Andre Stander
Encyclopedia
Andre Stander was a Police Captain at the CID branch of Kempton Park
Police Station, South Africa
who began robbing banks
in the 1970s and later became known in popular media as the head of the "Stander Gang" in the early 1980s. His father, Frans Stander, was a General in the South African Department of Correctional Services.
Andre became well known for the audacious manner with which he carried out his crimes: He would sometimes rob banks on his lunch break and he would often return to the scene of the crime as an Investigating Officer.
and Lee McCall
. On 11 August 1983, Stander and McCall, along with five other inmates, were taken off of Zonderwater Maximum Security Prison's premises for an appointment with a physiotherapist. Once the prisoners were left alone with the Doctor, Stander and McCall overpowered her and escaped. The other prisoners refused to participate and stayed behind. Stander and McCall returned to Zonderwater on 31 October 1983, in order to spring Allen Heyl from the facility where he was taking a trade test. From that day until the end of January 1984, the three began robbing banks together, under the nom de guerre of The Stander Gang (which was a creation of the news media, not of the gang).
McCall was killed on January 30 1984 in a Police raid on the gang's hide-out in Houghton
. Heyl fled to Greece, then England, then Spain and eventually back to England, where he was caught, tried and sentenced for robbery and a related arms charge to 9 years. After serving his time in the UK, he was extradited back to South Africa and was sentenced to 33 years in prison. Heyl was released on parole on May 18 2005. At the time that McCall was being confronted by the Police back in South Africa, Stander had been in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, trying to arrange for the sale of the gang's recently purchased sailing yacht, the Lilly Rose, that they planned to use for their final getaway once they had acquired enough loot.
Andre was renowned for robbing a bank and after hearing on the radio in the getaway vehicle about a hidden safe, returned to the bank to collect it.
Based on Tomasello's information, a police tactical unit surrounded the apartment that Stander had been using as a hideout, but Stander wasn't there. He had acquired a bicycle to use while he left his car with Tomasello to be repainted. He had left the apartment on the bicycle and returned only after the police had surrounded it. As he unknowingly rode up to the apartment complex, officer Michael van Stetina (who had been posted on the perimeter) recognized Stander and attempted to stop him. Stander tried to get away, but as Stetina prevented his escape a struggle for the officer's shotgun began. The gun discharged and Stander was hit. He immediately fell to the apartment complex's driveway, bleeding profusely. Stetina immediately radioed for an ambulance. Although officer Stetina tried to administer first aid, Stander's wounds were too extensive and while waiting for the ambulance to arrive, he bled to death.
Kempton Park, Gauteng
Kempton Park is a city on the East Rand in the Gauteng province, South Africa. Formerly an independent municipality in the Transvaal, Kempton Park no longer has its own municipal government, and has been part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality since 2000...
Police Station, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
who began robbing banks
Bank robbery
Bank robbery is the crime of stealing from a bank during opening hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, robbery is "the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of...
in the 1970s and later became known in popular media as the head of the "Stander Gang" in the early 1980s. His father, Frans Stander, was a General in the South African Department of Correctional Services.
Andre became well known for the audacious manner with which he carried out his crimes: He would sometimes rob banks on his lunch break and he would often return to the scene of the crime as an Investigating Officer.
The Stander Gang
After robbing nearly 30 banks, Andre Stander was sentenced to 75 years in prison on May 6, 1980. However, since many of the charges in the sentence ran concurrently, he faced an actual sentence of 17 years. Stander met two inmates named Allan HeylAllan Heyl
George Allan Heyl is the last surviving member of the Stander Gang of South African bank robbers.Heyl met his accomplices Andre Stander and Lee McCall in 1977, while they were in prison together ; Stander and McCall escaped from prison in August 1983, and broke Heyl out in October of that same...
and Lee McCall
Lee McCall
Lee McCall was a member of the Stander Gang, a group of three escaped convicts who went on a bank robbing spree in South Africa from October 1983 until February 1984. The group was named for Andre Stander, who gained fame for having been a Captain of Detectives in the Johannesburg Police when he...
