A cache of weapons was also discovered. They hadn't spoken since July. All the while, Phillips brother said, he was hardening with resentment that seethed in him when they drove through wealthy neighborhoods. "Those were his words . New York City Gestopo units exicuted a black man for taking out his billfold to show ID. Many miles away across the vast landscape of LA Emil's mother, Valerie Nicolescu, gave a rare public interview and gave a curious quote stating 'my son was in with a bad crowd'. Reason unknown. At 9:17 a.m., they pulled up to the North Hollywood bank and synchronized their watches to account for an anticipated 8-minute LAPD response time once they entered. As the day wore on various entities gave interviews to the media, amongst them was Sgt Haynes whose black and white had been the first target for Phillips, and Judy Cook; the widow of Herman Cook who was executed by an unknown gunman back in 1995. Larry Eugene Phillips Sr., 48, who still lives in Denver, said in an interview with The Times on Sunday that Larry is the way he is because of my lifestyle. A few days after the shootout, some detectives asked how he had failed to notice his sons flamboyant prosperity. All rights reserved. But most police officers remained calm, despite ineffective weapons, faulty radios and a command post relocated four times. His father, worried during the ordeal, suffered a heart attack and died later from the anxiety, he said. In short order the L.A Times and the L.A Daily News conducted interviews with Detective John Krulac (the officer that came under withering fire in the Hughes parking lot with Officer James Zboravan and ended up in the dentist's stairwell). Mr. Matasareanu's mother, Valerie Nicolescu, said he first had trouble with the law after officials shut a care center for the mentally disabled that he ran with her. When the shell casings stopped rolling, two bandits lay dead - one after shooting himself after sustaining 10 gunshot wounds - and the other after bleeding to death from 29 gunshots after telling police, "F--- you. Matasareanu's body would be formally identified by a family friend, not his wife, not his mother, a family friend. Real Name: Jeanette Theresa Federico Nicknames: Jean Malta, Jeanette Phillips Location: Los Angeles, California Date: February 28, 1997 Bio Occupation: Unrevealed Date of Birth: August 7, 1968 Height: 5'3" Weight: 130 pounds Marital Status: Widowed Characteristics: Caucasian female with brown hair and brown eyes. Det. At 2pm, Chief Willie Williams gave a press conference in the North lot of the Bank of America, his backdrop would be the hastily repaired wall and the remaining bullet ridden vehicles. A total of 32 customers and 10 employees were present in the bank when the two men entered it. The home was closed for good when it failed to meet fire safety specifications. Larry Phillips Jr. and Emil Matasareanu shot at everything in their path including police, bystanders, and a news helicopter in an attempt to get away. Matasareanu and his wife and young son were living with Nicolescu and running a home-care service for the mentally disabled. Emil Dechebal Matasareanu, 30, was a scraggly haired, 283-pound native of Romania who suffered painful seizures after being struck in the head by a mental patient at his mother's home-operated day-care center. He characterized his brother as a glib, fancy-dressing bodybuilder who could be charming and caring to his longtime girlfriend but who harbored dark dreams. He said Phillips would take him on the drives to motivate him. Viorel Matasareanu and his son became distant in 1990 in a dispute over education and the father's belief that Emil had married too early. Records show that young Phillips went on to leave a dizzying web of aliases and nonexistent addresses in an apparent effort to deflect anyone looking for him. Ominous Warning This video is currently unavailable January 9, 2003 50min 13+ On October 17, 1989, Sherra Cox leaves work early to unpack in her new apartment. Who were these men? He started rambling. The truth appears to have been vastly different; the business was all but abandoned, residing in an unfinished basement at the East Orange Grove Boulevard address and consisting of nothing more than a few boxes of long forgotten parts and with, as far as we can make out, no 'employees' bar himself, and as a cherry to top the cake One must ask the question, why such an increase on the projected earnings? If those people knew how close he was, not just once, but on a daily basis, their skin would crawl, he said. When the robbers emerged, they were confronted by officers and tried to shoot their way clear with superior firepower. As previously mentioned it soon became apparent that the two 1996 takeovers in the southern end of the San Fernando Valley had been the work of these two, CCTV and modus operandi was a faultless match. He was shot four times before leaping through an exploding glass doorway. West Harriet was the address he had shared with his mother in the early 1990's, it was now devoid of all connection to the Phillips family. At 9.16am, after months of preparation, the pair entered the North Hollywood Bank of America branch. Unsolved Mysteries Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. Still, the father had noticed the flashy cars, once a big Lincoln, then a 12-cylinder Jaguar. Officers found two bedrooms, one apparently belonging to each man. Hard to fathom if it is true. During an interview Sunday in his cramped Pasadena apartment, Viorel Matasareanu recalled playing soccer with the boy and teaching him math. Somehow, it appears that it just got missed. Armed to the . With a what-did-you-expect shrug, he added: "He grows (up) here. Records indicate that Matasareanu had occasional income as a computer software consultant but that his primary source of income was Dechebal Inc., the board-and-care home his mother operated in a Pasadena building they jointly owned. Larry Phillips and Emil Matasareanu attempted to rob the North Hollywood Bank of America. "It wasn't my time. He also gave his father $500 in cash, and would later mail him an additional $400. Jeri, his son Matthew with his wife Adriana, and his daughter Jamie. Tradesmen had worked all over the weekend patching the holes and damage, come Monday morning the only change to be noticed, apart from the cameras of the media, was the eight security personnel as opposed to the usual two. I have heard from sources whom shall remain nameless that the day took on a dark carnival atmosphere. Celebrity. Marital Status: Widowed They said he was a serious bodybuilder who would never ingest a harmful substance. The large stellate wound under his chin from the suicide shot plainly visible to the room's occupants. 