Norco 80 robbery

[GJM]

When my wife and I were at the range shooting today, a man came over to visit. He was an enthusiastic Glock shooter, and had recently taken second place in some division at a GSF match in Washington state. It turns out that his name was Gary, and he was a hostage in the Norco 80 robbery and shoot out. They car jacked his van, and took him hostage. A police officer shot the driver with a shotgun, with the projectiles passing just inches from his face. That experience caused him to want to develop self-defense shooting skills.

https://www.facebook.com/norco80/pho...193722/?type=3

Norco 80 - "Gary Hakala knew all about tough guys and how a person’s life can change in an instant long before he crossed paths with Manny Delgado." - Norco 80 Hostage Gary Hakala testifying on direct by Assistant D.A. Kevin Ruddy. When Hakala pulled his van into the parking lot of the Brea Mall to fix a broken side mirror he found himself looking down the barrels of 3 handguns. Hakala endured 5 hours bound and imprisoned in a small cabinet in the back of the van while his vehicle was used in the robbery. He survived the shootout and escaped by leaping out the back window of the van onto Hamner Avenue still bound hand and foot. | Facebook

[dogcaller]

I grew up not far from there, though I was only 8 when it happened. Really interesting hearing the story and the happenings in the area I know so well. A really interesting book, regardless of where you are from. Also on Audible.

[BobM]

My department had a VHS training tape about the incident back in the late 80s.

[fatdog]

I grew up not far from there, though I was only 8 when it happened. Really interesting hearing the story and the happenings in the area I know so well. A really interesting book, regardless of where you are from. Also on Audible.

That books is great, well told story.

[Guerrero]

They did a podcast series about it:

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/943092240/norco-80

[blues]

The book was as close as I'd like to come to having been an unwilling participant.

[NWshooter]

Thanks for sending me down a 3 hour rabbit hole on YouTube about this.

Very interesting

[entropy]

California was always nuts!

[Doc_Glock]

I met a guy here who was a deputy in that shoot out! Small world. He was injured and a buddy killed in the ambush in the dirt road if I recall.

[Erick Gelhaus]

The book & the podcast come at the event from very different perspectives. I was really glad I listened to the podcast in addition to reading the book.

Reading about & hearing about the experience of the hostage was illuminating. There but for the grace of God

While the event was an early driver for patrol rifles, it is really not at all well known in the cop world.