. On 11 August 1983, Stander and McCall, along with five other inmates, were taken off of Zonderwater Maximum Security Prison's premises for an appointment with a physiotherapist. Once the prisoners were left alone with the Doctor, Stander and McCall overpowered her and escaped. The other prisoners refused to participate and stayed behind. Stander and McCall returned to Zonderwater on 31 October 1983, in order to spring Allen Heyl from the facility where he was taking a trade test. From that day until the end of January 1984, the three began robbing banks together, under the nom de guerre of The Stander Gang (which was a creation of the news media, not of the gang).
McCall was killed on January 30 1984 in a Police raid on the gang's hide-out in Houghton
Houghton Estate, Gauteng
Houghton Estate, often simply called Houghton is a wealthy suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, north-east of the city centre. Part of it is located in Region 3, the other part in Region 4 ....
. Heyl fled to Greece, then England, then Spain and eventually back to England, where he was caught, tried and sentenced for robbery and a related arms charge to 9 years. After serving his time in the UK, he was extradited back to South Africa and was sentenced to 33 years in prison. Heyl was released on parole on May 18 2005. At the time that McCall was being confronted by the Police back in South Africa, Stander had been in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, trying to arrange for the sale of the gang's recently purchased sailing yacht, the Lilly Rose, that they planned to use for their final getaway once they had acquired enough loot.
Andre was renowned for robbing a bank and after hearing on the radio in the getaway vehicle about a hidden safe, returned to the bank to collect it.
Events leading to his death
While Stander remained in the United States, international arrest warrants and all points bulletins were issued for his arrest. Trying to make the best of the situation, Stander created the false identity of an Australian author named "Peter Harris" and forged a driver's license. Afterwards, he visited a used car lot and purchased a Ford Mustang from a dealer named Anthony Tomasello. On February 10 1984, police pulled Stander over while he was driving and arrested him for driving an unregistered vehicle. Being relatively unknown to the American authorities at that time, Stander presented his false ID to the police, who recognized it as a forgery and subsequently seized it (adding driver's license forgery to his list of offenses) but believed his story about his identity and released him. Once released on the same evening, Stander returned to the police impound lot where his seized Mustang was being kept, broke in and stole the car. On the following morning, Stander returned to the same used car lot where he had purchased the vehicle and asked the same dealer, Tomasello, to have the car re-painted in a different colour. However, Tomasello had just read about the Stander Gang in a local newspaper. He told Stander that he would help him, got his information, and as soon as Stander had left, Tomasello called his lawyer. On his lawyer's advice, Tomasello called the local police.Based on Tomasello's information, a police tactical unit surrounded the apartment that Stander had been using as a hideout, but Stander wasn't there. He had acquired a bicycle to use while he left his car with Tomasello to be repainted. He had left the apartment on the bicycle and returned only after the police had surrounded it. As he unknowingly rode up to the apartment complex, officer Michael van Stetina (who had been posted on the perimeter) recognized Stander and attempted to stop him. Stander tried to get away, but as Stetina prevented his escape a struggle for the officer's shotgun began. The gun discharged and Stander was hit. He immediately fell to the apartment complex's driveway, bleeding profusely. Stetina immediately radioed for an ambulance. Although officer Stetina tried to administer first aid, Stander's wounds were too extensive and while waiting for the ambulance to arrive, he bled to death.
Biographical film
- Interest in Stander was first revived in 2000 with the play Stander by acclaimed South African playwright Charles J. FourieCharles J. FourieBorn in 1965 in South Africa Charles J. Fourie is an acclaimed South African playwright and director. Fourie staged his first play as drama-student at the Windybrow Theatre in 1985, and went on to receive the Henk Wybenga bursary as most promising student in the same year.Since, he has written more...
in his one-man play featuring Afrikaans actor Albert Maritz. The production of the play was performed country wide in South Africa and was hailed by critics. "Fourie's play Stander is a joyous celebration of some peculiarly local strengths and weaknesses, Sam Shepard revisited in Springs, and hot theatre!" - (Mail & Guardian). - Stander was the subject of the 2003 film StanderStander (film)Stander is a 2003 biographical film about Captain André Stander, a South African police officer who turned into a bank robber, starring Thomas Jane.-Reception:...
, starring American actor Thomas JaneThomas JaneThomas Jane is an American actor known for his roles in the 1999 film Deep Blue Sea, the 2001 TV film 61*, the 2004 film The Punisher and the 2007 Stephen King adaptation The Mist...
as Andre Stander.