Nominations for Shootout Heroism Draw Fire

Seventeen Los Angeles police officers have been nominated to receive the department’s highest commendation--the Medal of Valor--for their heroism in the 1997 North Hollywood bank shootout, the most honorees for a single incident in the department’s history.

But the announcement of the nominees, who must still be approved by the Police Commission today, triggered complaints Monday from many officers who felt other heroes in the internationally televised gun battle are being overlooked, including several who were wounded.

The 17 honorees were selected from a list of more than 100 officers whose actions in bringing down two gunmen armed with superior weapons in a 44-minute war were chronicled in a lengthy department investigation and report. They include 12 officers from San Fernando Valley divisions, nine of whom were in the North Hollywood Division when shots rang out at 9:17 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 28, from inside the Bank of America at 6600 Laurel Canyon Blvd.

By the time the battle ended, broadcast live on television, more than 1,800 shots had been fired, leaving 12 officers and eight civilians wounded or injured. Only the two robbers died.

The medal nominees were recommended by Chief Bernard C. Parks in a written report to the five-member commission, which makes the final decision. The commission almost always accepts the nominations submitted by the chief.

The medals will be presented at a ceremony in September.

First awarded in 1925, there have been 452 Medal of Valor recipients--defined in the LAPD manual as “officers who distinguish themselves by conspicuous bravery or heroism above and beyond the normal demands of police service.”

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But several observers and officers said they were surprised that some they considered to be heroes were omitted from the list of medal recipients. Among those mentioned is Sgt. Larry “Dean” Haynes, one of the first at the scene, who was wounded but continued to broadcast the movement of the robbers and draw their gunfire away from another wounded officer.

“Clearly Dean Haynes’ actions stand out among his peers,” said one observer who asked not to be identified. “Everyone who has seen the video and heard the audio from the shootout knows that Dean deserves the Medal of Valor.”

Another commented, “The actions don’t get any more heroic than the actions of Dean Haynes. They ought to fix their oversight rather than compound their mistake.”

However, Cmdr. David Kalish, department spokesman, said not everyone could be included in the record number of awards. “They’re all heroes and we don’t mean to slight the actions of one officer compared to another. However, the deeds of some officers were more heroic than others,” he said.

“The recommendations were made after a very thorough and comprehensive review of all the officers’ actions.”

Haynes has been interviewed about the shootout on national television and has testified on gun control in Sacramento, and his patrol car--hit by 57 bullets--was put on display as a graphic example of the powerful assault weapons used by the two slain robbers, Emil Matasareanu and Larry Eugene Phillips Jr.

Officers interviewed Monday agreed that those selected fully deserve the award, but said they feel the commendations are not comprehensive enough. But they also said Haynes would be the first to deny he deserves a medal. In a Times interview last year, Haynes, 42, of Canyon Country, praised his co-workers: “I was so awed by the response by the LAPD officers showing up, they just kept pouring in and engaging this guy . . . There were so many acts of heroism.”

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North Hollywood Division officers named to receive the award include James Zboravan, Ed Brentlinger, Conrado Torrez, John Caprarelli and Edwin Dominguez. Also from the division are Dets. Tracey Angeles, Kevin Harley, Vincent Bancroft and Thomas Culotta.

Other nominees are officers Richard Zielinksi of Valley Traffic Division and Anthony Cabunoc and Todd Schmitz of Van Nuys Division.

SWAT team members include officers Don Anderson, Rick Massa and Steven Gomez. Sgt. Israel Medina of the West Los Angeles Division and Officer Charles Perriguey of the Air Support Division were also nominated.