The North Hollywood Shootout

Critiqued & Expounded By CyberwryterCJ         Feb 28, 2007

Critical Situation Series Producer: Bill Katz
North Hollywood Shootout Segment:
Produced & Directed by Jim Nally

The first thing that shattered my thoughts as the carnage unfolded before my eyes was,
“If ONLY I could clone these guys! I could take over the world!!!” ~ CJ Davidson

It was Feb 28, 1997, I sat desolate on Rose Avenue, somewhere between the rock and the Red Rocket; there occurred a nasty incident here in Los Angeles. As I sat in my chair, very well impoverished, I witness on LIVE television one of the most audacious events in Los Angeles or even U.S. Law Enforcement Crime history. Right down the road from me, I watched in awe as Larry Phillips, Jr. and Emil Matasareanu, aka The High Incident Bandits, literally brought the Los Angeles Police Department to their knees.

I clutched the tube within the television case and pressed my tiny pupils into the flickering electrons to get a closer look. I was struck at how Butch and Sundance were absolutely reincarnated as Larry Phillips, Jr. and Emil Matasareanu. However, Phillips and Matasareanu had committed murder whilst on an earlier robbery in 1995, killing a bank guard and were therefore doomed. Too bad. Folk hero status is reserved only for those who respect life.

Ten yeas later, I would have never thought I would still be around to reflect upon that horrible day, much less analyze, break down and write about it. But as I channel surfed here in 2k7, ten years to the date, I found myself in flashback, but only in much more and vivid detail. As National Geographic’s new series rolled out before me, I was privy to emotionally regurgitate one of the most dubious anniversaries cursed upon urban law enforcement. It was Critical’ Situation’s weekly focus upon life-threatening debacles such as the Apollo 13 tragedy, another excellent segment.
            But this is North Hollywood and this is my hood…
Debuting on the Bank of America Robbery Anniversary in February, Critical Situation (CS) EXPLODES with the actors playing the criminal roles (silently but ever so effectively), complete with AUTHENTIC news footage. The knockout blows occur with the OUTSTANDING and often gut wrenching eye-witness testimonials of the brutal happenings of that traumatic day.
 Breaking down weapons, moments and events, CS begins with the general post-Rodney King Era circa those happening moments after South Central rose up and marched on Beverly Hills, during which CS breezes over the ease of how ordinary citizens may purchase automated weapons and unlimited ammo, while gently reminding us how the LAPD was truly powerless to stop an angry mass with vengeance in it’s heart.
Profiling the bandits, we learn they netted about 2 million dollars within the last 2 years of robberies, committing at least three. On this day, The Bank of America on 6600Laurel Canyon Blvd. would be their next target. At Twenty-six Larry Phillips is the leader and sociopath along with 30 year old Emil Matasareanu, described as a 300 pound unemployed epileptic stooge of Phillips.
 Their weapons are too broken down into deadly detail using excellent CGI graphics that demonstrate the devastating power of their Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifles in transparent view, and can spray 600 rounds per minute at a range of five-thousand feet. Topping this off, Phillips has acquired 100 round drum magazines filled with ten-thousand rounds of illegal, steel-tipped -armor piercing rounds. These armor piercing rounds slice cleanly through ‘bullet-proof” police cars…and not-so cleanly through “non-bullet-proof” people.
 “Calmed” by Phenobarbital, the Bandits have surveyed police scanners and estimate a police ambush anytime near or after eight minutes.
LAPD rookie Sgt James Zboravan states what a regular day he was expecting and how bright his police career was to be. The actor who portrays him gears up and with sharp contrast to his HIB counterparts, his weapon, 9mm Beretta 92f is analyzed. Sweet CGI gives us the breakdown of standard LAPD issue. We also see the puny police issue Kevlar vest he suits up with, in DEEP contrast to the HIB.
John Villagrana, former B of A assistant manager, recollects how it was to him as well just another day, when the High Incident Bandits strolled in from Laurel Canyon Blvd.  As they enter the bank a police cruiser spots them and radio’s for backup:
