Australia's own Dog Day Afternoon: Policeman's amazing survival story after siege stops city

IT started with a bank robbery, then became a hostage-taking and finally a wild chase involving 39 police cars, a helicopter, four water launches and scores of media. But the most extraordinary moment was when an Australian detective was shot between the eyes — and lived.

Hakki Atahan forces hostages along a street during the 1984 siege. Picture: Stuart Menzies

IT was mid-afternoon when Detective Senior Constable Steve Canellis returned to the Armed Hold-up Squad room in Sydney's Liverpool St after a morning in court 34 years ago.

He had barely sat down when the call to a robbery in progress at the Commonwealth Bank in George St at the city’s Rocks area went out.

For the next five hours the city was transfixed as that robbery escalated into a full-blown siege with five hostages taken, and one of the wildest car chases through the Harbour City, ending in a bloodbath at the Spit Bridge in which Canellis was shot between the eyes ... and lived.

Detective Steve Canellis is loaded into an ambulance after being shot by Hakki Atahan. File picture

 

Before the grisly climax, there were 39 police cars, a helicopter, four water launches, scores of media and even members of the public on the tail of armed robber Hakki Atahan.

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“You could not make it up if you tried,’’ Canellis said as he recounted how Atahan shot him in January 1984.

“It was like a movie. It was Sydney’s real-life version of Dog Day Afternoon,’’ he said, referring to the 1974 heist movie starring Al Pacino.

Atahan was shot dead by police at Spit Bridge. He had taken hostages as a human shield in an attempt to escape. File picture

Shootouts with armed robbers were commonplace in Sydney, with the elite NSW Armed Hold-up Squad shooting dead eight armed robbers between 1974 and 1984.

Four members of the squad were also shot — none fatally, although it was a miracle Canellis survived.

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On the morning of the January 31 siege, Atahan had already done two stick-ups when he hit the Commonwealth Bank at the Rocks.

Police sealed off the bank within minutes. Negotiators attempted to talk Atahan into giving up peacefully. He responded by letting some hostages go but fired several shots.

Steve Canellis shows the scar from being shot between the eyes. File picture

Retired police officer Steve Canellis pictured at home in 2016. Picture: Richard Dobson

Atahan had been on a hold-up spree on the day of the siege. File picture

“Then we saw the hostages being used as a shield when they came out of the bank after a couple of hours,” Canellis said.

From behind his human shield, the now desperate Atahan eventually found a Datsun 180B with the keys in the ignition, forced five hostages into the car and headed to the eastern suburbs.

“It was crazy. At one point a reporter was running next to the car trying to interview the hostages. Atahan pointed the gun at his face and said “F ... off c ..., I’ll kill you.’’’

Atahan released a hostage after he collected his girlfriend then went over the Harbour Bridge towards the Spit Bridge. “It was decided to raise the bridge and cut him off. The car came to a stop, did a U turn and headed for Manly. That’s when we decided to jam him and put an end to it.

“I went towards the car. I thought he would give up and stuck my head in through the window.”

Atahan shot Canellis between the eyes. “I reeled back, put my hand on my face and then saw all this blood.’’

His partner reacted quickly, shooting Atahan in the head. Fellow detective John Nagle put a bullet in the gunman’s neck.

Canellis was back at work in four months and retired a number of years later.

Coroner Margaret Sleeman found Atahan's death was the result of "a justifiable homicide".

“I reeled back, put my hand on my face and then saw all this blood.’’ Picture: Richard Dobson

• This is an edited version of a story first published in September 2016