May 10, 2019 ▸ History, True Crime

Episode 385: Hollywood Shootout: 44 Minutes of Mayhem

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In this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we go back in time all the way to February of 1997, and we talk about the infamous Hollywood Bank Robbery Shootout. It was a day that showed the world the damage a couple of well-equipped active shooters could be. It showed how easy and dangerous it was to outclass the cops. It was an event that changed how cops use tactics, what weapons they carry, and how to treat bank robbers.

The two robbers, Larry Eugene Phillips Jr. the Romania Decebal Stefan Emilian “Emil” Matasareanu (say that five times fast) met at Gold’s Gym in Venice beach. They shared a love of body building and stealing things while shooting at people, so they hit it off, like, right away. Within no time, they decided to rob an armored truck and got away with it. While planning another heist, they got pulled over for speeding, and their arsenal got them each 100 days in jail plus probation.

But this didn’t stop them. They robbed a few more cars and a few banks and earned the nick name of High Incident Bandits by law enforcement. They got about one and a half million dollars in short order, but they wanted more, so they planned on robbing a Bank of America in North Hollywood. This is where the Hollywood Shootout famously took place.

They stormed the bank, shot the joint up, and took the money from the vault. It was supposed to be $750,000, but it was closer to $300,000, and this made the robbers lose their cool. They shot the place up some more and stormed out toward their getaway car. Unfortunately, they had been surrounded by cops who saw them enter the building.

What unfolded here captured the eyes of the nation for 44 crazy minutes. The two walked around the streets shooting cops and civilians, unharmed by the weak sauce the cops were shooting at them. They injured 20 people in their shootout and only sustained minor injuries for the longest time. Eventually, the SWAT team showed up (wearing shorts…it happens), and the game changed.

Finally, some firepower and training was on the ground, and soon the Hollywood Shootout changed up. SWAT shot the robbers’ guns and aimed for soft unarmored targets like their buttocks and calves, and eventually, the two shooters were down. One put a pistol under his chin and ended his own life, and the other slowly bled out on national TV from his 20 gunshot wounds.

So, how did the two get their weapons? What impact did their actions have on gun legislation? Why were the SWAT team in shorts? What happened when Brad and Dave argue about gun control at the end of the episode? Listen, laugh, learn.