North Hollywood Shootout - 1997

I caught a documentary this weekend about this old but highly publicized shootout featuring two AK-47-toting bank robbers in body armor versus LAPD patrolmen (and later, SWAT). I remember reading about it in the paper for days afterwards and seeing the chilling footage on TV. Pretty scary stuff. I recall one story reporting that they used the 1995 film 'Heat' with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro as a training film.

It brings up that old 'monkey see monkey do' argument and juts off into letting kids play violent video games.. I got a hunch that if simply watching something makes you wanna go do something illegal, you got bigger problems and if it's not a TV filling your head with ideas, it'll be your imaginary friend or a book or something.

It made me dig Heat outta my pile of DVD's and watch it. Great flick. A young Natalie Portman is in it along with Ashley Judd and Val Kilmer, as well as one of my fav actors, hollywood madame-beating coke-snorting Tom Sizemore (he's a great actor, just not a nice person...)

Back to the shoot-out, there were actually some criticism aimed at Police for not letting medical personal get through to one of the robbers when he 'gave up' after 1) failing to start a truck he hi-jacked and 2) he ran out of ammunition.. Screw that! He gave up his right to medical attention when he started spraying the neighborhood with bullets. Sheesh..