contend with heavily armed suspects. The event was also
aired live on television, allowing millions of viewers to wit-
ness the inability of hundreds of law enforcement officers to
quickly restrain two men.
Shortly after 9a.m.on February 28, 1997, Larry Phil-
lips, Jr., and Emil Matasareanu entered a Bank of
America in the North Hollywood section of Los An-
geles, California. The two men wore body armor and
carried automatic weapons, including AK-47s, a fully
automatic Bushmaster rifle, a semiautomatic H&K,
and a semiautomatic 9-millimeter Beretta handgun.
A Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer
driving down the street had seen the two enter the
bank, and police had the bank surrounded by the
time Phillips and Matasareanu attempted to leave.
When officers attempted to stop Phillips and
Matasareanu, the bank robbers shot the cars of the
officers, who were only carrying 9-millimeter pistols
and revolvers. The bullets shot by police would sim-
ply ricochet off the suspects’ body armor, while the
suspects were able to injure several officers and civil-
ians. Shortly thereafter, the two gunmen attempted
to drive away in the getaway car, which was soon ren-
dered inoperable due to heavy police fire. Phillips
then left the protection of the getaway car and bra-
zenly walked down the street firing at officers and
television news helicopters. He was finally shot and
killed by officers.
After Phillips was killed, Matasareanu attempted
to escape in an abandoned pickup truck, only to find
that the owner had taken his keys with him when he
fled. Matasareanu then encountered special weapons
and tactics (SWAT) members who shot underneath
the truck into his unprotected legs, badly injuring
him. He died from loss of blood on the street as offi-
cers were attempting to secure the scene. Before their
deaths, the suspects fired over 1,100 rounds, injuring620 North Hollywood shoot-out The Nineties in America
One of the two armed gunmen stands in a parking lot across the street from the Bank of America in North Hollywood on February 28,
- Following a botched bank heist, the robbers fired hundreds of rounds in a gun battle that injured several police officers and civilians
and ended in the robbers’ deaths.(AP/Wide World Photos)