The Most Violent Bank Robbery in U.S. History | Forensic Files

As Casefile continues into its 10th year, we're currently taking a very short break from new episodes.
Brand new cases will be returning on May 23rd for premium subscribers and May 30th for the regular feed.
But, in the meantime, we're continuing our special bonus series Casefile Archives, a collection of releases
revisiting the earliest years of the show along with previously unreleased premium episodes.
Rest assured that these are additional bonus releases and will not replace our standard schedule. We will still be
delivering the same number of new episodes this year as we did last year. Casefile Archives is simply a way to
mark the 10th year, revisit some older episodes, and share stories that newer listeners may not have heard before.
For the re-released episodes, we fully edited, polished, re-recorded, and freshly produced them from start to
finish to match our current production standards. They are not complete rewrites. Our aim isn't to reshape the
cases or alter the original storytelling, but to preserve them as they were first told while bringing them
up to the level of production the show has today. Where appropriate, updates have been
added, but the core structure remains faithful to the originals. Because of this, these episodes may
sound a little different to our recent work. Today's re-release is the North Hollywood Shootout, originally aired as
Case 18 on May 8th, 2016. I still remember sitting on the floor of my childhood lounge room glued to the TV
as footage of this shootout played on the evening news. Even in the days before the 24-hour news
cycle, social media, and the kind of instant global coverage we see today, it was major news here on the other side of
the world, and those images are still burned into my mind nearly 30 years later.
Now, here is Case 18 from Casefile Archives, the North Hollywood Shootout. Our episodes deal with serious and often
distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis center. For
suggested phone numbers for confidential support, and for a more detailed list of
content warnings, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website.
Casefile would like to acknowledge northhollywoodshootout.net, a website dedicated exclusively to this
case, which offers the most comprehensive and factual account you will find online.
This episode could not have been created without the use of that resource. If you would like to know more, check
out northhollywoodshootout.net for images, timelines, original newspaper articles, detailed analyses,
and much more. February 28th, 1997 was a regular Friday for Los Angeles Police Officers Loren
Farrell and Martin Perello as they made their way down Laurel Canyon Boulevard in North Hollywood.
But, as they drove their patrol car past the Bank of America branch at the intersection of Laurel Canyon Boulevard
and Archwood Street, they noticed something out of the ordinary. Two large figures were entering the
bank. Both were dressed in black and wearing ski masks. Most alarmingly, both were carrying automatic rifles.
>> 50 A 14, requesting assistance. We have a possible 211 in progress It's a Bank
of America. Eagle 1 copy. Located in Laurel Canyon and Kittridge. We have shots fired.
>> 39 shows responding code three. >> All units, officer needs help at the Bank of America, Laurel Canyon north of
Kittridge. Officer needs help. Bank of America, Laurel Canyon north of Kittridge.
>> Before we get to the bank, we go back to 1967. Larry Phillips Senior was just 1 year
out of high school when he was sent to jail for what some reports claim to be grave desecration.
He was apparently involved in a drunken prank where he tried to dig up a grave and remove the head of a corpse.
Larry Senior was paroled in January 1968, but just 3 months later, he was sent back to jail for robbing a gas
station. He spent 3 months behind bars before being transferred to a state-run psychiatric facility in Colorado.
The reason for his transfer is unknown, but 10 months later, on April 18, 1969, Larry Senior escaped.
A warrant was immediately issued for his arrest, but in the meantime, he picked up his girlfriend, Dorothy Clay, who
reportedly had a criminal record of her own and had also spent time in jail. The couple went on the run using
numerous aliases to successfully avoid detection for the next few years. Very little is known about what happened
to them during this time, but at some point, Larry Phillips Senior and Dorothy Clay made their way to California.
And it was at the California Hospital in Los Angeles on September 20, 1970, that
Larry Phillips Jr. was born. However, it would be many years until he would be known by this name.
Given that his parents were still on the run, they used fake names and addresses
when registering Larry Jr.'s birth, listing him on his birth certificate as Larry Eugene Warfel. Warfel.
By September 22, 1976, Dorothy and Larry Jr. were living in a small town near Denver, Colorado.
Although Larry Sr. was no longer living with them, he came over to celebrate Larry Jr.'s sixth birthday.
Shortly after he arrived, seven FBI agents stormed through the house and placed him under arrest.
It's unknown who tipped them off, but he was sent back to jail to serve the rest
of his sentence for the gas station robbery after 7 years on the run. No doubt, that was an experience Larry
Jr. would not forget. In the years that followed, Larry Phillips Sr. and Dorothy Clay divorced.
But during his sporadic visits with his son, Larry Sr. passed on his anti-police
and anti-establishment views. By 1986, Dorothy decided to move to Los Angeles. 16-year-old Larry Jr. went with her,
having already quit high school in the ninth grade. He had developed a love of bodybuilding,
and as soon as he got to California, he bought a 5-year membership to the world-famous Gold's Gym at Venice Beach.
Like so many before him, Larry Jr. had plans to make it big. He wanted to be the next Donald
Schwarzenegger. Gold's Gym was a 2-hour trip from where Larry Jr. was living, but he remained
committed. It was only after a few years that he realized he wasn't going to make it as a
professional bodybuilder, and he let his gym membership expire. Looking for other avenues to find his
fortune, in 1990, Larry Jr. looked to cash in on Los Angeles' booming property market.
To receive his real estate license, he had to undergo a background check. He provided a fingerprint, which
revealed his first and only arrest in 1989 for shoplifting $400 worth of clothes.
With his bodybuilding dream shattered and his chance at real estate success taken away due to his criminal record,
Larry Jr. became down and out. Instead of taking responsibility for his own actions, he blamed everybody else
and started to resent society and its rules. Larry Jr. moved back to Denver with his
high school sweetheart turned wife, Sharon, and their two children. Determined to strike it rich, Larry came