“73-43 requesting assistance. We have a possible 211 in progress at the Bank of America.”
The bandits start shooting the moment they enter, causing panic and submission.
The LAPD, however are shocked at the intensity and velocity of the gunfire and Officer Ed Bretlinger states that a “Civilian massacre” was in progress and radioed to expect “heavy casualties” and to send surplus paramedics and takes up position in the north lot:
“This was completely automatic, man! I mean they were just blasting away” Bretlinger states. “They were quite viscous. These guys didn’t care at all about human life. They would approach a bank guard and blast him. There were DEFINITELY more bullets fired than people in the bank”
Officer Martin Whitfield parks at Laurel Canyon and Archwood, as his fiancée Kim Coleman listens over the police scanner. She just happens to be training as a police radio dispatcher and hears his deployment.
“I clinched and stood still.” Coleman recollects. “I was on edge waiting to hear his next words.”
Beside him is LAPD’s Sgt. Dean Hanes. Reminiscent of vintage Tarrantino, the unsuspecting civilians stroll by, eating their Ben & Jerry’s flavor of the month, just WAITING to be shot in the crossfire. They are flagged down by Hayes to hide behind the Police vehicle, but they are too close for comfort and they all know it.
Civilian victim, Tracy Fisher states, “Oh, my God! We are not in a good place!”
Meanwhile, Sgt James Zboravan and his partner Stuart Guy park in directly front of the bank, behind a kiosk, 150 feet away. Zboravan holds an Ithaca 12 bore pump-action shotgun, spreading concentrated buckshot at about 1000 feet, twice as far as the 2 undercover officers with their 9mm Beretta’s. They stand in wait behind the kiosk for the bandits.
“We’re set and ready to go. The bank is surrounded.” Zboravan reflects. “They drop their weapons, put their hands up and they give up.”
Phillips grabs Villagrana and walks him to the vault.  Tears well up in his eyes as he describes the weaponry and threats. Only a mere three-hundred thousand is found a fraction of the duo’s projected score. But the Armored car with the day’s cash varies and has not arrived. His testimonial seems the most ominous as he describes Phillips placing the nozzle of the AK-47 into the back of his neck…
“I thought this was it.” He says now with a smile. “This can’t be it. It can’t be. It’s too soon. I didn’t even get to say ‘Good-bye’ to my daughter. I didn’t.”
The problem is they were already spotted by police before they even entered. But once inside, the bandits were most discouraged when they find the bank did not receive it’s cash drop yet. Manager Villagrana is horrified as Phillips discharges fifty rounds in the vault in anger and without casualty, but to the LAPD waiting, gathering outside the bank, there is mass hysteria throughout and without the B of A.
As their time expires, they leave the bank and walk into the police ambush. Phillip’s exits the North exit and Matasareanu leaves by the south, and are greeted by a slew of LAPD’s finest with simple 9mm handguns and ONE (1) shotgun, The new twist here is that the HIB are ready and whole situation turns Tony Scott with MAXIMUM velocity. The High Incident Bandits are ABSOLUTELY surrounded, and apparently trapped…or so it seems.
Impressively, and briefly, CS takes us into Phillips’ persona and psychological background, giving us a glimpse brief glimpse of his troubled background as a youth and his early clashes with the law. His vengeance unloads back upon the cops who stare him in the face, ready for the final showdown. The HIB opened fire with sheer overwhelming firepower, pinning down the LAPD and civilians behind cars or whatever they can find in the mass confusion.
Tracy Fisher states, “The rounds firing at us, for forty-five minutes. They burned right through our clothes. It was like war zone had come to our neighborhood.”
CS walks us through from the moment Phillips and Matasareanu began firing to the end using effective digital graphics to demonstrate the ferocity of the battle. A bullet exiting Matasareanu AK-47 is tracked sweetly from his barrel, piercing through the police car and into civilian Michael Horn’s side and another onto Ms. Fisher’s leg, both hiding on the other side. Cool CGI shows the bullet shattering her shinbone and the endorphins getting on her nerves.
CS also gives us an excellent look at the ammo used by the HIB. Explaining that Phillips had “combed the world” for about “ten-thousand”, illegal steel-plated, armor piercing rounds in hopes of defeating the inevitable police ambush. It appears to have worked.
