Mystery hint in alleged GC car shooting
Accused arrested in NSW
The lawyer for a suspected Lone Wolf bikie accused of a road rage shooting has said there is “more than meets the eye” in a mysterious message after his client’s arrest.
Little is currently known about where Saleh Atasoy spent the almost two months between the alleged Gold Coast shooting and his arrest in Sydney on the weekend.
An arrest warrant was issued for the 37-year-old in November last year after he allegedly fled the scene of the shooting at Mermaid Waters.
Police claim Mr Atasoy was seen driving erratically before getting into a heated altercation with another driver.
Mr Atasoy allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired a shot into the side of the other man’s Ford Ranger before fleeing. No one was injured.
Police said in the early stages of their search for the Oxenford man that their intelligence indicated he was a member of the Lone Wolf OMCG and was on bail for serious offences at the time.
Mr Atasoy has since been charged with damaging the ankle monitor he was required to wear as a condition of his bail.
It was reported in December that the search for Mr Atasoy had crossed into NSW, with police warning the community that he was potentially armed and considered dangerous.
Court documents reveal that following his arrest in western Sydney, Mr Atasoy was held at Surry Hills Correctional before briefly appearing in Parramatta Local Court prior to his extradition on Tuesday.
He now faces several fresh charges, including unlawful possession of a Category H weapon used to commit an indictable offence, dangerous conduct with a weapon, wilful damage, wilful damage to police property, and breaching bail.
The heavily tattooed Mr Atasoy was dressed casually in a T-shirt and shorts when he was brought into Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning. His defence lawyer, Nick Andrews, of Sans Law, said Mr Atasoy would not be applying for bail and was seeking to have a mental health assessment completed while in custody.
Mr Atasoy’s case was adjourned to February 13.
Speaking outside the Southport courthouse, Mr Andrews said he was unable to comment on why his client was found in NSW or whether he was trying to run from police.
“The matters are still before the courts, but I can tell you this – there’s a bit more than meets the eye when it comes to these matters,” he said.
“Mr Atasoy’s looking forward to his matters progressing through the courts.”
“The matters are still before the courts, but I can tell you this – there’s a bit more than meets the eye when it comes to these matters Nick Andrews
Defence lawyer