up with a new plan. In 1992, he contacted local real estate agents pretending to be a prospective
buyer. When the agents took him to inspect a house, he watched as they accessed the
lockbox which contained the keys to the house, and he memorized the combination.
Using a fake name, Larry then placed ads in the local paper claiming to have several rental properties available.
He took prospective tenants to inspect the properties, claiming they had just been sold and that the new owners wanted
to rent them out as soon as possible. Larry would then accept a down payments for rent and security deposits.
The scam didn't last long. Larry Phillips Jr. was soon arrested, but released pending a sentencing
hearing in which he faced a possible 2 years in Denver County Jail whilst also participating in a work release program.
In the lead-up to the hearing, Larry walked out on Sharon and their two kids, and they never saw him again.
When the day of his sentencing hearing came on March 26, 1993, Larry was nowhere to be seen.
A warrant for his arrest was issued immediately, but like his father before him, it appeared that Larry Jr. had gone
on the run. Back in 1989, while working out at Gold's Gym in Venice Beach, Larry
Phillips Jr. had made a friend. Born on July 19, 1966, Emil Matasareanu was a Romanian
immigrant who had moved to the USA at the age of 11. While he was the victim of bullying
during his years at Pasadena High School, Emil went on to complete a 3-year electronics engineering degree at
university. He opened his own computer business in 1988, but it failed to get off the
ground. He got married and had a son, but the marriage didn't last either. Emil and Larry Jr. had bonded over their
shared interest in bodybuilding. Emil was also passionate about firearms. After Larry fled from his charges in
Colorado, he returned to Los Angeles and hooked back up with his buddy. Both fresh off their failed endeavors,
they started discussing ways they could make it rich. Or maybe it would be more accurate to
say that Larry tried to work out how Emil could help make him rich. Larry had big dreams of living an
extravagant lifestyle. He sometimes drove to affluent neighborhoods and parked outside of
houses he liked to picture himself living in. He didn't bring anyone into his inner
circle unless he thought he could use them to his advantage. He was the type who tried to break
others down just so he could build them back up and to then control them. Larry was the manipulator, while Emil
was more the follower. He did whatever Larry wanted. On July 20, 1993, the pair successfully
committed their first robbery, ambushing an armored car outside a branch of First
Bank in Littleton, Colorado. The police were unable to identify any suspects, and the pair got away with it.
3 months later, on October 29, 1993, Larry and Emil were driving through Glendale, California, when they were
pulled over by Sergeant Ian Grimes. Larry was driving, and Emil was in the front passenger seat.
When questioned, Larry said he had left his license at home, and he gave a false
name. Sergeant Grimes then asked whose car it was, to which Emil replied, "It was
Larry's mother's car." Sergeant Grimes had already done a check, and he knew the car was actually
an airport rental. He asked Larry to step out of the vehicle and then patted him down,
finding a Glock pistol with an extended 33-round magazine. A loud thud then came from inside the
car. It was the sound of Emil dropping his own pistol underneath the passenger seat.
Sergeant Grimes called for assistance and covered Larry and Emil until backup arrived.
A subsequent search of the car uncovered a semi-automatic rifle and a Springfield
pistol belonging to Larry, as well as a semi-automatic rifle and a Colt pistol belonging to Emil.
Police also found 1,649 rounds of 39-mm ammo, 967 rounds of 9-mm ammo, 357 rounds of .45 ammo,
six smoke bombs, two improvised explosive devices, one gas mask, two sets of body armor, two police scanners,
sunglasses, gloves, wigs, ski masks, and a stopwatch. Two spray cans of hair color,
three different sets of Californian license plates, and $1,620 in cash. The police were convinced they had just
stopped a bank robbery from happening. And given what was to come, they were quite obviously right.
Larry Phillips Jr. and Emil Matasareanu were taken to the Glendale Police Station where they were both charged
with conspiracy to commit robbery and unlawful weapons activity. Larry was also charged with grand theft
auto, carrying a loaded concealed firearm, and felony perjury, while Emil was charged with carrying a loaded
firearm in a vehicle. At their preliminary hearing, the grand theft auto and the perjury charges
against Larry were dropped, but the two men still faced 8 years jail on the remaining charges.
The problem was neither Larry nor Emil said a word, and the police had no other information to go on.
Despite the arsenal and disguises they were found with, it was difficult to prove they were going to commit a
robbery. At their arraignment, Larry and Emil claimed the disguises were for an upcoming Halloween party.
As for the weapons and ammo, they said they were headed to a shooting range. In exchange for early guilty pleas, the
district attorney dropped the conspiracy to commit robbery charges and allowed Larry and Emil to plead to much lesser
offenses. On December 27, 1993, Larry was sentenced to 99 days in jail, while Emil
was sentenced to 71 days, and both were given 3 years probation. Both men were released immediately due
to time already served. Larry was still wanted in Denver on the rental property scam, but for unknown
reasons, Denver authorities didn't pursue him. Without being extradited back to Colorado to face punishment, he was
essentially a free man. Just under a year and a half after Larry Phillips, Jr. and Emil Matasareanu were
released, on June 14, 1995, a 52-year-old security guard named Herman Cook was doing his rounds as an
armored car guard for a cash handling company called Brinks. It was Herman's job to drop off and pick
up cash for various banks. At around 12:25 p.m., he had just made a drop-off at the Bank of America branch
on Roscoe Boulevard in the quiet Los Angeles neighborhood of Winnetka. Herman was walking back to the armored
car with an empty money bag when gunshots suddenly rang out. Larry Phillips, Jr. and Emil Matasareanu
were firing high-powered rifles from behind a wall in an adjacent parking lot. Herman was shot multiple times.
He staggered to the front of the car and collapsed. Herman's partner, Felipe Cortez, was in
the armored car at the time. Emil opened fire on the vehicle while Larry made the approach.
Felipe managed to take out his own firearm and shoot one of the offenders, but they only staggered, indicating they
were wearing body armor. Larry reached into the car and grabbed a bag of money. The two men then escaped, making off
with around $122,000. Felipe was shot in the attack, but survived. Herman wasn't so lucky.
He died from the gunshot wounds. After that, Larry and Emil decided to change tactics.
