Emil Dechebal Matasareanu
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Emil Dechebal Matasareanu (July 19, 1966 – February 28, 1997) is best known as one of two men who robbed a Bank of America in North Hollywood, California, on February 28, 1997. He was born in Romania and grew up in Altadena.
As they were occupied with robbing the bank and keeping control of their hostages, a large number of police officers gathered outside, as a result of an officer's request for backup and his report of the suspects being armed with automatic AK-47 rifles.
As the suspects were about to flee the scene, they encountered the police officers outside and opened fire, shooting wildly for several minutes. Later, Matasareanu drove the getaway car while Phillips walked alongside it and continued shooting at the police. After some time, they were separated. Philips, surrounded by police, committed suicide with a Beretta 92F handgun when his AK-47 jammed.
Finally, the SWAT team arrived and after a brief shootout, they wounded Matasareanu. Taking cover behind a truck, Matasareanu continued to fire until he had been shot in the legs and feet by SWAT team members so many times that he collapsed against the hood of the car. He later died of his wounds at the scene. He was hit 29 times.
The Matasareanu family later filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department for taking too long to provide him with medical attention, and also for reported brutality against Emil as he was handcuffed in the street. The first trial resulted in a hung jury, and the lawsuit was later dropped.
Emil Matasareanu is survived by two sons, Alexander and Emil Jr. Alexander has stated on repeated occasions that he is very ashamed of his late father.
