Bondi 'bollard heroes' describe face-off with killer in Westfield: 'He wasn't there'
French natives Damien Geurot and Silas Despreaux – dubbed the 'bollard heroes' – had just arrived at the centre on Saturday when Joel Cauchi launched his attack.
Two "absolute heroes" who risked their lives to try and block Bondi Junction mass murderer Joel Cauchi from stabbing more victims have described the harrowing moment they came face to face with the "empty-eyed" killer.
French natives Damien Geurot and Silas Despreaux had just arrived at the centre on Saturday when the horrifying attack unravelled. The duo, both tradies, spared no thought for their own safety when they sprung into action, attempting to block Cauchi with bollards from his killing spree.
The pair are among several members of the public and security staff who risked their lives on the day and likely prevented more victims of the crazed killer, who was eventually shot dead by lone NSW Police officer Amy Scott.
Heroic tradies risk lives to block crazed killer from stabbing spree
"We tried to catch him but we were going down the stairs, then we saw him going down, so we followed him from the top and tried to throw the bollard at him, but we couldn't," Geurot told 7News. CCTV captured the tense moment Geurot stood in the way of Cauchi, waving a bollard at him at the top of an escalator in an effort to stop him in his tracks.
"I just thought, we need something to catch him," Geurot said. "We didn't think, you cannot think in that moment — it's just like adrenaline.
"His eyes were like empty eyes, he wasn't there."
Geurot later used a chair in another desperate bid to stop Cauchi, with a number of other bystanders gathering to help. The group later found officer Scott and guided her to Cauchi where she shot him dead.
Despite his incredible bravery, Despreaux, who joined his mate in trying to fight back against the knifeman, told the network; "I'm not going to lie, I was scared".
"But you cannot just stay away and not do anything," he said. "He was just determined to kill people."
Cauchi focussed on women, police say
A total of six people were stabbed to death on Saturday by Cauchi in an gruesome and bloodied attack that sent shockwaves around the country and the world. Eight victims remain in hospital including one woman who is fighting for life, a NSW Health spokesperson said on Sunday.
NSW Police Commissioner said she believes it's "obvious" Cauchi focussed on women during his frenzied attack.
"The videos speak for themselves, don't they? That's certainly a line of inquiry for us. It's obvious to me, it's obvious to detectives that it seems to be an area of interest that the offender had focused on women and avoided the men," she told ABC News Breakfast
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
