EPISODE 4
North Hollywood Shootout
Break down of the 1997 North Hollywood Shootout.
20 years ago this year, two dudes brought the LAPD and a few assisting agencies to their knees during a bank robbery that turned into an epic gunfight. Amazingly, the only two fatalities that day were the bad guys, but there were about 20 others wounded (civilian and police). Some of the big take aways have to do with the proliferation of long guns and armored vehicles in law enforcement, shooting “two the body, one to the head,” and how we apply the concept of shooting at the center of whatever mass is available. We also talk briefly about how this event might have been charactized as an active shooter in the early stages and how we might have handled this differently today.
If you know about or were involved with an incident that you think had worthwhile lessons learned, let us know!
Show Links:
News helicopter raw video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZg4mcYkIwU
Police audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5mkd6r9Kww
Fox News report https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E4_wDQFky0
Self inflicts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzjsQ-cxHBU
Nat geo documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q44yGYlUoQQ
44 min film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wty8VSi4Fs0
LA police commission use of force report: http://documents.latimes.com/north-hollywood-shootout-use-force-report/
Like what we’re doing? Head over to Patreon and give us a buck for each new episode. You can also make a one-time contribution at GoFundMe.
Intro music credit Bensound.com
CLICK BELOW TO SUBSCRIBE NOW ON YOUR FAVORITE PLAYER
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! PLEASE GO CHECK THEM OUT
Recent Episodes
Teaching the Enemy: Lessons from The Dragons and the Snakes
From guerrilla warfare and liminal conflict to use-of-force doctrine and law enforcement tactics, this episode connects military theory to street-level realities. Are we in a new kind of war without even knowing it? And what are we teaching our opponents every time we act?
It’s Chess AND Checkers–Tactics and Strategy Unite!
Why do we focus so much on tactics and so little on strategy? In this episode, Mike and Jim tackle the divide between street-level action and big-picture thinking. Drawing on lessons from policing, the military, and community crime prevention, they explore how individual cops, community members, and leaders can influence criminal decision-making—not just react to it.
Topics include resource constraints, the Broken Windows theory, and strategies for shifting offender perceptions to prevent crime before it occurs.
Armando Jimenez, a beer salesman, was on his way into the bank to cash a check when the first shots sounded. It appeared to him that one of the bandits panicked.