The profession of policing is not different to other professions in the sense that lessons on how to do the job, or how to do it better, are often learned from past experiences. Unfortunately, in the world of policing, learning from the past usually means that some or many people have died.
One example of this is the North Hollywood shooting or sometimes referred to as the “Battle of North Hollywood”. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and two heavily armed bank robbers engaged in gunfire in the North Hollywood neighbourhood of Los Angeles on February 28, 1997. With about 2,000 rounds of ammunition fired by the culprits and the police, many cars and other properties were damaged or destroyed, eleven police officers and seven civilians were hurt, and both perpetrators were murdered.
Table of Contents
- Background of the North Hollywood Shooting
- The Shootout
- Impact on Policing Tactics
- Challenges and Criticisms
- Final Thoughts
Background of the North Hollywood Shooting
On February 28, 1997, the city of North Hollywood, Los Angeles, witnessed a shocking and unprecedented event that would forever change the landscape of law enforcement. At approximately 9:17 AM, the routine calm of the suburban neighborhood was shattered as two armed assailants, Larry Phillips Jr. and Emil Mătăsăreanu, initiated a bank robbery that would escalate into one of the most intense and prolonged shootouts in modern American history.
The Perpetrators and Their Weaponry
Decebal Stefan Emilian “Emil” Mătăsăreanu (born July 19, 1966) and Larry Eugene Phillips Jr. (born September 20, 1970) met in 1989 at a Gold’s Gym in Venice, Los Angeles, California. Mătăsăreanu and Phillips had a passion for bodybuilding, weightlifting, and guns. Prior to their encounter, Phillips had a history of criminal activity, having committed numerous thefts and real estate frauds. Mătăsăreanu was a certified electrical engineer who operated a largely failed computer repair company. He was born in Timișoara, Romania, to parents who moved to Los Angeles in 1974.
Phillips and Mătăsăreanu robbed an armoured car outside a FirstBank office in Littleton, Colorado, on July 20, 1993. They were taken into custody in Glendale, northeast of Los Angeles, on October 29 for driving a stolen car. Following Phillips’ surrender with a concealed weapon, their car was subsequently searched, and items discovered included two semi-automatic rifles, two handguns, over 1,600 rounds of ammunition for 7.62×39mm rifles, 1,200 rounds of ammunition for 9×19mm Parabellum and.45 ACP handguns, radio scanners, smoke bombs, improvised explosive devices, body armour vests, and three distinct California licence plates. After entering a plea deal, the two, who had been initially accused of conspiring to commit robbery, were sentenced to 100 days in prison and three years on probation. The majority of their seized goods was restored to them following their release, with the exception of the explosives and weapons that were taken.
In Winnetka, Los Angeles, on June 14, 1995, Phillips and Mătăsăreanu ambushed an armoured car belonging to Brink’s, killing one guard, Herman Cook, and badly injuring another.In About $1.5 million was taken during their May 1996 bank heist at two Bank of America locations in the San Fernando Valley neighbourhood of Los Angeles. Because of the weapons they had used in three robberies before their attempt in North Hollywood, investigators nicknamed the two the “High Incident Bandits”.
Phillips and Mătăsăreanu were not your typical bank robbers. Clad in body armor from head to toe, armed with fully automatic rifles, and carrying an arsenal of high-capacity magazines, the duo was remarkably well-equipped for a criminal endeavor. The sheer firepower at their disposal, including assault rifles and a variety of handguns, surpassed the standard weaponry that law enforcement was accustomed to facing.
They utilized a Bushmaster XM-15 which was converted to fire on full auto with two 100-round Beta magazines, a Heckler & Koch HK-91 semi-automatic rifle with several 30-round magazines, a Beretta 92FS Inox with several mags, and three different civilian-model Kalashnikov-style rifles that were converted to fire full auto with several 75 to 100 round drum magazines along with 30-round box magazines. The North Hollywood Shooting underscored the need for a reevaluation of the tools and tactics at the disposal of police officers facing increasingly sophisticated and heavily armed adversaries.
The Robbery
At approximately 9:16am, the pair entered the Bank of America branch at the intersection of Laurel Canyon Blvd and ARchwood St in North Hollywood. Interestingly, they relied on a typical police response of 8 minutes and set their watches to an eight minute timer (this was based off them monitoring police radio transmissions for robberies and timing the responses). However, in this case the two were spotted by LAPD officers who were driving down the street in a cruiser. Officer Loren Farell and Martin Perello immediately went over the radio requesting more units for a possible robbery.
