Summary
Netflix’s new crime documentaryHow to Rob a Banktells the story of Scott Scurlock, a serial bank robber known as “Hollywood” who stole over $2 million in total during the 1990s. Hollywood’s criminal career has become a popular true-crime case study due to his elaborate disguises, his unusual treehouse-dwelling lifestyle and his incredible final showdown with police.
Most sources claim that Hollywood was responsible for 19 robberies, but the real figure isn’t so simple to ascertain. Scott Scurlock died without giving police a full breakdown of his crimes, so journalists and law enforcement agents have had to piece together a timeline of his activities by talking to his associates, checking CCTV footage, and looking at case reports. There are a few heists which may or may not count, depending on the methodology, but Scott Scurlock committed at least 17 bank robberies during his four-year career.
All robberies took place in Seattle, Washington unless stated otherwise.
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18June 25, 1992, Seafirst, 4112 E Madison Street
$19,971
Scott and his associates were inspired byclassic heist movies, and their first bank robbery featured a nod to Patrick Swayze’s character inPoint Break.Mark Biggins wore a Ronald Reagan mask just like the one inPoint Break,but he and Scott were not as slick as Bodhi and his crew. Their calamitous getaway plan ended with them running across a golf course, leaving plenty of witnesses.
17August 14, 1992, Seafirst, 4112 E Madison Street
$8,124.50
Scott wanted to carry out his second bank robbery immediately after his first, but Mark Biggins and his getaway driver both had other ideas. Despite the frantic run across the golf course, Scott got a taste for robbing banks. He pulled his next heist by himself, and he started slowly honing his skills. Scott reasoned that the police would never expect him to rob the same bank in such quick succession, and returning to Seafirst also saved him the hassle of casing another bank.
16September 3, 1992, U.S. Bank, 4200 SW Edmonds Street
$9,613
Scott pulled a few heists by himself in late 1992. His third robbery was the first to take place at a different bank, but he stuck to the same playbook. He donned his prosthetic disguises and walked calmly into U.S. Bank. His cool demeanor was one of his greatest strengths as a bank robber, as it helped him exert control on the situation without having to resort to excessive threats and intimidation.
15September 11, 1992, University Savings And Loan, 4568 Sand Point Way NE
$5,739
Just eight days after his most recent robbery, Scott targeted another bank. Since he wasn’t trying to get into the vault at this point in his criminal career, he could control the entire bank by himself, and he would be in and out before the police could respond. The downside of this approach is that he could only get his hands on as much money as the bank tellers had in the tills.$5,739 was his lowest take from any successful robbery.
14October 5, 1992, Great Western Bank, 2610 California Avenue SW
$27,432
Scott’s fifth bank robbery was the last one he carried out by himself before getting an accomplice on the inside who could help him get his way into the bank vaults. By this time,the police were building a profile of Scott, although they didn’t know his true identity. They had seen his disguises on the CCTV tapes from his previous heists andnicknamed him “Hollywood,“but he was still too fast for them to catch. They would ramp up their interest in him as he increased his earnings.
13November 19, 1992, Seafirst, 4020 NE 55th Street
$252,000
After a string of robberies that he accomplished alone, Scott knew that he had to find a way to start making more money from his heists. It wasn’t worth the risk of a lengthy jail sentence for a few thousand dollars, soScott recruited a woman with inside knowledge who worked at Seafirst bank.How to Rob a Bankidentifies her only as “Mustang”. She coached him on how to get inside a bank’s vault, and his next take of $252,000 speaks for itself.
12November 24, 1993, Seafirst, 4020 NE 55th Street
$98,571
After his first big score, Scott was able to live comfortably off his stolen money for a while, but he decided to return to robbing banks roughly a year later. This time he recruited Steve Meyers to help him.How to Rob a Bankshows Scott’s accomplices, so Steve is able to speak for himself about his motivations and his relationship with Scott.Steve got just $5,000 for his role in this robbery. He sat in a car outside listening to a police scanner, ready to contact Scott if their location was compromised.
11January 21, 1994, U.S. Bank, 8702 35th Avenue NE
$15,803
Scott and Steve robbed five banks together in 1994, and this allowed them to perfect their technique. Steve would wait outside in the car while Scott went inside and got the vault teller to let him inside the vault. Scott was ready to bail at a moment’s notice, and this is a big reason why he evaded the police for so long. Rather than running the risk of spending too long inside the bank, Scott would abandon the heist if Steve told him to, knowing that he would soon have another chance. This particular heist was cut short before Scott could clean out the vault.
10February 17, 1994, Seafirst, 4020 NE 55th Street
$114,000
Scott’s third heist on the same bank provided him with another big score. Hitting the same banks repeatedly meant that there was little chance of something surprising Scott, but it also meant that the police and the FBI might become more likely to predict his next move.Hollywood had attracted considerable police interest at this point, and law enforcement were able to learn more about his M.O. with each heist.
9June 24, 1994, First Interstate, 3782 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland, Oregon
$0 - Scott aborted the robbery
As the police continued to close in on Scott and Steve, the duo decided to move into unfamiliar territory for a change. Although the vast majority of their robberies took place in Seattle, they experimented a couple of times in 1994 with working in Portland, Oregon. Their first attempt was almost a disaster, butScott made the decision to abort the robbery and escapebefore the police could arrive.
