The kiosk would take 150 rounds, some of which are visible today. They shot their way into the bank's vault using assault rifles with armor-piercing bullets. Between the police and the bank robbers, more than 2,000 rounds were fired in North Hollywood Shootout. [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. Some SWAT members had been working out at the LAPD academy and arrived in gym shorts and bulletproof vests. Both men had accumulated a stockpile of body armor, weapons, and ammunition which could sustain them through an hour-long shootout. believing he might be a suspect from the robbery less . Chapter 212 Violent crime, same game. Archived footage from Feb. 28, 1997. It wasnt my time., At another nearby shop, Miguel Lopez was installing a battery in the car of an off-duty police officer when the shooting started. The light bar was shattered.. To make matters worse, there had been a change in the bank's delivery system and the vault contained significantly less money than the two believed there would be. As KCBS and KCAL helicopters hovered overhead, a patrol car driven by SWAT officers Donnie Anderson, Steve Gomez, and Richard Massa quickly arrived and stopped on the opposite side of the truck to where the Chevrolet was stopped. The service pistols carried by the first responding officers were of insufficient power and used the wrong type of ammunition for penetrating even pistol rated soft body armor. However, as Phillips was a convicted felon it was not possible for him to legally purchase firearms. [23][24][25][26], Two locations adjacent to the bank's north parking lot provided good cover for officers and detectives. 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. Haynes' patrol car. On February 28, 1997, Larry Eugene PhillipsJr. and Emil Mtsreanuwalked into a bank in the North Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles and started the clock on 44 of the most violent minutes to ever occur in Southern California. [4][5] Before meeting, Phillips was a habitual offender, responsible for multiple real estate scams and counts of shoplifting. More than 300 outgunned law enforcement officers from five agencies, fighting for their lives, fired back with more than 550 rounds. When the shell casings stopped rolling, two bandits lay dead one after shooting himself after sustaining 10 gunshot wounds and the other after bleeding to death from 29 gunshots after telling police, F--- you. 9:17 a.m. Off duty cop played by Madsen, is being bothered by a large, noisy party next door. At 9:16 AM, Larry Philips Jr. and Emil Mtsreanu begun their robbery of Bank Of America's North Hollywood branch. A comprehensive look at the 1997 North Hollywood Shootout detailing the lives and crimes of Larry Phillips Jr. and . But while beating a retreat, he took a bullet in the knee and collapsed in the strip mall driveway. The bank was expected to have more than $750,000 to accommodate a Friday payday. [35][36] By the time the shooting had stopped, Phillips and Mtsreanu had fired about 1,100 rounds, approximately a round every two seconds. He quickly transferred all of his weapons and ammunition from the getaway car, but was unable to operate the Jeep due to the driver engaging the electrical kill switch before fleeing. After the North Hollywood Shootout. [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. [citation needed], Mtsreanu's vehicle was rendered inoperable after two of its tires were shot out and the windshield covered in bullet holes. and that the data you submit is exempt from Do Not Sell My Personal Information requests. 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. Matasareanu, shot twice in the bank parking lot, took cover in a getaway car and slowly drove toward Phillips, who continued walking and shooting. 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out is a 2003 American crime action television film directed by Yves Simoneau and written by Tim Metcalfe. and Privacy Policy. 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shootout is a 2003 television film that dramatizes the events surrounding the infamous 1997 shootout between Los Angeles Police Department officers and two heavily armed bank robbers in the North Hollywood district of Los Angeles. The two bank robbers, Larry Eugene Phillips Jr., 26, and Emil Matasareanu, 30, were killed. As the two were attempting to leave the bank, Phillips fired numerous gunshots at the responding officers. [4], It was speculated during news reports that Phillips had legally purchased two of the Norinco Type 56s and then illegally converted them to full automatic. The nation then watched the terror unfold on live TV as news helicopters broadcast the battle now known as the North Hollywood shootout. Their actions would in turn change American policing forever. Does any unit know how many officers are down? asked a police radio dispatcher. At 9:16a.m., Phillips and Mtsreanu entered and robbed Bank of America's North Hollywood branch. Coming from Duncan. We put our lives on the line. Realizing how badly they were outgunned, some of the officers got rifles at nearby gun stores. All rights reserved. On Feb. 28, 1997, two men armed with fully automatic weapons and clad in heavy body armor did more than rob the Bank of America at 6600 Laurel Canyon Blvd. As Phillips approached the passenger's side of the getaway vehicle, he was hit in the shoulder and his rifle was struck in the receiver and magazine by bullets fired by police. in North Hollywood. On February 28, 1997, two bank robbers engaged in a shootout with dozens of Los Angeles police officers in what became known as the North Hollywood Bank of America Shootout. It started as a robbery at a Bank of America on Laurel Canyon Boulevard and became one of Los Angeles' most prolific gun battles. Before entering, . I cant forget that day, said Kazanchyan, now 49. CNN. [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. 1997 bank robbery and subsequent shootout between bank robbers and police, This article is about the real-life incident. Archived video from Feb. 28, 1997. 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. 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. Archived video from Feb. 28, 1997. The Argentine immigrant then sprinted to a nearby cleaners, where he pulled a woman to safety just as bullets shattered a window. Detective Bancroft and Detective Harley in particular, were able to position themselves behind cover and fire between 15 and 24 rounds at Phillips, from a distance of approximately 55 feet (17m). After a failed bank robbery, two heavily armed men hold the Los Angeles Police Department at bay for 44 minutes. Phillips wore roughly 40 pounds (18kg) of equipment, including a Type IIIA bulletproof vest and groin guard; a load bearing vest with multiple military ammo pouches; and several pieces of homemade body armor created from spare vests, covering his shins, thighs, and forearms. They looked like zombies, no emotion. The North Hollywood shootout was an armed confrontation between two heavily armed and armored bank robbers and officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in the North Hollywood district of Los Angeles on February 28, 1997. [4] Following their training, the responding patrol officers directed their fire at the "center of mass", or torsos, of Mtsreanu and Phillips. North Hollywood Bank Robbery Feb. 28, 1997: Los Angeles, Calif. [4], On April 17, 1997, police raided a house in Anaheim traced to Phillips and Mtsreanu. For Matasareanu and Phillips, suspected of pulling off a number of sophisticated bank heists, the North Hollywood robbery was to be their biggest yet. 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 . 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. It was from the kiosk, once positioned directly across from the north bank door, where Zboravan had nicked Phillips with his shotgun. Larry Phillips and Emil Matasareanu opened fire on cops and bystanders after robbing a Bank of America in North Hollywood. [29] Phillips retrieved the HK-91 from the open trunk and continued firing upon officers while walking alongside the sedan, using it for cover. While speaking with CNN in 2017, former LAPD SWAT officer Rick Massa said that the two robbers "had no care for life.". Below, watch NBC4 News footage from that day. Enter https://www.police1.com/ and click OK. One witness described the weaponry as "army machinery." Without electricity, the house and party go quiet. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. He was shot four times before leaping through an exploding glass doorway. "[31], Ambulance personnel were following standard procedure in hostile situations by refusing to enter "the hot zone", as the area was not cleared and Mtsreanu was still considered to be dangerous. Track SoCal rain with LIVE Megadoppler 7000 HD. Mtsreanu left the truck, took cover behind the original getaway car, and engaged them in two-and-a-half minutes of almost uninterrupted gunfire. 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. But as the pair lumbered from their Chevrolet Celebrity sedan, they were spotted by LAPD Officers Loren Farrell and Martin Perello, who were on patrol and called in for backup for a possible robbery. 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