The North Hollywood Shootout

Ion Croitoru was a professional wrestler with links to organised crime in Canada. Listen to our latest episode to hear his story.

Detroit in the 1980’s was a dangerous and volatile place. In 1985, 636 murders gave it the highest murder rate in the nation’s largest cities, almost twice that of Chicago. By the end of 1986, the number had increased by 10 more than the previous year, among them, the deaths of 43 children under the age of 16. The violence which started climbing in the early 1980s, created an anger across Detroit, with blame pointed at the flight of middle class white and black residents moving out to the suburbs, leaving no stabilising forces to fight for the city or offer role models to younger, poorer youths. Police and court officials say the rise of crime was due to the volatile mix of no jobs, poverty, guns and drugs. 2 men who rose from the crime ridden streets of Detroit were Demetrius ‘Big Meech’ Flenory and Terry ‘Southwest T’ Flenory

Much has been written about the American Mob. When one thinks of the stereotypical wise guy, the mind conjures up brash, violent, cigar smoking men with heavy Italian American accents. Figures such as Al Capone and John Gotti are likely to spring to mind. However, perhaps one of the most successful, powerful but lesser known gangsters was a man who was of Welsh descent.

28th February 1997 began as another normal, sunny Friday in Los Angeles. Laurel Canyon Boulevard in North Hollywood was just beginning to bustle with commuters, workers and shoppers starting their days. The day started like any other, but shortly after 9am, this would dramatically change. *This episodes contains realistic sounds of gunfire