10 and 1/2 months later, at 10:00 a.m. on May 2, 1996, they burst through the doors of the Bank
of America branch on Woodman Avenue in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Van Nuys.
Both armed with automatic rifles, they yelled at everyone in the bank to get on the [ __ ] floor.
Emil then started shooting through the armored teller door. Due to the type of weapon and caliber of
bullet, the door opened easily. Emil forced the manager to open the vault and then started filling up a
large bag with cash. Larry remained in the main area of the bank, keeping an eye on the customers
and other staff members. In just 6 minutes, they managed to get away with $755,000.
29 days later, at 10:00 a.m. on May 31, 1996, Larry and Emil burst through the doors
of the Bank of America on Roscoe Boulevard in Winnetka. It was the same branch they had targeted
almost a year earlier when killing Brink's security guard Herman Cook. Again, the two men yelled at everybody
to get down. Emil shot his way through the teller door, striking two bank employees with
ricochets in the process. Emil grabbed the manager, forced her to open the vault, and screamed at her to
fill up his bag. When he saw how much money was in the vault, he became agitated.
"Where's the rest of it?" he screamed, before threatening to kill the manager. Emil was expecting a much larger amount.
He and Larry had done surveillance on the bank and saw what they thought to be a cash delivery from an armored car.
But, what they had actually seen was a cash pickup. Despite being disappointed in the haul,
they still managed to escape with over $794,000, though there were several marked bills
amongst it. The two employees who were struck by ricochets survived. Emil and Larry got lucky that day.
One of the tellers had managed to hit the silent alarm before diving under the floor, but the police were thin on the
ground, and it took them much longer than usual to respond to the alarm. Larry and Emil had been in the bank for
close to 8 minutes. On a typical day, the police would have been able to respond within this time
frame, and it was likely they would have been caught. The police had no suspects for the
robbery at the time, but they did give the unknown criminals a title, the High Incident Bandits.
It would be 9 months before they struck again. Branch 384 of the Bank of America is
located at 6600 Laurel Canyon Boulevard in North Hollywood. Larry and Emil had studied the bank
closely. They learned its layout, observed Ammco drop-offs and pickups, and carefully
formulated a plan. At around 9:15 on the morning of Friday, February 28th, 1997,
Emil drove a white 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity sedan with blackened out windows into the northern parking lot of
the bank via Archwood Street. The pair weren't mucking around. To protect himself, Larry wore Kevlar
body armor vest, a groin protector, and makeshift armor for his shins, thighs, and forearms that he'd crafted out of
additional vests. All up, the body armor weighed around 43 lb or 20 kg. Larry also wore a load-bearing vest that
contained ammunition pouches, as well as a belt that contained several canteen pouches filled with ammunition drums for
the automatic rifles. He also carried a pistol in a shoulder holster. Over his armor, Larry was dressed in
long black pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and black jacket. He wore black gloves with a watch face
glued to the back of the left one. Emil was similarly dressed, right down to the glued-on watch face on the back
of his glove. However, he wasn't wearing quite as much body armor as Larry, with his legs and
arms unprotected. Given their shared interest in bodybuilding, both men were largely
built. As if they didn't already look intimidating enough, they topped things off by wearing black ski masks.
Between the pair, they had three AK-47 style fully automatic assault rifles with 100-round ammo drums, as well as
two other assault rifles which had been illegally modified to fire fully automatic.
Two 9 mm handguns, a .38 caliber revolver, close to 3,000 rounds of ammo, including armor-piercing rounds.
These were weapons that were designed for war. By listening to police radios, Larry and
Emil had learned that the average response time for police was 8 minutes. At 9:17 a.m., they set their watches for
8 minutes and made their move. The northern doorway to the bank was about 32 ft from where the men had
parked. They each grabbed an AK-47 and a handgun, leaving the other assault rifles in the Chevrolet along with a
police radio, and ran for the door. At that very moment, a Los Angeles Police Department patrol vehicle
occupied by officers Lauren Farrell and Martin Perello was driving down Laurel Canyon Boulevard on a routine patrol.
By pure luck, the officers were in the right place at the right time, or the wrong place at the wrong time, depending
on which way you look at it. After seeing Larry and Emil, the officers swung the police car into the
southern parking lot of the Bank of America and took up positions behind their patrol car.
Officer Farrell then made the first broadcast. >> Security 40, requesting assistance. We
have a possible 211 in progress at the Bank of America. >> Bank of America? >> Laurel Canyon and Laurel Canyon and
Kittridge, we have shots fired. >> 39 show responding code 3. >> All units, officer needs help at the
Bank of America, Laurel Canyon north of Kittridge. Officer needs help, Bank of America, Laurel Canyon north of
Kittridge. >> At the northern entrance of the bank was a foyer containing three ATMs.
A customer was using one of the ATMs when he felt somebody approach him from behind.
Turning around, he got quite the shock when he saw Larry and Emil. Larry ordered,
"Okay, [ __ ] Let's go." Not about to argue, the customer did as he was told and walked into the bank
with the two men. Upon their entrance, Emil started firing his into the roof yelling,
"Everyone down. This is a [ __ ] hold up." Larry declared. "Everyone down, motherfuckers."
There were about 30 customers in the bank at the time, including five of whom were in the safety deposit box room.
Everybody complied, although one of the tellers was able to hit the hold up alarm before diving to the floor.
>> Cashiers, open the vault. Open the >> Oh. >> Two people are leaving the bank. Do not
approach the bank. >> The suspects are inside of the bank. It's a 211 in progress inside of the
Bank of America, located lower Kitchen Road. Lower Kitchen Road, north of Kittridge. Suspects are inside of the
bank. >> Like in the previous bank robberies, Emil approached the teller door and shot
his way through it. The door was bullet resistant and designed to stop any pistol round, but
it was no match for Emil's high-powered automatic assault rifle. Once he got through the door, Emil
yelled, "Get the money or we will kill you." Joe Villa Grana, the branch's assistant
manager, got up and made himself known. Emil aimed the rifle at him and told him
