
Man Survives THIRD Assassination Attempt in Sydney
Sydney’s underworld has been rocked again as notorious gangland figure Vailena Koloamatangi narrowly escaped death for the third time in just five years after being shot multiple times in a botched assassination attempt. The 28-year-old was found with four gunshot wounds late Wednesday night in the suburb of Winston Hills, located near Parramatta in western Sydney.
According to New South Wales Police, at least eight shots were fired at Koloamatangi, four of which struck him in the chest, arm, and leg. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in serious but stable condition and placed under police guard.
The gunman fled the scene in a Jeep Grand Cherokee, which was found engulfed in flames just 10 minutes later in Northmead. Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze, but the SUV was completely destroyed, likely in an effort to erase forensic evidence. Forensic investigators have since set up two crime scenes—one at the location of the shooting and another where the Jeep was set on fire—as they search for clues.
This latest attempt on Koloamatangi’s life marks the third failed hit in recent years. In September 2023, he was shot in the head and chest while sitting in a car in a basement parking lot on Canterbury Road. Despite the severity of his injuries, Koloamatangi survived after a close call in the hospital. That incident saw three stolen vehicles set ablaze in various suburbs of Sydney.
Another attempt on Koloamatangi’s life occurred in 2020 when he was sitting in a Toyota Camry with a friend, Hasan Gotkas, when gunmen opened fire. Gotkas was injured in the attack, but Koloamatangi walked away with relatively minor injuries.
Sydney has seen a surge in gangland violence over the past few years, spurred by a brutal rivalry between criminal organizations. These tit-for-tat attacks have plagued the city since 2020, resulting in multiple high-profile shootings. However, authorities have recently made significant arrests, which they say has helped dismantle some of the key figures involved in the violence, leading to a reduction in public shootings.
The investigation into Wednesday’s shooting is ongoing, with police urging anyone who may have information, CCTV footage, or dash cam recordings from the area to contact Crime Stoppers. As police comb through the evidence, Koloamatangi remains in the hospital under guard, his latest brush with death adding to a growing list of near-fatal encounters in Sydney’s ongoing underworld war.