Man wrestles shooter to ground, disarms gun
A man seen wrestling and disarming one of the gunmen who opened fire on a crowd at Bondi Beach is being hailed as a hero as footage of the brave act circulates online.
At least 12 people were killed and many others were injured when two gunmen aimed at the crowd gathered on the beach for the Hannukah celebration just before 19:00 on Sunday.
While one of the attackers was detained by the police, the other was killed.
Multiple videos posted on social media show two gunmen standing on a footbridge connecting Campbell Parade to Bondi Pavilion and opening fire on the crowd.
Men could be seen firing guns as people screamed and ran for cover.
In an action that could have prevented further deaths, one of the gunmen was disarmed and prevented from firing further into the crowd.
Footage of the fight shows a man dressed in a white shirt and black trousers crouching behind a parked car in the Campbell Parade car park.
He then sneaks up behind the gunman before wrenching the firearm from his grasp in the potentially deadly struggle.
The altercation caused the man who had previously been holding the gun to stumble to the ground before getting up and walking towards the parking bridge overpass, where another shooter continued shooting.
The video appears to have been shot by a resident of an apartment overlooking the scene.
While many people praised the bystander’s action to intervene as an act of bravery that could have saved lives, others questioned why police action was not so swift.
Grace Matthews was on her way to the beach to attend a Hanukkah by the Sea event when she heard shots being fired and took shelter in a church.
“One of my friends was at the festival and said the police were unprepared for this type of threat,” Ms Matthews told ABC News. he said.
“So that’s why a member of the public had to pose as a civilian to neutralize one of the threats.”
“This should never be a situation where a member of the public, or even a plainclothes police officer, engages an active shooter.”
“There is a police station less than a block away from where the shooting occurred…why this has taken so long is beyond my understanding,” he added.
Authorities have since described the incident as a terrorist attack targeting Sydney’s Jewish community.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said he was “incredibly proud” of the force’s response.
“They did a fantastic job and unfortunately we learned a lot after the Westfield Bondi Junction attack and tonight the ambulance, police and other responders acted quickly and professionally to do a fantastic job,” he told reporters.