to open the vault. As they made their way there, Emil struck Joe in the back of the head with
the rifle. When they passed the safety deposit box room, Emil shot more rounds into the
roof and screamed at the people inside to get out. Larry remained in the lobby keeping
control of the customers and other employees. Meanwhile, Officer Farrell kept the
radio transmissions coming telling the other police where he wanted everyone set up.
>> 831, what do you want on the north side? I want a unit on the south side and I
want to shoot it on the back if possible. >> 1539 is advising car 3 to Laurel Canyon.
Future 1583, what's the unit on the north side, on the south side and on the rear?
>> 831, I want the position on the south side. 831, the front door. We don't think the suspects are going to go out
here. He's in the lobby. >> 1540, you're requesting a unit to safely position themselves in front of the
front door. Suspects possibly do not know the PD is there. >> The next officers to arrive on scene
were detectives Tracy Angeles and William Cruellak. At 9:19 a.m., they pulled into a parking
lot opposite the bank's entrance on the western side. Sergeant Larry Haynes was next on scene.
He blocked off the intersection of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Archwood Street, which was north of the bank.
This gave him a view of the door that Larry and Emil had entered through. To the best of their knowledge, the
offenders had no idea they were outside at this time. There were a few civilian witnesses
hanging outside the bank and they each approached Sergeant Haynes to report what they'd witnessed.
>> 840, be advised that two witnesses are over there saying there's possibly two
or three suspects inside, possibly AK-47s and wearing ski masks and dark clothing.
>> 1540, advises there's two correction, witnesses at the location basis two to three suspects inside the bank wearing
ski masks and AK-47s. >> Less than 30 seconds later, seemingly now realizing that the police were
there, Larry exited the bank through the northern lobby. Sergeant Haynes released another
broadcast. >> Advisors, I think somebody just came out of the front door of the Bank of
America. >> Advisors, I know an armed person has exited the bank. >> Outside, Larry casually looked around
and surveyed the scene. He didn't look concerned at all. From his position, it's likely he would
have only been able to see Sergeant Haynes' patrol car, so it might not have looked that bad.
After having a look around, Larry turned around and calmly walked back inside the
bank. Shortly after this, Officer Martin Whitfield arrived and parked next to Sergeant Haynes.
Meanwhile, Emil had gained entry to the vault, but progress was slow due to the cash
being stored in several separate locked boxes. This was specifically designed to slow
down bank robberies, and it was working. Emil forced the assistant manager, Joe Villa Grana, to open the boxes and fill
his bag with the cash. In the lobby, Larry walked over to a security guard who was lying face down
on the floor. Larry put his foot on the guard's neck, pointed his rifle at him, and said,
"If you move, [ __ ] I will kill you. When I tell you, I want you to move all of these people to the vault."
The security guard nodded. Larry then walked off, shooting his rifle into the roof while screaming,
"Nobody look at me, or I will kill you." Back inside the vault, Emil was becoming
furious. There was nowhere near the amount of money he'd anticipated. Unbeknownst to him, due to the large
number of recent robberies, including the two at Van Nuys and Winnetka that Larry and Emil had committed, the Bank
of America had changed its delivery schedule. Much to Emil's outrage, the North Hollywood branch still hadn't received
their cash delivery that morning. Emil started firing his weapon in frustration.
Due to the large amount of gunfire being let off and the fact there were hostages
inside the bank, specialist police were needed. The call was put in for SWAT to attend.
>> Multiple shots are being fired from inside the bank. >> Picking up 40 more shots are being fired
from the suspects at Laurel Canyon north of Kittridge at the Bank of America. >> The TRP requesting SWAT to respond to
this location. Requesting immediate for SWAT. >> By this point, police had the bank
surrounded. Officers Haynes and Whitfield were still at the intersection of Laurel Canyon
Boulevard and Archwood Street, giving them a good view of the northern doorway. Officer Brentlinger was east of their
position, covering the northeastern side of the bank. First officers on the scene, Farrell and
Perello, were still in position in the southern parking lot. Detectives Krulac and Angeles had been
joined by officers Borovan and Officer Guy in the parking lot opposite the bank on the western side.
And there were still plenty more police officers on the way. Back inside the vault, Joe had placed
$303,305 inside Emil's bag. But amongst all that cash were three dye packs. Emil walked out of the vault towards the
teller door. Larry yelled at a bank employee to open the door. Open the [ __ ] door.
She complied. Larry then yelled at the security guard demanding, "Move these people to the vault now."
The customers and employees made their way inside the vault. The time was 9:24 a.m. Larry Phillips
Jr. and Emil Matasareanu had been inside the bank for over 7 minutes. Larry burst through the northern door of
the bank looking straight up towards the intersection of Archwood Street and Laurel Canyon Boulevard where Haynes and
Whitfield were positioned. Without a second of hesitation, Larry opened fire. First, he aimed for Officer Haynes'
patrol car. Three civilian witnesses were still there and immediately dove for cover.
Officer Whitfield was behind his patrol car next to Haynes. Larry took aim and unleashed on him as
well. The bullets ripped through the car with ease, wounding Whitfield in the process.
>> It's now 10-50, what is going on there? >> 10-50, we're taking automatic fire. The
party in the area with fire. >> 50-50, this is a party. >> Shots fired. Fully automatic weapons fire.
>> 10-50, this is a party. It's now 10-50 requesting help. 50-50, location? >> I'm at the bank.
>> I need it by 9:09 advising shots fired 500 block of Laurel Canyon. 10-50 requesting help by units officers
requesting help Laurel Canyon and the Partridge at the Bank of America. Shots are being fired. All units officers
requesting help at the bank. >> Stay down. >> He's got an AK-47. >> Bank of America, stay down. Shots are
being fired. Automatic fire. Fire >> is being notified. Call 3, all officers stay down. Shots are being fired from
AK-47. There is an officer down. >> Shots fired. Officer down in front of the fire.
>> All units officer Liu Tuan came in and keep yourself down. Officer Liu Tuan came in and keep yourself down.
>> As Larry was firing north, he effectively had his back turned to other officers who were positioned to the
