Criticial Incident:North Hollywood Shootout

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Last night, on the National Geographic Channel (Cablevision 162), they aired a program entitled "Critical Incident: North Hollywood Shootout", which was a detailed documentary portraying the Febuary 28th, 1997 bank robbery and subsequent shootout in North Hollywood, California where two heavily armed men robbed a Bank Of America, clad in complete body armor weighing more then 50 pounds. They outgunned the police with modified AK-47's with large clips, armor piercing steel plated bullets, and fired over 1,100 of the rounds during the robbery and after they exited the bank and took the shootout to the streets. They were given the oppurtunity to leave by the LAPD, but they decided they wanted to stay and fight. 9 police officers and two civilans were shot, all miraculously survivied. One of the bandits commited suicide, and the other was shot in the unexposed ankle by LAPD SWAT and bled out and died. This incident lasted for a terrifying 45 minutes.

It's this incident that proved the need for LAPD PATROL officers to carry more powerful weapons. Although officers had been asking for years for more powerful weapons to be more readily available, a politically sensitve envirorment in Los Angeles had denied those requests.

I highly reccomend viewing this program when it reairs. The next reair is scheduled for Saturday June 16, 4P et.

I remember watching this live on TV. It's incidents like this that makes me thankful, that although LA has top-notch SWAT, that we have ESU that's ready to go and out there 24/7.

Did anyone else catch this?