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One of the criminals wielding a modified Norinco Type 56 assault rifle.

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One of the criminals wielding a modified Norinco Type 56 assault rifle.

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Source: https://www.laphs.org/
(LAPD Musuem)

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Larry Philips grew up in Denver, Colorado and was abused throughout his entire childhood by his father. His father had been arrested for robbing a gas station a few years before his son was born. In 1986, Larry moved with his girlfriend to Altadena, a suburb of Los Angeles. He was previously arrested for shoplifting in 1989 after times became tough financially. He ran a series of real-estate scams in the Denver area after being placed on probation. In 1993, when he was due for sentencing, he went on the run.

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Gunman #2: Decebal Ștefan Emilian Mătăsăreanu: "Emil"

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Gunman #2: Decebal Ștefan Emilian Mătăsăreanu: "Emil"

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Stefan was born in Romania but immigrated to California sometime in 1974. He owned a computer repair shop in the area. He was also a qualified electrical engineer. Him and Philips met at a "Gold's Gym" in Venice Beach, LA and became friends.

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The men were pulled over in a stolen vehicle on October 29th 1993. After police searched the vehicle they found two semi-automatic rifles, two handguns, (plus another concealed handgun on Philips), 1200 rounds of 9x19 Parabellum & .45 ACP handgun ammo, police radio scanners, smoke grenades, improvised explosives, armoured vests and three different California license plates. They served 100 days in jail and were released on probation. All of their equipment was returned to them except for the guns and explosives. They pair were charged with Conspiracy to commit bank robbery, grand theft auto and unlawful weapons activity. Philips was charged with the three counts above as well as felony perjury and carrying a loaded concealed firearm.

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1st Robbery: July 20th, 1993, Littleton, Colorado.
The men robbed an armoured truck outside of a FirstBank in Littleton.
2nd Robbery: June 14th, 1995, Winnetka, Los Angeles.
They killed one guard and seriously wounded the other.
3rd & 4th Robberies: May, 1996, San Fernando, Los Angeles. They robbed two different branches of Bank of America in San Fernando. They made out with around $1.5 million and were dubbed by police the "High Incident Bandits" for the heavy duty weaponry they used in these robberies. It is unknown whether or not these robberies were done in preparation for the larger robbery that eventually lead to the shootout.

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Along with their suits of body armour, the criminals brought with them three Norinco Type 56 rifles, which are American made "clone" rifles similar to an AK-47. Alongside these, there was a Bushmaster XM15 rifle, an HK-91 rifle, and a Beretta 92FS pistol. Each of the rifles were illegally converted to fully automatic firing by using a dremel tool on the inside of the firearm. The rifles and pistol were all purchased legally prior to the robbery. The Beretta pistol was identical to those carried by police in the area and was carried by Larry Phillips, who later used it to end his life.

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A similar model to that used by Larry Philips.

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A Bushmaster XM15 similar to that used by Emil in this robbery.

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HK91 Rifle similar to the one used by Larry Phillips.

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HK91 Rifle similar to the one used by Larry Phillips.

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This was the only rifle NOT converted to fully automatic firing

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1 Of the Norinco Type 56 rifles used by the pair.

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1 Of the Norinco Type 56 rifles used by the pair.

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A Smith & Wesson .38 Special Revolver - Used by Police

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A Smith & Wesson .38 Special Revolver - Used by Police

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7 days before the date of the robbery, the Bank of America branch that was later robbed reported a potential "casing incident". Casing is the act of mapping out exit/escape routes ahead of time used by potential bank robbers. Although the report was never followed up upon, and was never concretely tied to the men, it is believed by many investigators that this incident was preparation by the men for their upcoming heist.

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The men drove up to the bank on the morning of February 28th, filled a jar with gasoline and placed it in the backseat of their car. This was done in preparation of eliminating evidence after the robbery. They waited for 120 seconds, taking barbiturates, a relaxant medication, before heading into the bank's front doors. While heading in, the pair were spotted by a patrolling LAPD car who immediately alerted dispatch of a potential bank robbery at the address. After entering the bank, they began shooting at the floor and walls and ordered to bank manager to open the vault. After the men had received around $300 000 in cash they ordered all of the people inside the bank into the open bank vault. There are 4 unaccounted-for minutes inside the bank where investigators have no idea what the men were doing. After these 4 minutes, Phillips began shooting at the arriving police officers from inside the bank before moving outside and continuing to shoot at police. After 3 minutes by himself, Phillips than returned to the bank to grab his partner, Emil, before they both left the bank and continued the shootout from outside the bank in the northern parking lot.

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The men would post up by their getaway for the next 22 minutes, firing at anything that moved in the vicinity. During this time, Phillips changed the bandolier that was wrapped around his chest. After these 22 minutes, Emil was shot above the right eye and in the right calf in quick succession, these wounds caused him a great deal of pain, as he went into the driver's seat of the car and remained there for the next 20 minutes. During these 20 minutes, Phillips would continue to engage with police officers and would switch his rifles twice. First to his HK rifle from his Norinco, and second back to another Norinco from his HK. After 20 minutes the men made an attempt to leave the scene in the car. However, they were separated in the parking lot and Emil drove away as Phillips was left to fight his way out of the parking lot on foot. During this time, Phillips was struck in the shoulder, breaking his left collarbone and severing an artery. As he made his way out of the lot and onto a residential road where Emil had moved the car to, Phillips' was hit in the hand and his rifle was struck by gunfire and rendered inoperable. Shortly after, he sat down, and shot himself in the head, which killed him instantly. Emil noticed this, and began to drive further up the street in an attempt to flee.