southwest, taking cover behind a locksmith's kiosk. Officer Zaboyan was among them and he
saw an opportunity. Zaboyan stepped out and fired two shots from his pump action shotgun.
Some of the pellets struck Larry in the back. One even found a gap in his body armor
and struck him directly. The hit caused Larry to stumble, but he didn't fall. He turned around to face Zaboyan who had
resumed his position behind the cover of the locksmith kiosk. Larry opened fire on the kiosk, shooting
over 100 rounds into the building. The cover was flimsy and bullets penetrated the walls easily and
ricocheted all over the place. The officers hit the ground. Officers Zaboyan and Guy had body armor
on, but detectives Krulac and Angeles did not. Realizing this, Zaboyan placed his body
over the top of detective Angeles. A few seconds later, he was struck twice and started bleeding heavily.
>> We need help out here with the officers downstairs. We got an officer down in front of the
fire. >> Any unit know how many officers are down? We have one. >> More than one. More than one.
>> There's more than one officer down. SWAT is being notified. >> Officer down in front of the fire.
>> 5K90 roger. >> Go for it. 25 10 30 roger. Officer down. >> It's 5K90 5C has been
declared deceased. >> Officer down. >> After unloading on the locksmith kiosk, Larry turned back to the north towards
officers Whitfield and Haynes and the three civilian witnesses. Haynes was broadcasting
when Larry opened fire again, striking Haynes in the upper left arm. The patrol car was being quickly
destroyed by bullets and offering minimal Civilian Tracy Fisher could see her cover
dwindling Panicking, she decided to run, but as she tried to get away, she was shot in the
Tracy dropped back down behind the patrol car. Another civilian, Michael Horan, had also been
struck. Together with officer Haynes, this left three wounded people behind the patrol
car. Back behind the locksmith kiosk, Detective Krulac asked officer Zaboravan if he was able to Despite
being shot, Zaboravan said he could. The two tried to get to safety using vehicles in the parking lot as cover,
but Larry spotted them and unleashed more bullets. Both men were hit with glass and other
fragments as Larry's bullets damaged the surrounding cars. Detective Krulac was also shot in the
right ankle. The pair spotted a dentist surgery nearby and made a run for it while Larry
continued peppering them with bullets. When they got to the dentist's door, they didn't have time to stop and open
it. Instead, they just dove Using the cars in the parking lot as cover, Detective Angelos and as well.
Larry turned his attention to them and sprayed them with bullets. By this point, Larry had been firing at
the police for around 3 minutes. During that time, he had fired approximately 300 rounds and wounded
several officers and civilians. At 9:27 a.m., Larry walked back inside the bank.
The police struggled to explain the onslaught. One officer put it best when he said,
"I was in the wrong place with the wrong gun." The bullets the police were using were
incapable of penetrating Larry's body armor, and given that most of his body was protected, the police basically had
no chance. Larry, on the other hand, had an automatic assault rifle with armor-piercing rounds that were going
through cars and walls with ease. It wasn't a fair fight. From inside the dentist office, Officer
Zuborovan called out for help. The dentist on site, Dr. Jorge Montes, tended to him right away, but he really
needed a hospital. Outside, more and more officers arrived at the scene and took positions around
the perimeter. At 9:30 a.m., Larry walked back outside. This time, Emil was with him.
They both carried the bag of money through the door and stood in the entranceway, which gave them a level of
protection. They then opened fire, aiming towards the position where Officer Guy and
Detective Evangelous were taking cover. Upstairs in the dentist office, Zuborovan was looking out and could see
what was going on. He yelled into the police radio. Zaboravan was trying to direct his
colleague to safety, but Officer Guy was pinned down by the heavy fire. The bullets ripped through the car he
was taking cover behind, and he was struck in the right thigh. Officer Guy took his gun belt off and
used it as a tourniquet, which would ultimately save his life. Detective Angeles was also wounded.
The police were basically helpless at this point. Most of the original responders had been
wounded, and the SWAT team still hadn't arrived. They had actually been on a training
exercise at the police academy when the call came through. Larry and Emil continued to fire at
anything that moved. Despite being completely surrounded, they calmly left the entrance of the
bank and walked out into the open. Wounded officers Haynes and Whitfield were still behind their patrol cars with
the three civilians when they realized that Larry and Emil were moving towards them.
The officers made a decision to try and protect the civilians by drawing the fire away from them.
Officers Haynes and Whitfield got up and ran so that the shooters would target them instead.
Haynes managed to reach a nearby tree line and took cover, but he was wounded again, this time in the left shin.
Whitfield also tried to take cover behind a nearby tree, but not before being shot through the thigh.
The bullet shattered his femur, putting him in really bad shape, but he managed to crawl his way behind the tree.
Not satisfied with badly wounding him, Larry and Emil continued to fire. Officers were going down everywhere.
>> I need an air unit. Please help. In front of the building before the parking lot.
>> I think you requested help in the building parking parking lot. There's possibly also also a motor officer down
at Victory and Archwood. I need a check of the >> over night. >> Return and get back.
>> You know that just requested help. What is your location? The builder's parking
lot? >> I'm going in. I'm going in. South of Hughes in the parking lot and in the building.
Multiple officers hit. >> Multiple officers hit in the building south of south of Hughes market. Multiple
officers hit. They're sending in a tank for the officers. >> He's a people like I saw on the
north side of the bank. >> On the north side of the bank. I need to just a citywide tac alert. We
are now on tac alert due to the unusual occurrence in North Hollywood division. A citywide tac alert at this time until
further notice. >> Media helicopters had started to arrive and were capturing the first pictures of
this madness that would soon be broadcast around the world. A police helicopter also circled above
giving updates on what they could see from the air. Larry carried the bag of money to their
Chevrolet while Emil covered him by continuing to shoot. By this point, the dye packs had
exploded inside the bag but a lot of the money remained untainted. Larry dropped the bag next to the car
and grabbed some more ammunition with Emil close behind. >> They're going to north. They're going to
