North Hollywood shootout

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 34 ° 11 ′ 29 "  N , 118 ° 23 ′ 41.6"  W.

The North Hollywood shootout was an armed confrontation between heavily armed and armored bank robbers Larry Eugene Phillips and Emil Matasareanu on one side and police patrols and SWAT special forces of the Los Angeles Police Department on the other in North Hollywood , a borough of Los Angeles , on February 28, 1997.

The North Hollywood firefight is considered a decisive event in US police history and achieved extraordinary fame. This was due in particular to the exceptionally heavy arsenal used by the perpetrators, the long duration of the shooting, during which the robbers fired more than 1,100 rounds, and the unusual approach taken by the perpetrators, who directly and openly attacked the police.

The shooting broke out when Phillips and Matasareanu were caught by police officers arriving immediately after leaving the bank they had robbed. The two robbers then opened fire and tried to fight for an escape route by force of arms. Ten police officers and seven civilians were injured in the course of the firefight. One of the perpetrators, Larry Phillips, eventually turned his 9-millimeter gun at himself and died of suicide. His accomplice Matasareanu had another shootout with the SWAT police unit and died a little later from his gunshot wounds. His family members later accused the police of deliberately allowing him to die and refusing medical help even after he had surrendered. The two perpetrators had previously robbed several banks and had already attracted attention then because of their heavy armament.

Phillips and Matasareanu had fully automatic rifles with ammunition capable of penetrating police protective vests and wore ballistic vests themselves . Police patrols in Los Angeles at the time were typically armed with a 9mm pistol or .38 special revolver, and some had a 12-caliber shotgun in their car. The police were therefore initially inferior to the bank robbers with their equipment. Since the police's handguns could not penetrate the bank robbers' vests, their efforts to stop the perpetrators were initially ineffective. Eventually, SWAT teams reached the crime scene with weapons that could penetrate the body armor. The police also requisitioned some semi-automatic rifles from a nearby arms dealer.

The incident sparked a debate about adequately equipping the police for similar situations in the future.

backgrounds

Perpetrator

Larry Phillips Jr. (* 1970) and Emil Matasareanu (* 1966) met for the first time in 1989 at Gold's Gym in Venice , a district of Los Angeles. They had a common interest in weight lifting and bodybuilding , but a common interest in making money through crime soon developed as well.

Philips was from Los Angeles . His parents had come into conflict with the law several times; By 1989 at the latest, he became a criminal himself when he stole $ 400 worth of items from a store and was convicted for doing so. He later imported steel core ammunition for his illegally modified assault rifles, and purchased aramid fabric to make protective vests.

Emil Matasareanu ( Romanian Mătăsăreanu ) came from a family of Romanian immigrants from Timișoara . He and his parents had fled from Romania to California with his parents before the Ceaușescu regime and later earned a degree in electrical engineering in the United States . He tried to set up his own business, but soon ran into financial difficulties. He married in 1990 and shortly afterwards had a son. His health had been badly damaged since a head injury in 1994. His wife left with the children six months before the North Hollywood events. Matasareanu was depressed and repeatedly expressed his wish to die to his parents. Larry Phillips was later described as the driving force behind the raid.

Criminal history

In 1993 the duo put their plan to carry out a robbery into action. On July 20, 1993, it robbed a money truck outside a bank in Littleton , Colorado and escaped undetected.

In October 1993, Phillips and Matasareanu were arrested in Glendale, northwest of Los Angeles, for a speeding violation. The vehicle was then searched because Phillips was arrested with a hidden weapon. There were two semi-automatic rifles, two handguns, over 1600 surplus 7.62 mm rifle ammunition , more than 1,200 rounds of 9 mm and .45 ACP -Pistolenmunition, radio scanners , smoke bombs , improvised explosive devices , body armor and three different California license plate number found. Although they were originally accused of conspiracy to commit robbery, none of them served more than 100 days in jail, but they were given three years probation. After their release, most of the confiscated property was returned to them, except for the confiscated weapons. No connection was made to the Littleton raid.

In June 1995, the duo robbed a Brink’s money truck , killing a security guard. In May 1996, they robbed two branches of the Bank of America in San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles and captured while about 1.5 million US dollars . Both times they escaped unrecognized.

Phillips and Matasareanu used extremely heavy weapons during the raids, which is why they were nicknamed High Incident Bandits by the police .

course

Bank of America

The raid happened on the morning of February 28, 1997. It had been preceded by months of exploration of the target - the Bank of America branch at the intersection of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Archwood Streets. Phillips and Matasareanu had five illegally altered fully automatic rifles available: three 7.62 x 39mm Type 56 assault rifles (one AK-47 copy), one modified HK91 and one .223-caliber Bushmaster rifle (Model XM15-ES2), an AR-15 -Clone. They also had two 9mm Beretta 92F pistols , a .38 caliber revolver, and around 3,300 rounds of ammunition in rod and drum magazines .