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Police communication during this shootout was incredibly frantic and disorderly, making it difficult to accurately map what police were doing through the shootout. What is known, however, is that a SWAT team was dispatched to the scene but was stuck in highway traffic for over 30 minutes before they made it to the shootout. Due to this delay, a unit of anti-gang LAPD officers (CRASH) made their way to a gun shop in the area and took 5 AR-15's from the shop in an attempt to take down the criminals. Around the same time, a pair of police officers on scene began driving around the scene, picking up wounded officers and civilians driving them to the hospital, before heading back to the scene to do it again. These officers saved the lives of at least 3 people. Two officers, and a news caster who were all struck by bullets fired by the two men.

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Phillips using the vehicle as cover, Emil is driving.

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Phillips using the vehicle as cover, Emil is driving.

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Phillips is seen moving behind this truck for cover.

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Phillips is seen moving behind this truck for cover.

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Emil loses track of Phillips, separating them.

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Emil loses track of Phillips, separating them.

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Phillips then moved up the road, engaging police. Seconds after this photo he then uses his pistol to take his own life.

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Phillips then moved up the road, engaging police. Seconds after this photo he then uses his pistol to take his own life.

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Phillips outlined in red

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After witnessing his partner kill himself, Emil attempted to carjack two vehicles in two different intersections. The first attempt failed, while the second allowed him access to a red Jeep. By the time he had acquired this second vehicle, it was too late. A SWAT van rounded the corner and spotted Emil. In this moment, Emil decided to make his last stand. He used his getaway car from before as cover, and fired the last of his ammunition at the police before his legs were shot multiple times, injuring him and "disintegrating" his kneecap. Emil surrendered to police. The police officers watching over Emil left him in the street for over 65 minutes, where he eventually bled out. If police officers had acted faster and got him to the hospital, a motive and jail sentence could have been acquired. Unfortunately, this never happened, and a deeper motive besides financial gain was never established.

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Emil attempting to carjack a truck driver.

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Emil attempting to carjack a truck driver.

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Emil, surrounded by SWAT, LAPD and detectives.

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Emil, surrounded by SWAT, LAPD and detectives.

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A photo of the pairs getaway car after the shootout.

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A photo of the pairs getaway car after the shootout.

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Emil made his last stand using this vehicle as cover.

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The shootout was not officially declared to be "over" until 13 and 1/2 hours after the death of Emil. Some schools in the area were in lockdown until 8pm in the evening. The reason for this was because of a hoax 911 call earlier in the day. Someone had placed a 911 call during the shootout saying that "six black males" had been spotted in the area potentially collaborating with the gunmen. This led police to believe that there were an additional 4 gunmen at large after the death of both men. This was also a primary reason why police did not try to evacuate Emil from the area into a hospital. It is currently unknown where or why this phone call was placed. The police took until around 8pm to realize that this phone call was false and the only two gunmen were currently dead.

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After the shootout, an investigation was opened into the histories of both men. Police found out that both of the men were living in rentals under false names. After following a trail of events, police were finally able to connect the "High Incident Bandit" robberies to the duo. Additionally, because of the tip of multiple gunmen, the LAPD bulldozed the side of an innocent mans house. They also arrested him and pulled him out of his own house because they falsely believed that a 3rd gunmen was hiding in his house. They never compensated him for the damage done.

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Emil's computer repair shop from earlier was discovered to likely be a front for laundering money, although this has never been (officially) confirmed. The business address led to an abandoned building, and the reported earnings had shot up from $250 000, to $2 million within one year. This year was 1992, the first year where the men had become criminally active.

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This incident, alongside other previous violent crime incidents, paved the way for a much different form of police training and structure. The militarization of police had started after this shootout, and many experts point to this event as the primary reason for this change in policing.
Police militarization is the change in weaponry & tactics used by police to more closely mimic that of a military unit. For events such as this shootout, this change in training and weaponry has been largely effective. However some question if this militarization is necessary for a larger police force, instead of a specialized unit such as SWAT.
After this shootout, police would begin to receive training for "Active Shooter" & "Mass Violence" scenarios. Some police cars would also be outfitted with "Patrol Rifles", high powered rifles that would be stowed away in the trunk of a police car, only requiring the use of a key found at the police station to obtain access. These improvements have gone a long way in deterring bank robberies such as the North Hollywood Shootout from occurring again, but have done little to address the tide of school shooting and smaller robberies turned shootings that plague the U.S today. Police may be able to respond quicker to these school shootings, however it has statistically done little to dissuade attackers from committing these acts of obscene violence.

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Many have criticized the rise in military policing by pointing to specific incidents of militarized police being used to break up protests and civil unrest. Such as the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in Minneapolis. Although tear gas is banned for use in international warfare, (1997 International Chemical Weapons Convention) it has repeatedly been used to break up protests in the U.S and abroad, which has attracted a lot of criticism by civil rights advocates and ordinary citizens. Tear gas may be banned internationally, but is still permitted for domestic use as a "riot control agent".