Phillips and Mătăsăreanu carried on with their robbery but ran into snags as not all the money they expected to be in the bank was there. At first they did not believe the staff members and thought they were holding back money on them (in the end the amount they did take would be ruined with dye packs anyway), forcing them to stay longer inside the bank than they anticipated while they interrogated employees. At one point, Mătăsăreanu became so enraged with the miscalculation of funds that he fired an entire 75 round drum magazine into the bank’s safe. This is an important note, as the gunfire was heard by LAPD patrol officers outside who immediately put out “shots fired” transmissions of the radio triggering additional resources.
The Shootout
As the two walked out of the bank they were immediately confronted by dozens of LAPD officers when they exited the bank and a shootout between the officers and robbers ensued. As he exited the bank through the North doorway, Philips immediately opened fire on the first police cruiser he spotted approximately 200 feet away. He wounded several officers, Sgt. Dean Haynes, Officers Martin Whitfield, James Zaboravan, and Stuart Guy, and Detectives William Krulac and Tracey Angeles, as well as three civilians that had taken cover behind Sgt. Haynes’ patrol car. Phillips went back inside for a little while before emerging from the north entryway, and Mătăsăreanu left via the south exit.
Phillips and Mătăsăreanu persisted in their confrontation with the police, occasionally shooting shots at the patrol cars parked in the lot across the street and on Laurel Canyon in front of the bank. The officers continued to fire back at the two robbers, but discovered that their shotguns and handguns would not pierce the body armour that Phillips and Mătăsăreanu were wearing. They were armed primarily with 12-gauge Ithaca Model 37 pump-action shotguns, Smith & Wesson Model 15.38 Special revolvers, and Beretta 92F/FS 9mm pistols, which were then standard issue. This was made worse by the fact that the majority of LAPD officers were stationed in relation to the bank door, and their service guns did not have enough range at longer ranges. About ten to fifteen minutes into the shootout, an officer could be heard on the LAPD police frequency cautioning other cops not to “stop [the getaway vehicle], they’ve got automatic weapons, there’s nothing we have that can stop them.” It was also very difficult for the officers to try a head shot with their handguns since the robbers’ heavy sprays of gunfire were pinning them down. To stop the robbers, several officers purchased five AR-15-style guns from a local gun store.
For cops and detectives, two positions near the north parking lot of the bank offered ideal cover. It seems probable that Phillips was shooting and hiding near four cars next to the bank’s north wall when the police shot him with their handguns. Officer Richard Zielenski of the Valley Traffic Division was able to effectively hide out on the west wall of the Del Taco restaurant, which is located 351 feet (107 metres) away from Phillips. Zielenski is thought to have struck Phillips during their exchange of gunfire, having fired 86 9mm rounds at him. Zielenski also managed to use his position to deflect Phillips’ fire away from Officer Whitfield and Sgt. Haynes, who were both injured and had very little protection from the trees across Laurel Canyon Blvd.
The backyard at 6641 Agnes Avenue was the other spot that worked well for the LAPD. A wall made of cinder blocks offered some cover for the detectives as they fired their 9mm handguns at Phillips. Particularly, Detectives Vince Bancroft and Kevin Harley were able to hide behind cover and fire 15 to 24 shots at Phillips from a distance of around 55 feet (17 metres). According to helicopter broadcast footage that showed Phillips reacting to pain, Mătăsăreanu fired a bullet wound to his left wrist after he backed the Chevrolet Celebrity out of the handicapped spot in the north parking lot. Around the same moment, Phillips was firing a Heckler & Koch weapon when LAPD gunfire struck it, penetrating the receiver and rendering it unusable. Phillips threw it away and grabbed another assault rifle from the sedan’s trunk to reload.
Arrival of the SWAT Team
A tactical alert was sent out by LAPD radio operators following the second “officer down” call that the police made during the shooting. Eighteen minutes after the shooting started, Donnie Anderson, Steve Gomez, Peter Weireter, and Richard Massa from the LAPD Metropolitan Division SWAT team arrived. They had been out for a run when they got the call, so they had running shoes and shorts on underneath their body armour. They were carrying AR-15s. They arrived and took over an armoured car nearby, piloted by David Campbell and Hector Quevedo, to remove injured officers and civilians from the site.
