Sydney's 1984 'Dog Day Afternoon'
Encyclopedia
The 1984 "Dog Day Afternoon" hostage crisis was an incident that took place between the hours of 10:30am and 4:30pm on Tuesday 31st January 1984 in George Street, Sydney
, New South Wales
, Australia
when a 35 year old male went on a bank robbery spree, taking 11 people hostage, before holding police at bay for several hours before finally being shot dead. Media at the time referred to the incident as Sydney's 'Dog Day Afternoon
' due to some similarities with the bank robbery film of that name. The event was also described as "Australias most dramatic hostage chase" with "scenes likened to a Hollywood action film."
, owned several expensive cars and robbed up to three banks a day, amassing over AUD $150,000 in a year.
. Due to the earlier robberies police were on high alert and quickly responded to the Commonwealth Bank robbery with dozens of heavily armed tactical police forming a perimeter. During negotiations Atahan fired at least two shots from a pistol and released all the banks customers. Some time later Atatah released 4 female bank staff whilst keeping 5 male staff as hostages.
Some 2 and 1/2 hours later Atahan ended negotiations and emerged from the bank encircled by the 5 hostages who were each forced to place a hand atop of Atahans head. This tactic caused confusion and prevented police marksmen from obtaining a clear view or shot at him. One of these staff members included Geoff Findlay. Atahan forced the 5 into a nearby Datsun
sedan which had keys left in it forcing a hostage to drive off through police roadblocks. This began a pursuit that lasted several hours involving 39 police cars, a police helicopter and 4 Water Police launches. After two hours of driving around Atahan released a hostage and collected his 23 year old girlfriend Sharon Oliver. Upon reaching the Spit Bridge
police raised the bridge preventing Atahan from travelling any further. Detectives from the Special Weapons & Operations Section approached the vehicle ordering him to surrender. Atahan fired his pistol at point blank range at Detective Senior Constable Steve Canelis striking him just above his nose. Other officers returned fire killing Atahan. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=2GVhAqukVA0C&pg=PT42&lpg=PT42&dq=atahan+bank+police&source=bl&ots=yt21f72qUs&sig=xGsTkI_nvPHB5-fWw7YrhsGHAjI&hl=en&ei=lm9pToCuMcaWiQfOnuW7BA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=atahan%20bank%20police&f=false
, Episode 4 – Armed and Dangerous.http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/tv--radio/tv-reviews/wednesday-tv-gangs-of-oz/2010/02/20/1266082376742.html It was also made into a short feature film, ATAHAN A Feature Film (A Bank Robber, a Cop and a Reporter – not a good mix A TRUE STORY).
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
when a 35 year old male went on a bank robbery spree, taking 11 people hostage, before holding police at bay for several hours before finally being shot dead. Media at the time referred to the incident as Sydney's 'Dog Day Afternoon
Dog Day Afternoon
Dog Day Afternoon is a 1975 drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Frank Pierson, and produced by Martin Bregman. The film stars Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon, Penny Allen, James Broderick, and Carol Kane. The title refers to the "dog days of summer".The film was...
' due to some similarities with the bank robbery film of that name. The event was also described as "Australias most dramatic hostage chase" with "scenes likened to a Hollywood action film."
Suspect
Turkish born 35 year old Hakki Bahadir Atahan who was unemployed at the time had carried out no less than 19 bank robberies during 1984 and 16 during 1983. Atahan lived an expensive lifestyle renting a luxurious penthouse apartment in ManlyManly
Manly is an adjective corresponding to manhood or masculinity.Manly may also refer to:-Places:* Manly, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney** Manly Council, a local government area in Sydney...
, owned several expensive cars and robbed up to three banks a day, amassing over AUD $150,000 in a year.
Events
During the morning of Tuesday 31st January 1984 Atahan had successfully robbed 3 banks before entering the Commonwealth Bank, George Street, SydneyGeorge Street, Sydney
George Street is one of Sydney's most notable city streets. There are more high rise buildings and more ASX 100 companies located here than anywhere else in Australia, and is well known for being busy around-the-clock...
. Due to the earlier robberies police were on high alert and quickly responded to the Commonwealth Bank robbery with dozens of heavily armed tactical police forming a perimeter. During negotiations Atahan fired at least two shots from a pistol and released all the banks customers. Some time later Atatah released 4 female bank staff whilst keeping 5 male staff as hostages.
Some 2 and 1/2 hours later Atahan ended negotiations and emerged from the bank encircled by the 5 hostages who were each forced to place a hand atop of Atahans head. This tactic caused confusion and prevented police marksmen from obtaining a clear view or shot at him. One of these staff members included Geoff Findlay. Atahan forced the 5 into a nearby Datsun
Datsun
Datsun was an automobile marque. The name was created in 1931 by the DAT Motorcar Co. for a new car model, spelling it as "Datson" to indicate its smaller size when compared to the existing, larger DAT car. Later, in 1933 after Nissan Motor Co., Ltd...
sedan which had keys left in it forcing a hostage to drive off through police roadblocks. This began a pursuit that lasted several hours involving 39 police cars, a police helicopter and 4 Water Police launches. After two hours of driving around Atahan released a hostage and collected his 23 year old girlfriend Sharon Oliver. Upon reaching the Spit Bridge
Spit Bridge
The Spit Bridge is a bascule bridge that carries Spit Road over Middle Harbour in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, at a point called "The Spit", 10 km north-east of the CBD. It connects the suburbs of Mosman, on the south bank and Seaforth, on the north bank...
police raised the bridge preventing Atahan from travelling any further. Detectives from the Special Weapons & Operations Section approached the vehicle ordering him to surrender. Atahan fired his pistol at point blank range at Detective Senior Constable Steve Canelis striking him just above his nose. Other officers returned fire killing Atahan. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=2GVhAqukVA0C&pg=PT42&lpg=PT42&dq=atahan+bank+police&source=bl&ots=yt21f72qUs&sig=xGsTkI_nvPHB5-fWw7YrhsGHAjI&hl=en&ei=lm9pToCuMcaWiQfOnuW7BA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=atahan%20bank%20police&f=false
Aftermath
The incident, including news footage from the time, features in the 2009 Australian tv series Gangs of OzGangs of Oz
Gangs of Oz is an Australian television documentary series on the Seven Network narrated by actor Colin Friels. The show looks at real stories of Australia's criminal underworld with accounts from criminals, their families and the police who risk their lives to catch them.-Episodes:Season 1*Episode...
, Episode 4 – Armed and Dangerous.http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/tv--radio/tv-reviews/wednesday-tv-gangs-of-oz/2010/02/20/1266082376742.html It was also made into a short feature film, ATAHAN A Feature Film (A Bank Robber, a Cop and a Reporter – not a good mix A TRUE STORY).
Victims
- Detective Senior Constable Steve Canelis - Special Weapons & Operations Section - shot in the face at point blank range, survived.
- Two hostages rushed to hospital with undisclosed minor injuries.
- Hakki Bahadir Atahan - shot dead by police.
External links
- Timeline of major crimes in AustraliaTimeline of major crimes in AustraliaTimeline of major crimes in Australia-1800s:*26 January 1808 - George Johnston played a key role in the only successful armed takeover of government in Australia's recorded history, the Rum Rebellion...
- Crime in AustraliaCrime in AustraliaCrime-wise, Australia is comparatively a safe place to live, though often the perception of crime is much higher. Human smuggling, human trafficking and the illegal drug trade have all impacted Australia in recent years...
- Crime in New South Wales