They used a white Chevrolet Celebrity to get from their apartment to the bank and arrived at the branch at 9:17 a.m. They were masked and wore their self-made torso armor including metal trauma plates as shock absorbers to protect vital organs. Before entering the bank, they took phenobarbital to calm them down. They set the timers on their watches to 8 minutes, the estimated police response time. Phillips had determined this time with the help of a radio scanner from the police radio. However, they were spotted by a LAPD patrol car driving along Laurel Canyon as soon as they entered the bank; the officers in the car reported a possible armed robbery.

Inside the bank, Phillips and Matasareanu forced the assistant manager to open the safe. They fired at least 100 rounds to intimidate the 30 or so bank employees and customers present and to prevent possible resistance. This was heard from police officers waiting outside, calling for additional reinforcements and surrounding the building. The two robbers only captured 303,305 instead of the expected $ 750,000 as the bank changed the delivery schedule for the money. They also needed a lot more time at the bank than planned. At 9:32 a.m. Phillips left the building briefly, noticed the police officers who had already arrived there, and withdrew again. Inside, the two apparently decided to use force to find an escape route.

At 9:38 am, Phillips left the bank through the north entrance and Matasareanu through the south entrance. Both faced dozens of LAPD police officers who had arrived for reinforcement. They immediately started shooting at the police officers. News channel helicopters arrived minutes later, reporting the same radio message, even though the robbers shot them too. The SWAT commanders used the helicopters' live broadcasts to relay important timely information to the officers on the ground.

Phillips and Matasareanu fired armor-piercing bullets at the patrol vehicles parked outside the bank on Laurel Canyon Boulevard. The patrolmen had only light armaments, 9 mm standard Beretta 92 pistols and .38 caliber revolvers, and some were also equipped with forearm rifles. The body armor worn by Phillips and Matasareanu was strong enough to withstand them. The two perpetrators engaged in a 7 to 8 minute long gun battle with the police until Matasareanu managed to reach the getaway vehicle. Phillips stayed outside the vehicle. He used the car as cover to keep firing at the police and did not get in even when his accomplice asked him to do so several times. A TAC (tactical alert) was triggered and 18 minutes after the shooting began, a SWAT team equipped with automatic weapons arrived. A special protection vehicle helped the officers to rescue the injured.

Full-scale map of the area around Bank of America ($), places of death of Phillips (P) and Matasareanu (M).
Streets:
A: Laurel Canyon Boulevard - B: Agnes Avenue - C: Ben Avenue - D: Gentry Avenue - E: Radford Avenue - F: Morella Avenue - 1: Archwood Street - 2: Lemay Street - 3: Kittridge Street

At 9:51 a.m., Phillips broke up with Matasareanu and marched east on Archwood Street, continuing to fire at the police with his AKMS assault rifle. He had just reloaded it with a 100-round drum magazine when he was hit in the left thumb. This may have prevented him from removing a cartridge case that had jammed. He put down the assault rifle, drew a Beretta pistol, and kept firing at the police with his uninjured right hand. He was then hit in the right hand and dropped the pistol. Then he picked it up again and shot himself under the chin with one shot; at the same time he was hit in the spine by a police officer.

Matasareanu's vehicle was almost inoperable because the tires had been shot. At 9:56 a.m., he hijacked a passing pickup truck on Archwood Street, three blocks east of where Phillips was shot. He moved all of his guns and ammunition from the getaway car to the new vehicle. However, he could not start the car because the owner had turned off the fuel pump before leaving the vehicle. As KCBS and KCAL helicopters hovered over the vehicle, a patrol car with SWAT officers arrived. Matasareanu got out of the pickup truck, took cover behind the original getaway vehicle, and attacked immediately. He fought a short, intense gun battle with the police, firing shots continuously for two and a half minutes. At least one SWAT officer aimed his M16 assault rifle under the car and wounded Matasareanu's unprotected lower legs. After he was hit in the legs more than 20 times, he surrendered seriously injured. The police called an ambulance, but Matasareanu bled to death before assistance was given.

Most of the incidents, including the death of Phillips and the arrest of Matasareanu, were broadcast live by news helicopters and televised. More than 300 law enforcement officials had gathered over the citywide tactical alert. At the end of the shooting, Phillips and Matasareanu had fired over 1,300 rounds (1,100 rounds according to other sources). Phillips has been hit 11 times, including the self-inflicted head shot. Matasareanu was hit 29 times; despite his wounds, he survived another 40 minutes before he died. The coroner's report cited shock cardiac arrest as a contributing factor to death.

Aftermath and controversy

SWAT special unit

Phillips and Matasareanu fired with fully automatic rifles loaded with armor-piercing projectiles and capable of penetrating walls of vehicles that were usually considered safe cover. The robbers were protected by a self-made hull armor that could not be penetrated by the projectiles of the handguns and shotguns of the police. While Phillips was shot in the (unprotected) hands and he died by suicide a short time later, a SWAT officer reported on the last exchange of fire that his M16 rifle could not penetrate Matasareanus armor because of the trauma plates. This suggests that the outcome might have been different had both robbers worn leg protection. The self-made trunk protection was heavy and limited the robbers' mobility.

