He was one of Scott Scurlock‘s accomplices who helped him rob more than 18 banks in Seattle in the 1990s and features in Netflix’s new documentary How to Rob a Bank. Where Steve Meyers is now is a far cry from his criminal past having served 21 years for armed robbery.
Scurlock, also known as the “Hollywood Bandit,” was an infamous bank robber in the 1990s. His nickname came from his use of elaborate disguises during his heists, which often included makeup, wigs, and other props to alter his appearance.
Scurlock and his accomplices, Meyers and Mark Biggins, committed a series of meticulously planned bank robberies in the Seattle area, making off with millions of dollars. But the Hollywood Bandit’s life of crime came to an end in 1996 after a failed robbery led to a dramatic standoff with police. He was eventually tracked to a hideout in a houseboat on the Hood Canal, where he took his own life as law enforcement closed in. His accomplices, however, survived the ordeal. Here’s where Steve Meyers is now.
Where is Steve Meyers now?
Steve Meyers was released from prison on December 6, 2014, and is believed to be living in New Iberia, Louisiana. His life of crime is behind him, but he offered some interesting insight into the years leading up to the eventual botched robbery and shootout.
Meyers met Scurlock through his brother, Kevin. According to Steve’s accounts in the documentary, Scott had invited him to Washington to work on his treehouse—he had no idea that their relationship what their relationship would evolve into. On Scurlock’s first robbery, on June 25, 1992, Meyers surveyed potential targets and handled the post-crime logistics.
“He wasn’t Robin Hood. You look at Robin Hood and he was idealistic. He stole from the rich and all that nonsense,” Meyers noted in the documentary. “Scott wasn’t like that. He helped people that he knew if he needed something done in the future, he could call on them and they would do it.”
When the media dubbed Scurlock “Hollywood” or the “Hollywood Bandit” after a string of robberies, Meyers noted that it inflated Scurlock’s ego even more so. “That name influenced him immensely; I think it built him up even more. I think it excited him, without him saying it or acknowledging it. But I know his personality deep inside—he was proud.”
On that fateful final bank job, Scurlock boldly suggested they hit five banks in one night but that was downgraded to one after Seattle police had advised every bank to put electronic tracers on stolen money. On Thanksgiving Eve 1996 at around 5.30 pm, they arrived at Seafirst Bank, which they believed to have around $3 to 4 million on hand that day.
They escaped but got stuck in Thanksgiving holiday traffic. Police identified the van and surrounded it. Police claim Meyers got out of the van with a rifle and started to shoot; Meyers maintains it was law enforcement that shot first.
Meyers and Biggins were shot in the arms as a result and were immobilized. “Outside of the van, I was in and out of consciousness,” Biggins recalled. “I remember Mike Magan opening one of my eyelids checking to see if I was living or dead. I remember having a sense of relief that it’s finally over. I can let it go now. I don’t have to live like this anymore.”
The two men were taken into custody and then to the hospital. Scurlock, however, eluded police for 24 hours before killing himself the next day as police closed in. “Scott and I had several discussions about ‘What are you gonna do if you get caught?’ And he’d always say, ‘I’m not going to prison. I’m gonna head for the white light,’” Biggins recalled. “I’ve read the victim impact statements and some bank tellers and some customers in the bank were truly traumatized by the whole experience and I regret that. Sincerely.”
“I woke up the next morning in the hospital and the TV was going the news was carpeted with us, and my name and Scott Scurlock from Olympia, Washington, deceased. A self-inflicted gunshot wound and I looked and I just go, ‘Thank God,’” Meyers recalled.
“The shootout was the end, not only the end of our endeavors but the end of a certain life that I had. We were like two comets that came together and we met up and we started flying through the f—king universe and suddenly, boom! It all busted up in one second.”
Meyers pleaded guilty to charges of armed bank robbery, conspiracy, assault on a federal officer, and use of firearms during an assault on a federal officer in 1997. It’s believed Scurlock and his accomplices stole around $2 million, which is around $4 million in 2024.
How to Rob a Bank is available to stream on Netflix.
