Thomas Hickey

Thomas “TJ” Hickey, 17-years-old Indigenous teenager, died on February 14, 2004, after a police chase in Sydney.

Hickey was riding his bicycle. At some stage during the ride, two police officers, engaged in an unrelated operation to catch a handbag thief, started to pursue Hickey in their vehicle. Although he was discounted as the bag-snatch suspect (described as a man in his 20s) police officers followed him as a person of interest’.

When Hickey was riding his bicycle, it seems likely he saw the police van and panicked. He tried to get away from the police and impacted with the spiked metal fence. The steel spikes penetrated his neck and chest. He died 14 hours later in a hospital. According to some accounts, he was hit by a police vehicle resulting in him catapulting onto the steel fence. Police fervently deny Hickey was chased, nor that he was hit by a police car.

In April 2021, families of victims of police violence held a demonstration demanding justice for them. Hickey’s family also took part in it as they expect justice for Thomas, because the investigation into his case is still ongoing.