Blaring over the police radio is unit L10: “We are all pinned down by automatic gunfire.”
LAPD Officer Ed Brentlinger describes how “…for every single shot we sent we got back fifty armor piercing rounds. It was like shooting slingshots at them. It just wasn’t fair.”
As Matasareanu climbs into the Chevy for their “not-so-clean” get away, CS introduces us to vividly new wrinkle in law enforcement: Bank Robbers who don’t run away and stay to shoot at the cops. Phillips’ psychological profile focuses briefly on his teen delinquency and criminal rap sheet and how pissed-off he is at ANY authority, whatsoever.
Officer Brentlinger tells, “At THAT moment, with all of us pinned down, they both could have slipped away, easily this was the first in Law Enforcement history. I mean, to have a shoot-out of that magnitude was simply unprecedented.”
            The first police casualty is Sgt. Dean Hanes. His recorded words were:
“I’ve been hit! Officer down at the builder’s emporium.” His actual word blared over the scanner.
At the Police control center, still in training, PSR Guadalupe De LA Cruz heroically coordinates the rescue of the wounded police officers.
“Having a police officer down is the WORST thing you could hear over the radio.” She laments. “Every other message was ‘officer down.’”
An attempt to bring down Phillips is made by ace marksman, Sgt James Zboravan and his 12 gauge, but Phillips spent the last several weeks sewing together Arimid body armor, covering him head to toe, reinforced with a metal plate in front of body organs totaling about forty pounds or five bowling balls.
The buckshot bounces off Phillips as he spins around to reap his vengeance.
“He spun around, locked onto our position and for a split-second we looked into each other’s eyes…” Zboravan illustrates with hand gestures. “…he raised his Ak-47 and began spraying fully automatic gunfire into the kiosk.”
Zboravan and two detectives take cover as Phillips shreds the kiosk with steel plated bullets. A round penetrates Zboravan’s tiny Kevlar, vest, lower back. Another enters his side and exits through his leg. He screams in agony while trying to cover the unprotected detectives.
“It’s a very very intense burning sensation. I was on fire.” Zboravan tells us as the scene explodes upon the screen with dramatic CGI and tiny models. SWAT is called, but will take them about 15 to 20 minutes to arrive, leaving the lightly-armed cops to fend for themselves.
Now, the word on the street, long before this series, was that the cops didn’t wait. “Fuck SWAT!” thought most officers pinned helplessly by the bandits. Some desperate cops found local gun shops, seized M16A1 semi-automatics and hurried back to the fight. Some tried to get a headshot in, but they dare not exude any profile what-so-ever.
 PSR Guadalupe De LA Cruz reflected with anxiety, “Every other call was officers going down. I was scared to hear them scared. That’s not the way it was suppose to happen,”
Kim Coleman, fiancée of LAPD’s Martin Whitfield, listens in horror to the opening shots as her honey receives them. She is powerless and aghast as emotions overwhelm her. The turn of events catapult her into near hysteria as Officer Whitfield is shot once, twice, thrice and falls as she listens in disbelief.
“I SCREAMED SO LOUD.” She recollects. “All I heard was he was shot. It could have been his last words.”
Meanwhile, Officer Zboravan lie wounded, bleeding profusely, waiting for paramedics.
“Just because I was shot doesn’t mean I was going die. I’m not gonna lie there. I’m gonna get outta here.” He said before he made a dash with his fellow detectives through the front store window of a dental office and clear of the raging fire behind, a brave and strong man, indeed.
Overhead, the news chopper shows Michael Horn lie bleeding in the parking lot from the stomach wound with fellow civilian Tracy Fisher, trying to get him to calm and quiet his moaning.
“If I die, I just don’t want to feel it. I don’t want to know about it.” Fisher recalls.
It is when the news crews arrive that the ACTUAL footage of the shootout is re-documented and re-horrified before our eyes, as the six police officers and two civilians lie bleeding in the NoHo streets. CS does wonders at splicing the authentic footage SEEMLESSLY with the staged footage so well, it appears to be one. Pandemonium and mass hysteria are rampant throughout, as residents, police, and news crews scatter for cover from the ricocheting slugs of Phillips and Matasareanu.