Gunmen Shot and Killed
Mătăsăreanu was shot in the left forearm, right leg, and right buttock while he was still in the parking lot. Then, a fourth projectile sliced his upper right eye socket, causing him to startle and hide under the getaway car’s hood. He then dropped his money duffle bag, got inside the getaway car, and turned on the engine.[30] Walking beside the automobile, Phillips took out the HK-91 from the open trunk and used it as cover while he continued to fire at the officers. Police fired bullets into Phillips’ gun, striking the receiver and magazine, and he was hit in the shoulder as he got closer to the getaway car’s passenger side. Phillips fired a few more shots with one arm, then dropped the HK-91 and picked up the Norinco Type 56, backing out of the parking lot and onto the street as Mătăsăreanu drove away.
Phillips turned east on Archwood Street at 9:52 a.m. and hid behind a parked semi-truck. From there, he fired at the police, which included Officers John Caprarelli, Ed Brentlinger, and Lieutenant Michael Ranshaw, until his rifle jammed. He dropped the rifle and drew a Beretta 92FS pistol, which he fired, unable to clear the jam due to a bullet wound to his left wrist. Officer Conrado Torrez then shot him in the right hand, causing him to drop the weapon. He got it, tucked the muzzle under his chin, and pulled the trigger. Officer John Caprarelli shot him in the upper body as he was falling, cutting his spinal cord. One of the bullets could have been lethal.
While Phillips was on the ground, officers on the other side of the roadway kept shooting at his body multiple times. Officers in the vicinity surrounded Phillips when the gunfire stopped, detained him (even though he was clearly dead by this stage, it was customary protocol for police to arrest a criminal of that seriousness as if he were alive), and took off his ski mask. Mătăsăreanu’s car had two of its tyres shot out and had bullet holes all over the windscreen, rendering it unusable. Three blocks east of Phillips’s death, at 9:56 a.m., he tried to carjack a yellow 1963 Jeep Gladiator on Archwood by shooting at the driver, who then fled on foot. He swiftly moved all of his weapons and ammunition out of the getaway car, but the driver had activated the electrical kill switch on the Jeep before taking off, so he was unable to start it. A patrol car manned by SWAT officers Donnie Anderson, Steve Gomez, and Richard Massa swiftly pulled up and halted on the other side of the truck from where the Chevrolet was stopped, all while the KCBS and KCAL helicopters hovered overhead. After getting out of the truck, Mătăsăreanu hid behind the getaway vehicle and opened fire on them for about two and a half minutes. Officer Anderson of SWAT attempted to double tap Mătăsăreanu, but his chest armour stopped him, allowing him to continue firing. Mătăsăreanu was hit in his uncovered lower legs by an AR-15 shot fired by Anderson beneath the automobiles. He was shortly rendered unable of continuing and raised his hands in surrender.
Paramedics refused to enter “the hot zone” as per standard procedure due to the area not being cleared and Mătăsăreanu still being considered dangerous. Officers did call for an ambulance to stand to Mătăsăreanu who was yelling at officers and trying to get them to shoot him. Mătăsăreanu ended up dying before paramedics were cleared to enter the area.
Following the citywide tactical alert, more than 300 law enforcement personnel from different units had reacted. Phillips and Mătăsăreanu fired over 1,100 bullets by the time the gunfire ceased, or about one round every two seconds.
Impact on Policing Tactics
In the wake of the North Hollywood Shooting, law enforcement agencies across the nation found themselves at a crossroads. The review of the incident resulted in several lessons learned from the North Hollywood Shooting that were transformative.
Changes in Firearms Training and Equipment
In response to the North Hollywood Shooting, law enforcement agencies undertook significant overhauls in their firearms training and equipment protocols. The incident exposed the limitations of standard-issue weapons and emphasized the necessity for officers to be equipped with more powerful and effective firearms. The adoption of a rifle program and enhanced ammunition became a priority, ensuring that law enforcement had the means to effectively counteract heavily armed assailants. Many police departments opted for semi-automatic AR-15 style rifles for not just their SWAT teams but also for their patrol officers. Up to this point, even SWAT officers were relying predominately on close quarter weapons such as the Heckler & Koch MP5 which was proving insufficient against the high powered weaponry Philips and Mătăsăreanu had.
