Inside the crimes of Scott Scurlock, Bank Robber Dubbed 'Hollywood Bandit'

The story of a man inspired by a movie to carry out 19 bank robberies in Seattle in the 1990s is now being told on the small screen in a Netflix documentary set to premier this Wednesday.

Between 1992 and 1996, William Scott Scurlock stole around $2.3 million while wearing a range of elaborate disguises that allowed him to evade police and earned him the nickname "Hollywood".

The 41-year-old, who was inspired to carry out the crime spree by the movie Point Break, ended his own life as police chased after him in Seattle's Ravenna neighborhood in November 1996.

Netflix's new documentary How to Rob a Bank will include interviews with Scurlock's friends and accomplices, as well as those who reported on the story as it unfolded and the police who tried to nab him.

When Scurlock died 18 years ago, the Seattle Times reported that his friends and acquaintances were left shocked at his crime spree.

"He wasn't a rough-type personality. He was very well-mannered," his lawyer Shawn Newman said at the time.

"He was an interesting guy. If you were to see him on the street, even if he hadn't shaved for a couple of days, he still looked good. He was very physically fit."

That view appeared to resonate with many, with the outlet reporting that locals it spoke to described the robber as intelligent, athletic and engaging.

He was, however, quiet about his private life, which included a period of time working as a drug dealer.

When his supplier was killed in 1990, it was time to pivot and the bank robbery movie starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze offered inspiration.

Scurlock's first stick-up happened on June 25, 1992 at the Seafirst Bank in the city's Madison Park neighborhood, alongside Mark Biggins.

He was pictured in a variety of suits and prosthetics, often carrying out the heists on his own while waving a handgun. Despite carrying the firearm, no one was ever hurt during the various robberies.

Scurlock would return to that same bank alone and rob it again, but in a different disguise, before going on to raid others around the city in the coming years.

Law enforcement, including the FBI, noticed the similarities between these heists and the nickname "Hollywood" was born.

According to the Washington Secretary of State, Scurlock spent a lot of his money around town while also giving it away to environmental causes, thinking of himself as a "Robin Hood" character.

Despite multiple attempts to catch him between 1994 and 1996, Scurlock managed to evade law enforcement until Thanksgiving that later year.

On November 27, 1996, Scurlock and his associates walked into the Seafirst Bank in Lake City.

A teller recognized him and pressed the silent alarm button as the robbers forced those inside to get onto the floor while they raided the vault for cash.

As they left, a customer followed and reported the getaway vehicle to the cops, with officers then able to follow even as they ditched the car in favor of a van.

When officers from the Puget Sound Violent Crimes Task Force managed to flank the vehicle and bring it to a halt, Scurlock got out and first his gun at officers.

While the cops fired back, they were unable to hit the suspect, who then got back into the vehicle and ploughed it into a nearby home before fleeing on foot. His two co-conspirators – Steve Meyers and Mark Biggins - were found inside the van with non-fatal gunshot wounds.

Police searched the neighborhood for Scurlock, including the home of 85-year-old Wilma Walker. When they found no sign of Scurlock, they moved on.

Her sons, Robert and Ronald, visiting for the holiday the following day, had heard about the $50,000 reward out for his arrest and the manhunt underway. They knew officers had not checked the camper van parked up on their mother's property.

Ronald took a peek inside and spotted someone who matched the description of the robber.

When police arrived and surrounded the van, attempting to get in, a gun went off and officers opened fire, too.

After waiting a while, with no sign of life, they forced their way into the camper and found Scurlock had not aimed his gun at them, but at himself. He was dead.

Later, FBI agents found a secret underground room where he stored all of his disguises, as well as some of the stolen cash.

Fast forward to 2024 and now Scurlock's story is being told through interviews, cartoon-style storyboards of the robberies and dramatized reenactments of "Hollywood's" robberies.

The documentary, lasting around 1 hour 30 minutes, premieres on June 5.