The ineffectiveness of the police pistol and shotgun ammunition led to a trend in the United States to equip selected police patrols with 5.56mm semi-automatic AR-15 rifles. Seven months after the incident, the Department of Defense returned 600 excess M16s to the LAPD. Other cities like Miami also upgraded patrol officers, not just SWAT teams, with more powerful firepower. LAPD patrol vehicles now have AR-15s on board as standard equipment and are fitted with bulletproof Kevlar panels in their doors.

About 650 rounds were fired at the robbers. Police officers set fire on Matasereanu and Phillips' bodies. Each was hit by at least ten bullets that pierced the tank. Both of them continued their attacks on the police. Matasereanu received several non-fatal injuries that resulted in blood loss.

Chinese Type56 assault rifle, an AK-47 clone

The LAPD was later criticized for not providing medical care to Matasareanu. The police then replied that the ambulance personnel had followed the normal rules of not entering the danger area while Matasareanu was still potentially dangerous. Some reports indicated that he was disarmed on the tarmac for about an hour before the ambulance arrived. A lawsuit was filed against members of the LAPD in favor of Matasareanu's children alleging that Matasareanu's civil rights had been violated and he was allowed to bleed to death. The lawsuit went to the United States District Court in February and March 2000 and ended with the jury unable to reach a joint judgment. The charges were later dropped when Matasareanu's family found the lawsuit to be unlawful.

In the year following the shooting, 17 LAPD officers received both the Los Angeles Police Medal of Valor and the National Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor for their actions and met President Bill Clinton . In 2003, a film was made about the incident, 44 Minutes - North Hollywood Hell . In 2004, the Los Angeles Police Department Museum opened an exhibition of two life-size mannequins of Phillips and Matasareanu with protective gear and their weapons. In 2009 the thrash metal band Megadeth addressed the shooting in their song 44 Minutes from the album Endgame .

literature

  • Thomas Hays, Arthur Sjoquist: Los Angeles Police Department . Arcadia Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0-7385-3025-5 .
  • William Rehder, Gordon Dillow: Where the Money Is: True Tales from the Bank Robbery Capital of the World . Norton, WW & Company, Inc, 2003. ISBN 0-393-05156-0 .
  • Paul Robinson: Would You Convict? Seventeen Cases That Challenged the Law . New York University Press, New York 1999. ISBN 0-8147-7531-4 .
  • Critical Situation: North Hollywood Shootout , National Geographic Channel, June 12, 2007 (13-part TV documentary series from June 2007 to March 2008)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.popmatters.com/pm/tv/reviews/44893/44-minutes/
  2. ↑ a b c Shootout! The History Channel , accessed July 8, 2008.
  3. ↑ Cynthia Fuchs: 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shootout . PopMatters. June 3, 2003. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
  4. ↑ a b http://articles.latimes.com/1997-03-10/news/mn-36719_1_phillips-sr
  5. ↑ National Geographic Cannel: Critical situation . 2007; Robinson: Would You Convict? 1999, p. 10.
  6. ↑ http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19970303&slug=2526849
  7. ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/1997-03-03/news/mn-39639_1_bank-robbers
  8. ↑ http://www.thefreelibrary.com/WHY+DID+HE+DO+IT%3F+%3A+MOTHER+SAYS+ROBBER+IN+WITH+BAD+CROWD.-a083858153
  9. ^ Robinson: Would You Convict? 1999, p. 3.
  10. ↑ Rehder, Dillow: . Where the Money Is 2003, pp 255-256; Robinson: Would You Convict? 1999, pp. 4-5.
  11. ^ Robinson: Would You Convict? 1999, pp. 11-12.
  12. ↑ Rehder, Dillow: Where the Money Is. 2003, p.257.
  13. ↑ Rehder, Dillow: Where the Money Is 2003, p 257; Robinson: Would You Convict? 1999, p. 12.
  14. ↑ Rehder, Dillow: Where the Money Is 2003, pp 258-259; Robinson: Would You Convict? 1999, p. 12.
  15. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u National Geographic Cannel: Critical Situation . 2007.
  16. ↑ Doug Smith: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-03-10-mn-36719-story.html. Los Angeles Times, March 10, 1997, accessed January 9, 2020 .
  17. ↑ a b National Geographic Cannel: Critical situation . 2007; Robinson: Would You Convict? 1999, p. 13.
  18. ↑ National Geographic Cannel: Critical situation . 2007; Hays, Sjoquist: Los Angeles Police Department. 2005, p. 124.
  19. ↑ LAPD Shoot-Out With Bank Robbers ( January 30, 2009 memento in the Internet Archive ), Emernet Emergency, February 28, 1997, accessed June 19, 2007.
  20. ↑ a b c Peter Prengaman: LA Marks 10th Anniversary of Shootout ( Memento of 3 February 2014 Internet Archive ), ABC News March 1, 2007
  21. ↑ Hays, Sjoquist: Los Angeles Police Department. 2005, p. 124.
  22. ↑ Botched LA Bank heist turns into bloody shootout . CNN. Retrieved October 25, 2007.
  23. ^ North Hollywood Shootout . Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Retrieved October 25, 2007.
  24. ↑ a b LAPD gets M-16s , CNN, September 22, 1997.
  25. ^ Dalton: LAPD Museum Exhibit Development. 2004, pp. 2-3.