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Here to tell another great American story is our regular contributor, Ashley Levinsky. Ashley is the former co-host of Discovery Channel's Master of Arms. the former curator in charge of the Cody Firearms Museum. and is the co-founder of the University of Wyoming College of Laws. Firearms Research Center.
Here's Ashley. One of the most infamous bank robberies in American history occurred on February 28th, 1997. And at 10:01 a.m., two armed bank robbers and officers of the Los Angeles Police Department engaged in a shootout where, quite literally, willpower won out over firepower. The North Hollywood shootout is a really interesting case study in a transition of how law enforcement supplies. their officers and how they engage in crime.
So on February 28th at 9:17 a.m., Armed with automatic and semi-automatic weapons. And so, automatic, just for anyone who's not aware, means that every time you press the trigger, the firearm continuously fires until you either release the trigger, the firearm malfunctions, or you run out of ammunition. And a semi-automatic firearm means that every time you press the trigger, it fires one round.
So, these bank robbers had automatic and semi-automatic firearms. They had 3,000 rounds of ammunition and full body armor with them. And their names were Larry Phillips Jr. and a Romanian immigrant, Emil Mataserano. And they entered the Bank of America in North Hollywood, California.
Now, prior to entering, this is kind of a random aside, but the pair had taken phenobarbital. Which was a prescription that Mattiserrano had for seizures, and they took that to calm their nerves when they went into the bank. And before they went in, they synchronized their watch to six minutes. But the robbery actually doesn't go as planned. And it takes them a total of 10 minutes before exiting.
And this is one of those kind of experiences where four minutes really changed everything. Everybody down! The men entered the bank and they, like you hear in all bank robberies, Hollywood or not, they demanded everyone get on the floor and they actually fired their guns into the ceiling to intimidate them and make the people that were in the bank realize that they weren't messing around. And they, one of the things they started doing is they were shooting at the bulletproof vault.
So obviously they were trying to get their money quickly. And once they were successfully in it, they started having the tellers fill their bags with money in the safe. But a kind of big flub in the plan was that there was significantly less cash than they had anticipated. When Mataserano and Phillips were making the plan for this bank robbery, they were under the impression that there would be over $800,000. Yeah.
But what they were surprised to see was that there were only $303,000 available at the time, which is still a lot of money. But if you're expecting $800,000, I guess you're gonna be a little disappointed. And they definitely were because in anger, Mataserano actually emptied a 50-round drum magazine into the vault and destroyed the rest of the money. Maybe they shouldn't have done drugs before they went in, too. That probably didn't help.
So, one thing they tried to do, and this is what delayed them, was they actually attempted to access the ATM, and that's what delays them four minutes. What they're also not aware of was that two officers actually saw them enter the bank with their ski masks, body armor, and firearms, and they had already called for backup. Phillips and Mataserano were actually known to the police before this bank robbery. Phillips was actually a career criminal, and Mattiserano was a Romanian immigrant. And they met at all places, the gym.
Because Mataserano was going through a little bit of a rough time. He was overweight and estranged from his wife and child.
So, I mean, of course, why not go spend your time at the gym? And they met, they started working together, and they became known as the High Incident Bandits. In 1993, they were actually pulled over for speeding, and in their vehicle, officers found two semi-automatic rifles, two pistols, 1,200 rounds of ammunition, smoke bombs, explosives, and body armor. As a result of this find, Phillips and Mattaserano spent 99 and 71 days in jail, respectively.
So they weren't new to this crime life. And prior to the North Hollywood shootout, they had already stolen more than $1.5 million. And of course, reminiscent of a Hollywood film, the North Hollywood shootout was supposed to be their last score. While I can recount the story from a historical perspective, the first officer on the scene was James Zaborovin.
So let's take a listen to the man himself. February 28th, 1997, two months and eight days out of the police academy. I am working with my field training officer, Stuart Guy. And just before 10 a.m. We heard an officer come on the radio that They were traveling southbound on Laurel Canyon Avenue.
and off to his left he saw what he thought was two masked gunmen. Entering the Bank of America, they were already pushing into the door, and as you're driving, They kind of looked at each other and said, Did we just see what we saw?
So they pull into the south parking lot of the bank. And as they do so, they can hear the gunfire inside the bank.
So they change their radio broadcast to. We have a 2-11 or a robbery in progress officer needs help. at the Bank of America on Laurel Canyon south of Kittridge.
So as we were responding code 3, Stewart says grab the shotgun and have it ready.
So I reach under, grab the shotgun, and I ask him, Where do you want me to put this while we're driving? He said, Roll down your window. and point the barrel up towards the sky. as Stewart's running through the red lights and turning one of the corners. There was a uh a group of people and a bus bench.
10 to 15 people are standing there.
So I often think back and go, wow, I wonder what they thought at the time as they see this police car screaming down the street and a shotgun. pointed up into the sky.