the front out north. >> The suspects are exiting through the north front. >> They have suspects on the north side of
the building. They're walking around like nothing. They got AK-47s doing this all night. Heavy body armor.
>> Heavy body >> The suspects are actively in the bank on the north side of the building, armed
with AK-47s, wearing heavy body armor. >> Yes, uh air unit, these guys are firing at the officers.
Tell officers to stand back. These guys are firing at officers. >> All officers, get back per the air unit.
The suspects are firing at all officers. Stay down per the air unit. >> As Emil made his way to the car, a
bullet grazed him above the right eye. The wound was only a few millimeters away from killing him.
Emil dropped to one knee behind the Chevrolet while he assessed the damage. He also had a gunshot wound to the calf.
Once he realized he was okay, Emil jumped into their vehicle. Larry didn't seem too interested in
getting in. He was still shooting at anything and everything. Many more officers had arrived on the
scene, and they were shooting at the offenders from multiple positions. Larry was shot at least three times in
this exchange, but the body armor continued to protect him. >> All officers, these guys are still ready
to get in. One suspect is in the white vehicle. >> One suspect has entered a white vehicle.
>> Um the white vehicle, that's the west The white vehicle is on the west side of
the bank. One suspect >> Tell all officers to find out the officers to the rear location.
>> All officers, stay down. One suspect is still firing at officers in the rear of
the bank. One suspect has entered a white vehicle on the west side of the bank. >> While waiting for the SWAT team to
arrive, the North Hollywood Watch Commander put a call out for any available officers to go to a B&B gun
store and get some bigger guns that would have the ability to get through Larry and Emil's body armor.
>> There's nothing we have that can stop them. Do any units that are available to go to
B A D and pick up some weapons? >> They're requesting someone to go to B B A D and pick up wep- weapons.
>> 50 L 10, do you have any body available to go to B A D guns? >> Hang on. SWAT unit come in.
>> 50 L 41, we're going to B A D guns. Special 82's going. >> Picking crash 41 is going to get guns.
>> A detective unit and a crash unit responded to the call. The store was closed when they arrived,
but they managed to get staff to open up. The shop owner instructed his staff to
give the LAPD whatever they wanted. As police reinforcements continued, Larry was taking more and more fire.
He made his way back to the Chevrolet and swapped weapons. >> Suspect is retrieving additional weapons
from the trunk of his vehicle. >> The suspect is retrieving additional weapons from the vehicle and shots are
being fired. >> Suspect is walking out the east side of the bank to try to get people to come
after him. He's got additional weapons. The trunk is open on his vehicle. >> Why Larry didn't get into the car to
start the getaway at this point, nobody knows. Instead, he took a knee in front of the
Chevrolet, aimed upward, and started firing at the media helicopters. Larry was shot again, but the body armor
was still holding up. He continued firing non-stop. Emil opened the passenger door,
beckoning for Larry to get in, but Larry slammed the door shut. He was intent to stay outside the
vehicle and provide covering fire. >> 50 L 10, if somebody has a shot, take it. Suspect is down.
>> One suspect is walking east of the bank. 50 L 10 advises someone has a shot, take
it. >> Suspect is down. Shots fired. He's going down. He's got heavy body armor.
>> Go for the head. >> This subject has heavy body armor. Officers are firing at him and he's not
going down. >> Despite taking multiple hits, Larry wasn't going down. The body armor was too effective.
That left only one place for the police to aim. The call was put out to aim for the
head. Officer Whitfield had been keeping radio contact, but it was starting to get
touch and go. >> We have an officer down Victory west of Laurel Canyon. He needs help code three.
He is passing out. West of the 170 way at Victory. The officer needs help immediately.
>> Two officers who took action in response to the officer down calls were Anthony
Cabunoc and Todd Schmitz. While responding to Officer Whitfield's call, they instead came across Detective
Angelus and Officer Guy, both wounded and still taking cover in the parking lot opposite the bank.
Officer Cabunoc grabbed Officer Guy and pulled him into their car, while Detective Angelus was able to get in
herself. Officer Schmitz then reversed harshly out of the parking lot to get medical
help. The SWAT team had arrived by this point and immediately got to work rescuing the
other injured officers and civilians. They got hold of an armored car to assist in the rescue.
>> You know, 120, advise units on the perimeter that where the officer is rescued, uh, fire department has set up
command post at the fire station 89 and bringing in a helicopter to take him out.
>> Bring the officer when he's rescued to fire station fire station 89. They have
units standing by. >> You know, the officer has been rescued just uh further down of Archwood and
Laurel Canyon. He appears to be unconscious. He is down on the west side of the street.
>> Officer is down at Laurel Canyon Archwood. He's unconscious. Shots are being fired still. The officer
is down at Archwood and Laurel Canyon. >> 40 is about 30 yards north of Archwood
on Laurel Canyon. He's behind me about >> 30 yards north of Archwood on Laurel Canyon. The officer is down unconscious.
>> 40, that officer is behind the tree now. He's got cover. >> The officer that's down has gotten cover
behind the tree. The RA is being notified. We're trying to get someone in for him.
Get the officer >> Armor car coming in with a little present. Stand by. Everybody stand by.
>> Everyone stand by. There is an armor car coming in for the police officers. >> The suspect vehicle is moving. The
suspect vehicle is moving. >> Emil put the Chevrolet in motion, deciding it was time to attempt to
leave. >> The suspect vehicle is moving. The suspect vehicle is moving. >> Suspect vehicle is moving.
>> Slowly, Emil drove out of the parking lot with Larry walking alongside the vehicle and firing nonstop.
Emil turned right onto Archwood Street and headed east, while Larry was hit twice more.
He sought refuge behind a large truck with a long trailer that was parked on the side of the road.
Emil completely lost sight of Larry and continued driving east. >> We've got one suspect driving the white
vehicle. He's down from the north parking lot. We've got one suspect on foot. The suspect on foot is behind a
long trailer truck trailer rig. 50 out here. Advise units 11-41 and moving at a high speed.
>> Squad is moving in. There's one suspect eastbound from the north side of the parking lot in a vehicle. The other one
is on foot near the long trailer. Squad is en route to 6600 Laurel Canyon across
