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At 9:17 a.m. on February 28, 1997, Larry Phillips Jr. and Emil Matasareanu popped a few muscle relaxers and entered a Bank of America in North Hollywood.
At 9:17 a.m. on February 28, 1997, Larry Phillips Jr. and Emil Matasareanu popped a few muscle relaxers and entered a Bank of America in North Hollywood. They were wearing ski masks and custom body armor while carrying automatic rifles with thousands of rounds of ammunition. One witness recalled: "I heard gunshots and screaming voices — men's voices — yelling, 'This is a holdup!'" The men opened fire at the door to the bank's vault, breaking it open and giving them access to the loot inside. At that point, the robbers' plan began to fall apart. The armored truck that would be delivering the bank's cash for the day hadn't yet arrived, so there was less money in the vault than Phillips and Matasareanu had anticipated. Enraged, Matasareanu started shooting at the remaining cash, blowing it to shreds. With just over $300,000 in their bags, the men exited the bank — and were instantly surrounded by police. Instead of surrendering, however, they waged...