So we get to the bank. and we're positioned across the street in this grocery store parking lot. At the same time, there were people coming out of the grocery store, so we were kind of shooing people away and saying, get in your car and go, it's dangerous. Leave. And it was at about that point when Suspect number one, Eugene Phillips.
exited the southern glass doors to the bank. He looks up and he sees at the corner of Archwood and Laurel Canyon Sergeant Dean Haynes and three civilians that are in that intersection looking at the bank. Phillips armed with an AK-47 with an attached. A hundred round drum magazine. shoulders the weapon and begins shooting at Sergeant Haynes and the three civilians that are in the intersection.
And as he does so, I raise up my I have 12 gauge shotgun. and fire two shotgun blasts at Phillips. I hit him with eight of the shotgun pellets.
So those eight pellets just absorbed into his body armor. One actually flew a little bit low and hit him in the tailbone. He immediately spins around looking at our direction, locks eyes with me. He lifts up the AK-47 and begins shooting in our direction. I must have remembered in the back of my head that Detective Angelist and Detective Krulak did not have body armor on.
I crawled up on top of them in an attempt to shield them, since I did have body armor on, from any incoming rifle fire. It was at that time I was hit total of four times. Uh Phillips runs out of ammunition. The drum is now empty, which gave us time to get up from the asphalt. And all four of us ran.
Seconds later, Phillips reloaded and started shooting at us again.
So we're being peppered with asphalt. Shrapnel from the vehicles, glass from the vehicles. You could smell the air. coming out of the inflated tires if you anybody remembers when you've ever pumped up a tire and you can smell that. And you're listening to Ashley Lubinsky and James Zaboravan tell the story of the 1991 North Hollywood shootout.
one of the most infamous bank robberies in American history. And imagine just having been there and noticed two guys walking into this bank with ski masks. But for that, This would have never happened. Those two officers called the 211 in progress. And well.
The rest is history. When we come back, more of this remarkable story, what happened next in the Bank of America in North Hollywood on Kittridge Road? here on Our American Stories. Did you know Microsoft has officially ended support for Windows 10? Upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop.
voted PC Mag's Reader's Choice Top Laptop Brand for 2025. Thin and ultra-lightweight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere, and Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit lgusa.com/slash iHeart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11. PC Mag Reader's Choice used with permission. All rights reserved.
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And we continue with our American stories and with Ashley Lebinsky. and LAPD's James Boravan. telling the story of the infamous North Hollywood shootout. Let's return to the story. The booming and the echoing of the rounds going off, you know, hitting the buildings in the area.
If you didn't know where the gunfire was coming from, it'd be difficult to find it because it just sounded like it was coming from everywhere. And then being hit with Yeah, radiator fluid, which, you know, to this day you smell radiator flu. I smell radiator fluid and it takes me back. It's the third vehicle that we that Detective Krulak and I were hiding behind. Detective Krulak is struck in the ankle.
And he yells out to me, hey, these cars aren't going to provide us enough cover. Can I run? And I said, sure, where do you want to go? He puts his hand on my shoulder and nudges me. Towards the businesses.
So at a full sprint with the shotgun still in my hands. Run through the parking lot with Detective Trulak behind me. And um Almost at that full sprint and the shotgun out in front of me, I jumped through these glass doors.
Well, turns out the glass doors I jump Into Uh is a dentist office.
So Run up the stairs, and I immediately start banging on the door that's there. And I say, Is the doctor there? Is the doctor there? The door opens, and on the other side of the door is Dr. Jorge Montez.
He Starts Picking out the shrapnel and the glass and putting compresses on. You know, there were errant rounds coming through the dentist windows. What I didn't know was As Detective Krulak and I ran through that parking lot into the dentist's office, Uh Suspect Phillips was actually shooting at us. My partner in Detective Angelus actually saw the rounds skipping at our feet. like you would on a cartoon and and the sparks flying off the asphalt.
as we were running. Fortunately, none of those rounds hit us. But at least one of the rounds must have uh struck the doors that I jump through. And shattered them right before I went through because I wasn't cut from any of the glass going through that door.
So it was actually Suspect Phillips Rounds. breaking that or at least spidering the glass before I jump through. And it was shortly after that. where uh Stewart I was struck three times. Detective Angelus, who was you know next to him, could have ran upstairs and eventually got to safety with us But she elected to stay down there in that field of fire.
to keep Stewart company to help prevent him from going into shop. Detective Angelus was hit by shrapnel. And both of them ended up you know, uh at a at hospitals after that. That same unit eventually comes back and is able to rescue Detective Krulak and myself. After uh I was wounded.
and while laying on the ground getting up running from car to car i had fell back on training from the academy. And it's mindset. And One of the last Academy guest speakers, if you will, was a detective Richard Householder. Richard Householder. in November of 1996.
discuss the shooting that he was involved with. working with a partner. They stopped a vehicle that was suspicious. As soon as the officers exited their vehicle, the driver, the suspect, exited. and produced a large caliber handgun and started shooting at the officers.
Detective Householder was hit in the arm, one in the chest in the ballistic vest. and a graze wound to his head. Detective Householder fell to the ground. You didn't get you know, pushed down by the the velocity of the bullets, he just fell to the ground. And That made him angry and inside he said, Why am I on the ground?
You gotta get up and you have to fight. He goes to the rear of his vehicle, redeploys, and they're able to shoot and kill the suspect. And it was actually that. Portion of the academy that I remembered and kept me going after I was shot.
