SHOOTOUT MEMORIES WITNESSES RELIVE VIOLENT ROBBERY.

Byline: Holly Edwards Staff Writer

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - When the North Hollywood shootout began just after 9 a.m. five years ago today, the sound of automatic gunfire and sight of flying bullets caused panic among everyone near the scene.

Jose Haro was working in his locksmith shop directly across from the Bank of America at 6600 Laurel Canyon Blvd., and hit the floor when he heard the gunfire. Eventually, three police officers sought refuge at Haro's kiosk.

When the gunfight ended 45 minutes later, Haro's kiosk was riddled with bullet holes.

``When I saw all bullet holes, my arms started to swell and I started to shake all over,'' Haro said Wednesday, his eyes growing moist as he recalled the shootout. ``In that moment I realized what a battle it was and that I was almost killed.''

The armor-clad robbers, Emil Matasareanu, 30, and Larry Phillips Jr., 26, were equipped with AK-47s and armor-piercing bullets, and sprayed the surrounding area with gunfire before they were shot dead by police.

By the time the shootout was over, 17 people were injured, 11 of them police officers.

As the gunfight unfolded, millions of people around the country watched the terrifying scene on television - including those caught in the middle of the violence.

``I was at home in my living room when I heard something that sounded like machine guns. I felt like I was in a war or something,'' said Jack Dokuzyan, 18, who lives on Agnes Avenue, directly behind the bank. ``So I turned on the news to see what's happening, and then I looked out and saw some crazy guy walking down the street shooting.''

Dokuzyan said he spent the rest of the shootout hiding under his bed.

Fred Abdo, 48, was in his nearby pizza shop, preparing to deliver 80 pies to area schools, when the shooting began. One bullet went through two concrete walls and into Abdo's restaurant, where the bullet hole remains in the wall as a ``souvenir.''

``If my driver had been standing one step forward, he would have been killed,'' said Abdo, who has owned Mr. Jiffy's Pizza for 12 years. ``He felt dust on his head and then we saw the bullet hole.''

There are more bullet marks on the concrete walls surrounding Abdo's restaurant, and he points to the spot on Archwood Street next to his shop where Matasareanu was gunned down by SWAT team members.

Residents say bloodstains could be found on the street for days after the shootout.

``He died right by that garage door,'' Abdo said, shaking his head. ``Those guys who did this weren't normal robbers. I was looking at one guy's face and he was like a robot, spraying bullets without any feeling.''

Carlos Lemus, 43, said he was on his way to the bank to cash his paycheck just before the robbery but had to turn around when he realized he had forgotten his wallet. Lemus works at a tire shop next to the bank and said he has seen several robberies in the area - but never anything like the shootout.

Lemus said he watched the scene from the large glass windows in front of the shop, but ran into a back room when the glass was shattered by gunfire.

``Forgetting my wallet was the luckiest mistake I ever made,'' he said. ``At first I started laughing because I thought it was fireworks. But then it was like a war zone, with cops hiding everywhere. I never saw nothing like that before.''