2009-2021 Bears in the Beehive. Silverman and Stampede's Lisa Zambri will produce. The way it was told was critical too; it wasn't forced upon us to be part of the narrative but given in a casual, offhand way by both parties. For Matasareanu and Phillips, suspected of pulling off a number of sophisticated bank heists, the North Hollywood robbery was to be their biggest yet. Outside of the hive of activity that was the investigation into these two men, back in the public realm the previous day's chaos was on everybody's lips. It would later be learned that $10,000 in cash had been confiscated from the house, whether the box and the cash were linked is unknown. The most obvious example is the 'armor piercing ammunition' myth which originated from Sgt. We put our lives on the line. Emil Dechebal Matasareanu, 30, was a scraggly haired, 283-pound native of Romania who suffered painful seizures after being struck in the head by a mental patient at his mother's home-operated day-care center. So far, investigators have released few details about the pair. It was not a million miles removed from people dipping handkerchiefs in the blood of John Dillinger when he was finally assassinated by Federal Agents outside the Biograph theatre. LaChasse will join Los Angeles and federal officials today at the North Hollywood police station for a 20th anniversary tribute in honor those who stopped the North Hollywood bank bandits. He was a follower, he said, echoing the words of the mans mother, Valerie Nicolescu, who told reporters after the shootout that her son was corrupted by Phillips. They gathered their automatic arsenal, including a Chinese-made AK-47 for Phillips, with a 70-round drum magazine, and a Bushmaster XM15 assault rifle for Matasareanu, with twin drums containing 100 rounds. Wounded and bleeding, they sprinted toward the doorway of an upstairs dentist office, between a defunct Builders Emporium and Hughes Market, in what is now a Smart & Final and a Ralphs. The vehicle appears to have been partly modified for drag strip racing. Something goes wrong in the robbery attempt and . A name sprang up in the investigation, one Phillips Jr had used, Larry Santos, and it was not a random name. We have pea shooters compared to what these guys have.". An injured Phillips took his own life and Matasareanu surrendered, but bled out at the scene. LAPD Commander, Tim McBride released a quote stating that Phillips and Matasareanu's potential ties to paramilitary groups was being investigated, a route that the FBI would also later explore, both explorations garnered zero results. They were making off with cash when police arrived and the gunfight erupted. The younger Matasreanu had difficulty realizing his vision of the American dream. He knew that every time I came in contact with police something bad happened.. "The citizens need to know we're only human. Of their nearly 4,000 rounds of ammo, many were armor-piercing. Quite how they magically came up with this address is beyond our capability to dig out, and remains somewhat suspicious to us to this day. The robbery occurred near the 900 block of Kings Road. But we all have families to go home to.". I have decided to remove it from this portion of the text and it can be found on the Myths page as it becomes a rather in depth study of Phenobarbital which we don't have the space for here. Matasareanu's mother said her son was a sharpshooter and computer whiz who had grown increasingly despondent in past months, causing her to fear he was suicidal and might hurt somebody. Nonetheless, he pursued real estate illegally, using sophisticated scams and sometimes bald threats, authorities and those who did business with him allege. Larry Phillips Jr. and Emil Matasareanu didn't stop as they slowly made their defiant way through city blocks, in a small white car, its hood open, heavy guns firing, as LAPD units fought back.. Contributing to this story were Times staff writers Alan Abrahamson, Abigail Goldman, Peter Y. Hong, Greg Krikorian, Matt Lait, Beth Shuster and Martha L. Willman, and correspondents Richard Winton and John Cox. The FBI has not yet identified the two men, though Matasareanu's mother confirmed that her 30-year-old son was one of the men killed. On paper he appeared to have an upwardly mobile business, allegedly with seven employees and retaining government contracts according to the paperwork Matasareanu filled out. A comprehensive look at the 1997 North Hollywood Shootout detailing the lives and crimes of Larry Phillips Jr. and Emil Matasareanu A sunny, scorching afternoon brought Marie Joseph and her neighbors to Lafayette Park -- four kids and a few . Out at the scene new York City Gestopo units exicuted a black man for taking out billfold... Surrendered, but bled out at the scene when they drove through wealthy neighborhoods 10 were... His cramped Pasadena apartment, Viorel Matasareanu recalled playing soccer with the boy and teaching him math to home. An interview Sunday in his cramped Pasadena apartment, Viorel Matasareanu recalled playing soccer the. 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