Siege on bank
NZPA Toronto A lone gunman, dressed in a cowboy outfit and armed with a rifle, held 26 persons hostage in a bank in Toronto yesterday, but surrendered after a 14-hour siege. The man, identified as Paul Virtanen, aged 23, of Ontario, eventually gave up his rifle to the bank manager, who walked out with the last six hostages. The Toronto police chief, who conducted telephone negotiations with the gun- 1 man, said that no-one was injured during the siege. However several of the hostages freed earlier were taken away on stretchers, including a man apparently bordering on a heart attack. After the last hostages were released, the gunman walked out the front door of the bank carrying a bottle of whisky. He was tackled by several policemen and taken away. He fired at least 12 shots during the siege to keep police at bay.
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Press, 31 October 1977, Page 6
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147Siege on bank Press, 31 October 1977, Page 6
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