Officer Whitfield is shot again in the right femur as De La Cruz talks him thru consciousness. “I wasn’t going to let him die.”
            Finally, SWAT arrives as the bank’s armored car pulls up. SWAT commandeers it and rescues the wounded in multiple acts of heroism, through massive automatic fire. Time and space prevent the endless descriptions of utmost bravery displayed in both SWAT and the LAPD in securing the wounded…barely the nick of time to save ALL the wounded. Absolutely commendable!
SWAT veteran Don Anderson recalls in horror, “These guys had total disregard for human life. When you fire that many rounds they gotta land somewhere.”
As SWAT rolls its sleeves, the bandits finally begin their retreat down Archwood.  They split up after the cops shoot out the tires. Phillips reloads behind a tractor trailer full of contraceptives, but out of police and news view. He sees Officer Brentlinger and starts firing. Brentlinger slams one into Phillip’s left palm. At that moment, Phillips' AK-47 gets a “stove-pipe” jam (shell casing stuck in the ejector). With his wounded hand, Phillips is unable to clear the jam and so drops the rifle, pulls out his Beretta and fires.
Officer Brentlinger recalls with a smile, “Now we’re even, buddy.”
Phillips blasts away until he realizes the game is over and blows his own brains out on the Tele. I saw it happen live ten years ago and I’ll never forget it. His body fell into a lifeless heap of Arimid, motionless and gone. I wasn’t so sad for the bad guy as much as I was robbed of more eye-candy. In fact, Phillips and Matasareanu were the only deaths. Massive and extensive surgeries saved Officer’s Whitfield, Zboravan, Hanes, along with civilians Fisher and Horn.
Matasareanu, cruises alone, hops out of the car and has a point blank, in your face automatic fire-fest over the car hoods, shattering front and back windshields…and home windows behind. This “Police Files” type blast-out persists with savage angst until SWAT's Don Anderson cleverly takes him down by shooting many holes into his shins from under the cars. The anti-climactic moment(s) occurs at the ends as the LAPD stands nonchalantly and watch Matasareanu slowly bleed to death.
Matatasareanu’s family attempted suing the LAPD for letting the bugger bleed to death, but failed. The LAPD countered that all emergency vehicles and personnel are prohibited within one hour of the hot zone from entering. But is as clear, on this battlefield, as it was on so many arenas of violence and revenge where no quarter is given and no prisoners are taken. And as the last casualty, Matasareanu’s life’s blood quietly emptied onto that shattered NoHo Street, as LAPD stood indifferently watching him die, whispering…
        “Good-bye, asshole. It’s been real.”
            Without shedding a tear for the murderers, it is here we see that Los Angeles law enforcement can be EQUALLY as cold-blooded as their opponents. To buttress this fact, we could ask any of the Rampart gang victims shot execution style by LAPD bad apples…but those kids are dead. After witnessing some of the worst urban warfare known to modern industrial nations, I’m not entirely sure death squads are totally out of the question. But that could be fodder for another discussion.
            In the end, this all wasn’t about cloning these two outlaws , cultivating and harvesting  an ARMY of HIB’s that would overthrow the corrupt governments of the world, or even digging up their putrid corpses for cellular analysis in case of a wicked genetic breakthrough. No!! No!! Not at all!
            It was about striking the BALANCE between Law Enforcement FIREPOWER and the common citizen’s right to bear arms. How many and who gets what?? And of course this would lead us to the inevitable Gun Control debate, thrusting upon us neighborhood fatality stats, police injuries, civilian deaths, etc, the list goes on and on.  But in the end, it all boils down to ONE question:
            “Can’t we all just get along???”

With UTMOST Sincerity
CyberWryterCJ

PS Thank you thank you National Geographic Channel for giving us SOMETHING more than Aborigine nose javelins and zebras fucking in the Congo! Thank you thank you! Critical Situation left no turn unstoned when it came to vivid accounts and excellent dramatization. The producers have my rave review