9mm pistols and shotguns were ineffective against the armored gunmen. It is believed that both men had participated in bank heists before. Forty-four minutes later, hundreds of rounds had been fired by the robbers carrying high-powered rifles and LAPD officers, most of whom were armed only with their handguns. Archived video from Feb. 28, 1997. [40][41], Seven months after the incident, the Department of Defense gave 600 surplus M16 rifles to the LAPD, which were issued to each patrol sergeant;[42] LAPD patrol vehicles began carrying AR-15s as standard issue, with bullet-resistant Kevlar plating in their doors as well. On the morning of February 28, 1997, after months of preparation that included extensive reconnoitering of their intended targetthe Bank of America branch located at 6600 Laurel Canyon BoulevardPhillips and Mtsreanu armed themselves with a semi-automatic HK-91 and several illegally converted weapons: two Norinco Type 56 S rifles, a fully automatic Norinco Type56 S-1, and a fully automatic Bushmaster XM15 Dissipator. After everything was over, I saw the bullet holes in my kiosk, and my arms started to swell, Haro, now retired and in ill health, told the Daily News a decade ago. Emil Dechebal Matasareanu, 30, was a scraggly haired, 283-pound native of Romania who suffered painful seizures after being struck in the head by a mental patient at his mothers home-operated day-care center. While Phillips continued to fire at officers, Matasareanu attempted to flee in a getaway car after he was shot several times in the bank's parking lot. The North Hollywood bank robbery shootout was one of LA's most prolific gun battles. Los Angeles, once known as the bank-robbery capital of the world with up to 900 heists in 1992, according to the FBI, had 11 such heists last year after police tactics developed after the infamous shootout were implemented. Select the option or tab named Internet Options (Internet Explorer), Options (Firefox), Preferences (Safari) or Settings (Chrome). Of their nearly 4,000 rounds of ammo, many were armor-piercing. All rights reserved. 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