10 Officers in Bank Shootout Get Top Honor

WASHINGTON —  Praised by President Clinton as “true American heroes,” 10 Los Angeles police officers who braved the 1997 North Hollywood bank shootout were among 34 recipients of the national “Top Cops” award at a White House ceremony Friday.

The award, sponsored by the National Assn. of Police Organizations, is given to law enforcement officers who have given exceptional service to their communities.

As the officers gathered in the White House Rose Garden and family members waved from the audience, Clinton said, “We honor here today . . . both the heroism and the humanity that reflects the best of good professional law enforcement.”

The 10 Los Angeles Police Department officers were key participants in the prolonged gun battle between police and two heavily armed men after a botched robbery at a Bank of America branch in North Hollywood on Feb. 28, 1997.

The robbers, toting automatic assault rifles and wearing full body armor, fired more than 1,100 rounds as they battled police in a terrifying exchange that was broadcast live on television.

During the gunfight, 12 officers and eight civilians were wounded, and the two robbers--Emil Matasareanu and Larry Eugene Phillips Jr.--were killed.

“The story of the officers from North Hollywood--because of the volume of fire that was involved in their incident--[has] been told beyond the borders of their state,” Clinton said.

U.S. Atty. Gen. Janet Reno, who also spoke at the ceremony, described the North Hollywood incident as “the most violent shootout in modern American history.”

After the ceremony, LAPD Officer Richard Zielinski said, “This is incredible.”

“It was pretty thrilling,” Officer John Caprarelli said. “I’m sure it’ll sink in later on.”

The other honored Los Angeles policemen were Sgt. Steven Gomez, Dets. Vincent Bancroft Jr. and Kevin A. Harley, and Officers Don Anderson, Edward Brentlinger, Richard Massa, Dean Schram and Conrado Torrez.

In the aftermath of the shootout, a controversy has emerged surrounding the actions of other officers and paramedics at the scene. They have been accused by the mother of Matasareanu of allowing the wounded man to bleed to death instead of calling for medical assistance.

A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Matasareanu’s children against the LAPD and the city Fire Department.

Police Department officials, however, concluded in a recent report that all officers had acted within department policy.