from Dale Taco for the officer down. >> They're moving eastbound. They're moving
eastbound down Archwood. The suspect is moving eastbound near Archwood. >> Officer Torres had a clear shot of the
Chevrolet and fired 12 bullets into it, prompting Emil to drive off, leaving Larry behind.
One of Larry's gunshot wounds was bad enough that it would turn fatal if he didn't get help soon.
To add to his problems, Larry's rifle had also jammed. He pulled out his Beretta pistol and
started walking east. >> Suspect walking. Walking at uh He's at 103 East of Laurel Canyon.
>> The suspect is walking towards 103 East of Laurel Canyon from Archwood. >> Way up ahead, Larry could see Emil in
the Chevrolet, but Emil wasn't waiting. He had his own problems being pursued by
other officers. At least seven officers stood in the path between Larry and the Chevrolet.
He continued firing at the police with his Beretta, but he was shot yet again. By this point, he had suffered 11
gunshot wounds. The latest one struck him in the hand, causing him to drop the pistol.
He picked it up off the ground, put it under his chin, and shot himself in the head.
He died instantly. Larry Phillips Jr. was 26 years old. Meanwhile, up the road, Emil was still
under fire himself, being closely followed by police on the ground and helicopters in the air.
The Chevrolet was leaking fuel and its tires were flat. Realizing it wouldn't be drivable for
much longer, Emil needed to swap cars. He was still driving east on Archwood Street when a red Ford sedan drove
towards him. Seeing the shot-up vehicle with Emil behind the wheel, the red Ford started
to reverse. Emil got out of his car and motioned for the red Ford to come back. It didn't, so Emil started firing at it.
>> The driver of the suspect in the white vehicle is at Lamp. He's out of the vehicle. He's shooting at civilians.
>> The suspect is out of the vehicle at Lamp shooting at civilians. >> All of this was being caught on camera.
Times were getting desperate for Emil, and a getaway was looking close to impossible.
He got back into the Chevrolet and just sat there doing nothing. He did nothing for over 10 seconds
before putting the Chevrolet into drive and continuing east along Archwood Street.
>> All the suspect is back in the white vehicle. He is now moving slowly east down between Lamp and Back.
>> Emil then found another target, a 1962 Jeep Gladiator being driven by a man named Bill Marr.
Emil started firing through the windscreen of his vehicle into Bill's Jeep. This was enough for Bill to stop the
Jeep and get out and run. Emil pulled up next to the Jeep. He got out of the Chevrolet, dumped all of his
weapons and ammo into the Jeep, and then jumped behind the wheel and attempted to
drive off. But, he couldn't get it started. >> There's >> The suspect in the white vehicle just
took a citizen's vehicle. It looks like a brown truck. He's starting to proceed on the westbound on Archwood.
>> The suspect took a citizen's vehicle in the brown truck westbound on >> Archwood westbound
>> A police car containing three SWAT officers, Don Anderson, Steve Gomez, and Richard Massa, sped east down Archwood
Street. Emil sat in the Jeep facing west, meaning the officers were approaching head-on.
Officer Anderson was driving. In an incredibly brave move, he drove straight at Emil, pulling the car up at
an angle directly in front of the Jeep. When Emil saw the SWAT team pull up, he jumped out of the Jeep and took cover
behind the Chevrolet. This put a distance of about 30 ft and three cars between him and the SWAT
officers. A fierce gun battle ensued. >> One down Archwood. >> Go south of Imperial Highway.
>> More shots are being fired. Shots are being fired. Shots being fired behind the white car.
>> Watch crossfire. >> All units, watch for crossfire. >> On Archwood between Rafferty and Hind,
Metro's engaging the suspect. All units, stay back. >> On Archwood between Rafferty and Hind,
air unit advise all officers to stay back. Watch for crossfire. >> Emil was struck several times, but his
body armor saved him yet again. The SWAT team quickly realized that if they fired underneath the vehicles, they
would be able to hit Emil in the legs, which weren't protected by armor. Their plan worked.
Emil was shot multiple times in the legs, with one bullet actually shattering his leg.
Still, he refused to give up and continued firing. But it was clear that SWAT were winning
the battle. Emil was hit several more times, and eventually, he collapsed to the ground,
dropping his weapon in the process. The SWAT team pounced on him. The entire exchange had lasted just
under 2 minutes. >> One suspect on Archwood. >> One suspect in custody. One suspect in
custody. Suspect on I-5 is in custody. >> The time was 10:01 a.m. The North Hollywood shootout was over.
But the scene was obviously still chaotic. Injured officers and civilians were everywhere. And the LAPD still wasn't
entirely sure if all the gunmen had been caught or if there were others still on
the loose. They started checking the scene and the surrounding area for more shooters. A
job that would ultimately take them 12 hours to officially clear. All up, Emil had been shot 29 times, but
he was still breathing. Two detectives stood guard over him while other police cleared the area.
But after 65 minutes, with an ambulance unable to get to him in time, Emil Matasareanu died at the scene.
He was 30 years old. Later that same year, Emil's family filed a civil suit against the LAPD and
specifically the two detectives who guarded him as he lay dying. The court case alleged that paramedics
had been making their way to attend to Emil, but had been turned away by police.
It also alleged that an officer had canceled the call for more paramedics and that ultimately the police had
deliberately let Emil die. In their defense, the LAPD explained that it was standard procedure not to
allow any paramedics into what they called a hot zone as it put their lives in danger.
Given that they believed there were more active shooters in the area at the time,
the LAPD said they couldn't allow paramedics to attend to Emil for their own safety.
The jury couldn't reach a verdict and the case resulted in a hung jury. After that, Emil's family ended up at
dropping the civil suit. During the North Hollywood shootout, over 300 police officers had responded
to the citywide tactical alert and 32 officers had fired their weapons. All up, Larry and Emil had fired about
1,100 rounds between them while the police had fired around 650. 17 officers were awarded the Medal of
Honor for their actions and bravery. A total of 11 police and seven civilians were injured during the shootout. But by
some miracle, they all survived. The only people who lost their lives were Larry Phillips Jr.
and Emil Matasareanu. >> Tell 40B my D units we have your unusable the black and white they're all
blown up. All the black and whites at the location are unusable. They're have shots fired.