Moreover, training programs were revamped to include scenarios that simulated active shooter situations, providing officers with the skills and mindset necessary to confront such threats. The North Hollywood incident underscored the importance of continuous and realistic training to prepare officers for the challenges of the modern law enforcement landscape.
Evolution of Active Shooter Response Protocols
The North Hollywood Shooting significantly influenced the development of active shooter response protocols. Law enforcement agencies recognized the need for a coordinated and specialized approach to handle situations where armed perpetrators posed an imminent threat to public safety. This realization led to the establishment of dedicated units and specialized training for responding to active shooter incidents.
The incident prompted the adoption of strategies emphasizing rapid deployment, immediate engagement, and the use of specialized equipment. Police departments began collaborating with other first responders, including emergency medical services, to enhance the overall effectiveness of their response to such critical incidents.
Collaboration Between Local, State, and Federal Agencies
The complexity and scale of the North Hollywood Shooting underscored the importance of seamless collaboration between different tiers of law enforcement. Recognizing the need for a unified and coordinated response to high-stakes incidents, agencies at the local, state, and federal levels started working more closely together. This resulted in drastic changes with communications and dispatching, allowing various units and services to patch into one main line so that everyone was on the same page.
Task forces and joint operations became more prevalent, breaking down jurisdictional barriers and enabling a more effective and comprehensive approach to combating violent crime. The incident prompted a realization that tackling increasingly sophisticated criminal activities required a collaborative effort that pooled resources, expertise, and intelligence across multiple agencies.
Challenges and Criticisms
The Lawsuit
Attorney Stephen Yagman sued Detective James Vojtecky and Officer John Futrell of the LAPD on behalf of Mătăsăreanu’s children, arguing that Mătăsăreanu’s civil rights had been violated and that he had been left to bleed to death.
As mentioned earlier, paramedics did not immediately tend to Mătăsăreanu due to their policy and procedure manual at the time but also due to communications from police. The police radioed for an ambulance, but Mătăsăreanu passed away before the ambulance and EMTs could arrive at the site about seventy minutes later. Jurors heard testimony in a subsequent case against the city and retired policemen John Futrell and James Vojtecky regarding an ambulance team that arrived but departed without Mătăsăreanu after Vojtecky allegedly urged them to “get the (expletive) out of here.” Vojtecky testified that he said something similar during the trial. The ambulance driver stated in court that he thought his presence in the vicinity put him at risk. The plaintiffs centred their case on a particular moment when Futrell cancelled an ambulance call and informed the dispatcher, “I have no officers or citizens down, only a suspect.” The officers testified that they attempted to get the ambulance to return or to acquire another one. Mătăsăreanu was shot 29 times in the legs, according to later sources, and he died from trauma from significant blood loss from two gunshot wounds in his left thigh.
The case was heard in February and March 2000 in the United States District Court; it resulted in a mistrial due to a deadlocked jury.[31] Later, when Mătăsăreanu’s family consented to the action’s dismissal with a waiver of malicious prosecution, the suit was abandoned.
Lack of Training
The LAPD was heavily criticized for their response to the initial robbery. Although frontline officers did an excellent job of recognizing the robbery very early on and getting resources deployed quickly, there were no common tactics being utilized amongst the officers on scene. Essentially, everyone was trying to engage the gunmen in a run and gun situation mostly because no one had been trained for such an incident. There were serious concerns from members of the public on whether or not another real threat like this could be handled by the police. Of course this issue was quickly resolved by the LAPD who both issued fire superiority to their frontline officers and trained them for active shooter situations such as this.
Final Thoughts
The North Hollywood Shooting reverberated far beyond the streets of Los Angeles, sparking a nationwide reevaluation of law enforcement practices. The incident contributed to a broader dialogue about the balance between ensuring public safety and addressing concerns about the militarization of police forces. It prompted collaboration between local, state, and federal agencies, fostering a united front against evolving criminal tactics.
As law enforcement nationwide grapples with the challenges of the modern era, the North Hollywood Shooting stands as a pivotal moment in history—a catalyst for positive change and an ongoing reminder of the need for vigilance, adaptability, and a commitment to the fundamental principles of justice and public safety.
Ben