The streets of North Hollywood resembled a war zone, with hundreds of rounds fired between police and the two heavily armed bank robbers. He bled to death while police, concerned about reports of a third masked gunman, searched the area. The robbers were armed with. Shootout!. At the time LAPD officers were only equipped with Berretta M9FS 9mm handguns and S&W model 15 .38 revolvers which were no match for Phillips and Mtsreanus modified assault rifles. Chapter 212 Violent crime, same game. The incident sparked debate on the need for patrol officers to upgrade their firepower in preparation for similar situations in the future. Copyright 2022 Crime Museum, LLC - All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy |. [4] Another estimate is that a total of nearly 2,000 rounds were fired collectively. It ended in a deadlocked jury, with the city ultimately agreeing to pay $50,000 in legal fees. During the standoff, frustrated police ran into the now-defunct B&B Gun Shop to grab high-powered weapons and ammo. NORTH HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Twenty-five years ago Monday, what became known as the North Hollywood shootout took place. [12] After their release, most of their seized property was returned to them, except for the confiscated firearms and explosives. Seeing no way to get away the men opened fire on the crowd of police officers. [25][26], The ineffectiveness of the standard small-caliber police pistols and shotguns in penetrating the robbers' body armor led to a trend in the United States toward arming selected police patrol officers, not just SWAT teams, with heavier firepower such as semi-automatic AR-15-style rifles. 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. Raw footage from the North Hollywood Bank Shootout. Track SoCal rain with LIVE Megadoppler 7000 HD. NORTH HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- In 1997, two bank robbers armed with an arsenal of weapons started one of the most prolific gun battles in L.A.'s history. Across Laurel Canyon Boulevard, Jose Haro had hit the floor in his locksmith kiosk, where Zboravan and three other police officers took cover. View our Terms of Service 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. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. It was like the movie Heat, bullets spraying everywhere, recalled Lantz, now a corporal, while revisiting the scene. Military veterans quickly recognized the telltale blat of the Russian-designed AK-47 assault rifle. But most police officers remained calm, despite ineffective weapons, faulty radios and a command post relocated four times. More than 300 outgunned law enforcement officers from five agencies, fighting for their lives, fired back with more than 550 rounds. 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. [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. 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. Larry Eugene Phillips Jr., 26, was a gruff-looking man with a pencil mustache, a former grifter once arrested for real-estate fraud. Unlike so many other shootouts that start and end within a few . Its not a macho thing. Uncut footage of the North Hollywood Bank Shootout From a News Helicopter. A security guard inside saw the scuffle and the heavily armed robbers and radioed his partner in the parking lot to call the police; the call was not received. 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. Between the police and the bank robbers, more than 2,000 rounds were fired in North Hollywood Shootout. Their actions would in turn change American policing forever. [12][13], On June 14, 1995, Phillips and Mtsreanu ambushed a Brink's armored car in Winnetka, Los Angeles, killing one guard, Herman Cook, and seriously wounding another. The gunmen fired at least 1,000 rounds at the police, who fired an estimated 1,000 or more right back at . 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 Soon the robbers realized that there was less money than they had expected because of a change in the bank delivery schedule. Events unfolded after attempted robbery at the Bank of America branch in North Hollywood. Phillips was shot 11 times, including his self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chin while Mtsreanu was shot 29 times.[4]. Its owner, Fred Abdo, was headed to work when he saw the bandits, in dark clothing and ski masks. For his trouble, he later suffered nightmares and a nervous tic in one eye. The Robbery At 9:17am the two robbers arrived at the bank and set their watch alarms for 8 minutes. 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. [4], Mtsreanu, enraged at this development, argued with Villigrana and demanded more. Twelve police officers and eight civilians were injured and two suspects died in the shootout. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. Both men had accumulated a stockpile of body armor, weapons, and ammunition which could sustain them through an hour-long shootout. He had a wife and two children. 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 Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in the North Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, United States on February 28, 1997. 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). [4], Outside, the first-responding officers heard the gunfire within the bank and made another radio call reporting "shots fired" before taking cover behind their patrol car. [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. 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. "[21] before he and Mtsreanu opened fire into the ceiling in an attempt to scare the approximately thirty bank staff and customers and to discourage resistance. Lexipol. Archived video from Feb. 28, 1997. Does any unit know how many officers are down? asked a police radio dispatcher. [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. 45. It is considered amongst one of the bloodiest shootouts in the history of the United States police force. And Ill never forget that sound. (Gene Blevins/Los Angeles Daily News)For the dozens of officers called to respond to the bank robbery in North Hollywood 15 years ago, it was like looking into the face of hell. One of the bank robbers in the Feb. 28, 1997 North Hollywood shootout fires at officers and bystanders. Phillips was shot nearly a dozen times. The ambulance driver testified he believed he was in danger by being in the area. The case was declared a mistrial in 2000 and later dismissed. LAPD officers armed with handguns and shotguns were no match for the two bank robbers toting assault rifles. Lexipol. 255256; Robinson, pp. They arrived at the bank at 9:17 AM. NORTH HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- In 1997, two bank robbers armed with an arsenal of weapons started one of the most prolific gun battles in L.A.'s history. LOS ANGELES 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 across unarmored officers to shield them with his bulletproof vest. 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. The locations used in the movie were the actual locations where the shootout took place, and this added immeasurably to the realism of the story. The SWAT team (Donnie Anderson, Steve Gomez, Peter Weireter, and Richard Massa) arrived 18 minutes after the shooting had begun. 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. Archived video from Feb. 28, 1997. The memorandum lists the injuries of all officers who received injuries at the hands of the robbers. Haynes' patrol car. The two robbers in body armor and ski masks emerged from the bank with guns blazing. [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. . [28], After LAPD radio operators received the second "officer down" call from police at the shootout, a tactical alert was issued. His father, worried during the ordeal, suffered a heart attack and died later from the anxiety, he said. 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