When Larry Phillips Junior and Emil Mătăsăreanu entered the North Hollywood branch of the Bank of America on February 28 1997, no one could have predicted the chaos that was about to ensue. What followed was 44 minutes of pure mayhem.

---

Casefile Archives is a series of special bonus releases revisiting the earliest years of the show. The re-run episodes have been completely edited, polished, re-recorded and freshly produced from start to finish to match our current production standards. They are not complete rewrites - our goal wasn’t to alter the cases or reshape the writing, but to preserve the original storytelling while giving the production the refinement it didn’t have when we started the show back in 2016.

Where appropriate, updates have been added, but the core structure and storytelling remain faithful to the originals. Because of this, these re-releases may sound a little different to our recent episodes, but they allow us to bring some of the earliest episodes up to the technical quality listeners expect today.

CREDITS Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Anonymous Host Additional writing & editing – Elsha McGill Production & music – Mike Migas Audio editing – Anthony Telfer

SOCIAL LINKS

Website https://www.casefilepodcast.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/casefile Twitter https://twitter.com/case_file Instagram https://www.instagram.com/casefilepodcast Patreon https://www.patreon.com/casefile Casefile Presents https://casefilepresents.com

RESOURCES

Brief Summary

The episode recounts the North Hollywood Shootout and the lives of its perpetrators, detailing their criminal backgrounds and the chaotic police response.

Key points

Casefile Archives Returns. Celebrating 10 years of Casefile with bonus episodes and revisits of classic cases.
The North Hollywood Shootout. A gripping recount of the infamous 1997 bank robbery and its aftermath.
Bank Robbery in Progress. Officers respond to a bank robbery with shots fired inside the Bank of America.
Hostages Taken. Larry and Emil force customers into the bank vault, escalating the situation.
Police Struggle. Officers are outgunned and outmatched as the robbers fire indiscriminately.
Media Coverage Begins. Helicopters arrive to capture the chaos of the ongoing shootout.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This episode could not have been created without the use of that resource.

Acknowledgment of a website dedicated to the case.

2:52WatchMay 23, 2026

Tension

85/ 100High tension

More from Casefile

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.