The Hollywood Bandit: The Absolutely True Story of Washington’s Most Prolific Bank Heist

TThe story of the infamous Hollywood Bandit seems to be just that, a story. A story of high-speed chases, police shootings, elaborate disguises, relentless law enforcement, double lives, blazing treehouses and adrenaline junkies. A scenario in the making. And that’s exactly what Scott Scurlock liked.

William Scott Scurlock lived for adventure. Born and raised in Virginia, he moved to Olympia in 1978 to attend school in Evergreen State College. While studying to be a doctor, he quickly became involved in illegal substances. After getting his own lab on campus (an honor not everyone received), Scurlock would sneak past hours to craft crystallized meth.

With a very lucrative sum of money from anti-drug operations, Scurlock no longer cared about future education. With this new money, he began to design and build his infamous 60-foot, three-story treehouse on land near Evergreen. The treehouse itself has been described as Robin Hood’s land. The bridges meandered over and over again, a fire pole led to the lower levels and to the ground, the windows were as tall as adult males, there was even running water and tubs! It looked like something straight out of a fairytale. Scurlock continued to build and travel. If anyone ever asked, he told them he worked in construction.

Scurlock was very manipulative and usually got exactly what he wanted. Her cheeky beauty and endless charm didn’t hurt either. He was the definition of a man with a double life. This person embodied the light and the darkness of a person. Miss Tammy, a member of the local community and an old friend of Scurlocks, said. So, in 1990, when Scurlock quit the drug business due to a dangerous close call, it didn’t take long for him to recruit people to help him on his next getaway. More specifically, it didn’t take long for him to recruit Mark Biggins.

Mark Biggins was a close friend of University Scurlocks. He has been described as a gentle, earthy man who wrote poems and played the guitar. He was one of the last people suspected of being involved in the violence. It seems sheer desperation drove him to help Scurlock: a failed marriage, a drug problem, and a supporting girl left him in dire financial need. He also felt he owed Scurlock, who had helped him in the past.

On June 25, 1992, two men entered a Seattle bank. One wore a Ronald Raegan mask, the other wore theatrical makeup, a fake nose, a wig and sunglasses. It was obvious that one was much more excited about the flight than the other. Calm, calm, and intimidating, the two characters immediately took control of the room and then things moved south. In a state of panic, Biggins flooded their ill-researched getaway car. They ended up having to escape on foot! Even though they managed to escape capture with $ 19,971, the stress was too much for Biggins, who quickly quit. Of course, Scurlock had the exact opposite reaction: the rush was wonderful for him. He wanted to repeat it as soon as possible. He now turned to Steve Meyers.

Meyers was a struggling sculptor caught up in a nasty custody battle. He had been hired by his friend Scott Scurlock to model a certain treehouse. Once again, there was a man in financial trouble who owed Scurlock a favor. Although Meyers refused to rob the banks, he agreed to help by scanning police radios and monitoring incoming law enforcement. He also laundered the money stolen via gambling trips to Vegas and Reno.

By 1995, Scurlock and Meyers had stolen more than $ 1 million from the Seattle and Portland banks. Scurlock was famous for his immaculate disguises and has been dubbed the Hollywood Bandit. A reward of $ 50,000 was offered to anyone with information leading to his arrest. Shawn Johnson, the FBI officer assigned to the case, said the masked thief was the best bank robber he had ever encountered. Detective Mike Magan drove in the middle of the night in areas visited by Hollywood and even slept on the roofs of the banks he had robbed.

After a successful year, Scurlock contacted Biggins again, who agreed. The most unlikely trio of bank robbers in existence was born. They didn’t know it wouldn’t last more than a year. Scurlock needed higher stakes. The three men had originally planned to rob five banks in one night, but after Seattle police convinced every bank in the area to put electronic tracers on their money, they settled for a lucrative bank. The final robbery took place on November 27, 1996. Meyers and Scurlock entered the last bank they would ever rob. Biggins waited nearby in a getaway car. The moment Scurlock and Meyers entered the bank, a cashier who had been told about Hollywood hit the silent alarm. The police wasted no time at all and started to attend the scene as quickly as possible. During this time, due to a heavy storm and traffic during the holidays, the thieves were slow to leave the scene. Soon Scurlock noticed police cars following him. Calmly, he jumped out of the car, the pistol loaded. Gunshots erupted from both sides. The getaway car sped off without him and again stopped a few blocks away. This time, Meyers jumped out of the vehicle and opened fire. At the same time, Scurlock turned off the headlights and jumped out of the van. Police found a badly injured Meyers and Biggins, and a little over a million dollars soaked in blood. Scurlock was gone.

Scurlock remained in hiding for an entire day. The police spared no effort in searching for him through the terrible storm, but in the end, a civilian found him. Robert and Ronald Walker were visiting their mother for Thanksgiving. After hearing about an escaped thief, their mother convinced the two to check out the motorhome in the backyard. They became suspicious after seeing a window from the top open. Glancing through the windows, one of the boys saw the silhouette of a man. They immediately dialed 911. After the police threw two cans of pepper spray into the camper van and received no response, one of them attempted to open the door. He was greeted with one shot and immediately withdrew. After a few hours of trying to contact Scurlock, ERT agents wearing gas masks entered. They found Scott Scurlock’s corpse with a single bullet hole in his head. In the end, Scurlock chose to kill himself rather than put her behind bars.

Those closest to him were shocked. A construction worker. A man living in a treehouse who spent his afternoons hiking and biking. The most prolific bank robber in Washington history, and one of America’s most successful bank robbers who, at the time of his death, was responsible for 17 bank robberies and approximately 2.3 millions of dollars stolen. The reign of the Hollywood Bandits ended like a Hollywood movie would, leaving behind a story worthy of the screen.