In this episode, retired agent Shawn Johnson reviews his investigation of serial bank robber Scott Scurlock, aka the Hollywood Bandit. Steven Meyers, who was Scurlock’s lookout and getaway driver, also takes part in this case review. Scurlock and Meyers staged takeover heists in the Seattle area during a four-year period in the 1990s. Before entering the bank, Steven would help Scurlock disguise himself with theatrical make-up and prosthetic facial features.
They robbed 19 banks. However, when surrounded by members of the Seattle Division’s Puget Sound Violent Crimes Joint Task Force while attempting to escape from their last robbery, a shootout ensued and ended with Meyers and another accomplice being shot. Scurlock fled the scene. When located, he died by suicide rather than surrendering.
The investigation was covered, and Shawn Johnson and Steven Meyers were featured in the Netflix docuseries, How to Rob a Bank.
“Fifth robbery they did, that’s the first time he entered a vault. So at that point, the stakes went up. We knew we had a serial bank robber. As you know, UNSUB doesn’t work, so we decided based on the theatrical makeup and just kind of the performance he did inside the banks, it seemed to be an appropriate acronym for him, so Hollywood stuck.”–Retired Agent Shawn Johnson
Special Agent (Retired)
Shawn Johnson
8/1987—1/2016
Shawn Johnson served in the FBI for over 28 years. His first assignment was to the Seattle Division, where he was initially part of the task force investigating the Green River serial murder case. After that, he was assigned to the Violent Crimes Squad, where he investigated and responded to bank robberies, fugitives, interstate theft, extortion, and kidnapping matters.
Shawn, who has a law degree, also served as the field office’s Assistant Chief Division Counsel. He was next assigned to the National Security Squad, where he worked counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence operations locally, and with the United States Army and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in overseas investigations.
He was re-assigned to the Violent Crimes Squad, where he became the Bank Robbery Coordinator and wrote the Bank Robbery Response plan for the Division.
He then volunteered for a transfer to the Milwaukee, Wisconsin Division and was assigned to the Madison Resident Agency, where used sophisticated surveillance techniques to take down drug organizations in Chicago and Madison, Wisconsin. Following the attacks on 9/11, Shawn managed the newly established Madison Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) comprising federal and local agencies.
Later in his career, he was assigned to the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, where he instructed new agent trainees in the areas of criminal investigations, counterterrorism investigations, and human intelligence (HUMINT). His last assignment before his retirement from the FBI was with the Directorate of Intelligence, training agents in HUMINT policy and procedures.
Currently, he is the founder of Wolf & Owl LLC, a consulting company where he continues to train FBI personnel for its mission to protect the United States.
Steve Meyers is the author of The Treehouse: The True Story of Hollywood the Bank Robber.
Steven served 13 years of a 21-year federal prison sentence for armed bank robbery, conspiracy, assault on a federal officer, and use of firearms during an assault on a federal officer. Upon his release in returned home New Iberia, Louisiana where he started a successful home renovation business and living a good life with his family.
His memoir recounts how he and Scott Scurlock, committed bank heists while they chased redemption in a society relentless in pursuit. Amid adrenaline-fueled escapades and moral dilemmas, their kinship deepens, culminating in an unexpected bond. The tale traces their odyssey against the unforgiving backdrop of the law, culminating in the tragic end of Hollywood, a man who lived and died on his own terms, leaving a legacy entwined with the lives he touched. Follow Steve on Instagram.
“When we first read the Seattle newspaper article, for me, it was appropriate in a very creative sense. That’s when we first had our connection to the FBI. We always knew the FBI was there, but we never had a face or a connection, unlike with the Seattle Police, which we could monitor, watch. We knew their procedures, their protocols, their shift changes, all of that. And so once this article came out, and we discovered the Hollywood name, I smiled. I thought, Man, that’s perfect.”—Author Steven Meyers
The following are links to articles about retired agent Shawn Johnson’s investigation to identify and capture Scott Scurlock, Hollywood the Bandit, and the Netflix docuseries featuring Shawn, Steven, and members of the FBI bank robbery squad:
CBS News – 7/26/2001: The End Of The Dream: Part 1
CBS News – 7/26/2001: Part II: A Modern-Day Robin Hood
CBS News – 7/27/2001: Part III: The Dream Unravels
Netflix – How to Rob a Bank Revisits the Story of Seattle’s Most Prolific Robber
To learn more, listen to these FBI Case File Review episodes about how the FBI investigates bank robberies and property crimes.
.
