1971 Tokai Bank Heist
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| Tokai Bank Heist | |
|---|---|
 Enhanced surveillance camera picture of MacCauley (foreground) and Boehler (background) during the heist | |
| Location | Tokai, Tokai, Torisakia |
| Date | July 30-31, 1971 1:38 p.m. – 6:13 a.m. |
| Target | A branch of the National Bank |
Attack type | Bank robbery, shootout, Hostage situation |
| Weapons | Boehler: ZIG ZG 550, Hemington Model-742 MacCauley: ZIG ZG 550, Mechler & Kook MK33. Mechler & Kook Z9 |
| Deaths | 16 (12 bank-goers, 2 police officers, and both perpetrators) |
Non-fatal injuries | 31 |
| Perpetrators | Charles David Boehler Michael Ryker MacCauley |
| Motive | Robbery Anti-globalization |
The Tokai Bank Heist was an armed confrontation between two armed bank robbers, Charles David Boehler and Michael Ryker MacCauley, and members of the Tokai Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) in the West Hatton district of Tokai, Tokai, Torisakia on July 30 and 31, 1971. Both robbers were killed, as well as 12 bank-goers who were held as hostages. Two TMPD officers were killed during the confrontation as well. Numerous others were injured in the almost 17 hour standoff. An estimated 2,100 rounds of ammunition were fired between the perpetrators and police.
At 1:38pm TST, Boehler and MacCauley entered and robbed the National Bank's West Hatton branch. They then barricaded themselves inside and took those inside as hostages. Police attempted to negotiate with the robbers, who requested that they be provided a getaway vehicle, T$250,000 in ransom, granted immunity for their crimes, and to speak in-person with then-President Robert Krupin. Many of their demands could not be reasonable met, with the robbers threatening to kill everyone inside if their requests were not fulfilled by 12:00pm on July 31st. With negotiations breaking down and time running short, TMPD officers planned to storm the bank and eliminate the robbers before they could kill any hostages. Training at the time dictated that in a hostage situation police attempt to negotiate with the perpetrator for at least 12 hours, afterwards they attempt to eliminate the hostage taker. This led to a heavily botched infiltration of the bank that ended with two TMPD officers and all 12 hostages being shot dead by the robbers. Boehler and MacCauley were finally eliminated by TMPD officers after they attempted to flee the bank.
Police officers in Torisakia at the time typically carried 9mm pistols and .357 revolvers, while many police cars carried a heavier weapon such as a 12-gauge shotguns. Boehler and MacCauley were armed with ZIG ZG 550 rifles, a Mechler & Kook MK33 with a side-mounted 100 round drum magazine, and a Hemington Model-742 rifle, all of which were illegally modified to fire at a higher rate than designed, along with a Mechler & Kook Z9 pistol. The robbers also wore homemade body armor, which were lead aprons sewn to the linings of jackets. The vast difference in weapons between the police and the robbers is largely what caused the poor handling of the infiltration, as well as poor and outdated training.
The incident led to the creation of the Torisakia Counter-Terrorism Force (TCTF), a law enforcement unit equipped with military equipment and tactics to handle situations such as these. Prior to this, Torisakia did not have any designated unit for such incidents while only a handful of police forces had access to military grade equipment. The incident also led to the increased crackdown on illegally modified weapons, both modified by the consumer and those modified and sold.
Due to the weapons used, rounds fired, and length of the conflict, it is widely regarded as one of the most intense gunbattles in Torisakia police history. It was the deadliest civilian firearm attack in Torisakia history until the Hoyer Mall Shooting over 20 years later. It also pushed forth sweeping reforms of the police force to include better training for hostage situations and eliminating old and outdated practices.