So over the years talking to other officers They're like, we can't believe nobody has written or did a movie on the North Hollywood shootout. There was a TV version and unfortunately it didn't reflect what occurred that day. But I reply, the movie was made before the incident. Right, what are you talking about?
Well, do you remember the movie Heat? Everybody's like, oh yeah, I remember Heat. That was a great movie.
Well, heat came out a few years prior. and basically mimicked what occurred that day and here's why. After All was said and done. You had us, the FBI, sheriffs, LA County Sheriff's Department conducted several search warrants over the next few weeks. at residences tied to the two suspects.
In one of the houses, I believe it was in Hacienda Heights, California. Not much anything in there, but there was a TV and a VCR.
Well, one of the agents. Powered on the VCR. and out popped the movie heat.
So The training that both of those suspects received wasn't formal, they weren't in the military, but they watched the movie Heat to learn the tactics.
So that's how good Heat was. And if you, for those of you who've never seen it, It's a good watch. And if you look at the tactics employed by the suspects and the police in that movie, We're pretty close. to real life, and that's what they did.
Okay. Incredible. I gotta tell you, I am watching this, and I still can't believe. The LAPD ultimately engaged in this for about 17 minutes of heavy gunfire and the robbers basically win the first round while the officers are awaiting air units and SWAT teams to show up. And it gets so bad that the LAPD has to go to a local gun shop known as BNB Sales in the middle of the shootout in order to acquire better weapons to fight Phillips and Mataserano.
At 9:52 a.m., the men split up. Phillips takes cover behind a truck and continues to fire his rifle at the police until it malfunctions, after which he switches to his handgun. And the officers manage to shoot Phillips in the hand, basically, kind of incapacitating him. And once he realizes that he's not going to make this out of it, Phillips actually turns the gun on himself and kills himself. Mattaserrano though.
Tries to hijack a Jeep. And this is an interesting kind of moment because you've got this kind of really scary bank robber, and he's coming at a civilian's Jeep, and he hijacks the Jeep. But the guy who had the car managed to pull the keys out of the car before Mataserano got in.
So he couldn't go anywhere.
So he took cover behind the car, and SWAT members started shooting below the car. They thought that they could access a weak point by shooting at his legs. And in total, Madaserano was shot 29 times in the leg. And at this point, officers didn't know whether or not there were any other accomplices. I mean, obviously, there were two men that came out of the bank, but there were rumors that there could have been a third shooter.
And so, since they didn't know if the situation was secure, they couldn't let the ambulance come into the space. They had to continue to secure the scene.
So, what ends up happening is. Monteserano has to basically lay there for 70 minutes as it took the ambulance time to get into the scene, and he succumbs to his injuries. He bleeds to death. But he. Doesn't stop screaming profanities at the officers for a lot of that.
In this shootout, it's interesting because it does almost sound reminiscent of a movie, and it's ironic that it takes place in North Hollywood, but it is a real turning point. Um LAPD history, and really police history across the country. And when you think about it, this is a one-hour period with 2,000 rounds being fired. Fortunately, other than the robbers, there were no fatalities, but there were many injured. And about a year after the event, 19 officers who were involved in the North Hollywood shootout received Medals of Valor for their involvement.
And the LAPD, and actually the Pentagon, realizes that. They need more firepower in these situations. And so they ultimately issue the LAPD 600 M16s. And if you're not familiar with an M16, that is a military firearm. It's a selective fire gun, meaning it can switch between semi-automatic and automatic that fires an intermediate cartridge.
So now instead of a slide-action shotgun and revolvers, they're now equipped with similar firepower to what the bank robbers had in order to level the playing field. And a terrific job on the editing, production, and storytelling by our own Greg Hengler. A special thanks to Ashley Lebinsky and James Aboravan. And my goodness, what a story they told. And isn't it interesting that though the cops got their training at the police academy, the robbers got their training from the movie Heat?
And, well, you can't make that one up. And it changed police history. Because in the end, the cops need to be armed with similar types of weapons. and it turned out that would be M16s to combat the ever escalating nature of firepower. on the criminal side.
And by the way, if you haven't seen the movie Heat, see it. It's just terrific. Pacino and Janniro in a movie, in a scene together, the only time it ever happened in both actors' lives. The story behind the story of the infamous North Hollywood Bank of America shootout and bank robbery. Here on Our American Stories.
Did you know Microsoft has officially ended support for Windows 10? Upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop. Voted PC Mag's Reader's Choice Top Laptop brand for 2025. Thin and ultra lightweight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere, and Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit lgusa.com/slash iHeart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11.
PC Mag Reader's Choice used with permission. All rights reserved. This is Julian Edelman from Dudes on Dudes with Gronkin' Jewels. Sunday mornings, I've got my game day ritual. Coffee.
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Janice Torres here. And I'm Austin Hankwitz. We host the podcast, Mind the Business Small Business Success Stories, produced by Ruby Studio in partnership with Intuit QuickBooks. We're back for season four to talk to some incredible small business owners. The big thing about working at tech is that it's ever-evolving, ever-changing.
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