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How 44 Minutes Changed the L.A.P.D. Forever


Not being from the US, I will never fully appreciate or understand ones need to bear arms and the desire to hold cold steel, capable of ending life within my hands. Like many I enjoy watching violent exchanges within cinema and games, yet when given the option to fire a shotgun at a local farm, I couldn’t. It just felt wrong, to wield something with so such power.

Today’s tale tells of two individuals that took that right to the very extreme end of the spectrum. On February 28th 1997 an event happened that changed the whole of America’s policing forever. Not only did it boost their public image but allowed the government to alter gun law for police enforcement. On a beautiful day just after 9am in sunny L.A, news broadcasts fired into action across the entire city. A huge shootout was taking place outside the Bank of America on Laurel Canyon. In the parking lot two heavily armoured men and what can only be described as: the entirety of the L.A.P.D. exchanged fire. For a total of 44 minutes the underprepared and outgunned police force fired at the juggernaut-like thieves. Dodging high powered bullets, using the cover of trees and buildings, they managed to retrieve their wounded and returned fire.

LAPD Museum Larry and Emil's
outfits and weapons can be seen on display.

It wasn’t until the SWAT team arrived that they could match the firepower of their assailants. Gradually their high powered weaponry opened up the heavy armour and took both Larry Eugene Phillips Jr., 26, and Emil Dechebal Matasareanu, 30 down for good. 

Throughout the duration of the exchange 11 officers and 6 civilians were wounded but all innocent fatalities had been avoided. Despite this, it was clear that the L.A.P.D. were horribly under equipped. Their weaponry had achieved nothing versus the armour of the two gunmen. It shook law enforcement across the country and still serves as a lesson to this day. The event led to a rearming of police across the country and inspired cities to create their own gun control laws if their states failed to. All of the officers’ accounts of the shootout were recorded in a Use of Force report. The 25-page document tells the events from the initial first deployment of officers until the final shots were fired. The event was also the subject of a made for TV film released in 2003: entitled 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out. Which was inspired by the days events but lacks historical accuracy.

Statistics via projects.dailynews.com

While this did glorify the L.A.P.D. and firearms to some degree across the US, it wasn’t without real human tragedy. Seven of the officers who were part of the incident that day wrote retrospectives for the February issue of the Los Angeles Police Protective League’s magazine, The Thin Blue Line. “I saw my rounds hit his black jacket, and as I shot at him, he kept coming,” said retired Det. Thomas Culotta. “Was this a dream? I wasn’t sure, but as this specter made eye contact with me, he pointed his weapon and fired right at me…. I remember asking God, ‘Is this the day?’ Death was coming.” Retired Officer John Caprarelli focused on his suffering and the PTSD, which he still suffers from as a result of the incident. “Others won’t have to helplessly watch as family members or co-workers single-handedly deal with issued they don’t fully understand.” While retired officer Officer Martin Whitfield who was the most seriously injured explain that “Multiple surgeries and many months of physical and mental therapy immediately followed the shooting.” “Although I remember every minute of Feb. 28, 1997, I cherish every minute after that day and have developed a lifestyle of surviving,” Whitfield had suffered four billet wounds during the shootout and attempted to sue the gun manufacturers. This advanced the novel product liability theory. This dictates that the manufacturers should have known their guns were “ultra-hazardous products.” There is no denying that the prevention of innocent fatalities was an astounding achievement. But did this incident change the course of history? Prior to the 44 minute shooting, the L.A.P.D. had lost a lot of public respect and were under scrutiny for the Rodney King Beating.  This event then allowed the media to switch their focus and shine a positive glow on law enforcement. Yet 24 years later we still have the same stories of police brutality and racial abuse from police in the US. Was the rearming of officers a good thing? Did the change in the laws increase the firepower of the police and criminal alike? Perhaps a reassessment of gun law itself would have been more useful. Hindsight is a powerful thing. Who could have predicted such an event happening and no one could have seen such a rapid change in law enforcement coming so swiftly. For those interested in the film. For now it can be viewed on YouTube in its entirety. Standing at a 6.4 on IMDB, it’s got a better rating than a lot of run of the mill actions movies. For easiness I have embedded the video below:


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