'Hero' who took on killer describes Sydney attack
By Frances Mao
A French man, Damien Guerot, has been identified as the viral “Bollard Man” hero who tried to stop the killer during his stabbing spree on Saturday.
Mr Guerot went face-to-face with Joel Cauchi, who had stabbed shoppers at a Sydney shopping mall. Police have since said he was targeting women.
Armed with a long knife, Cauchi killed six people and wounded 12 before he was shot dead by a female police officer.
His senseless act of violence has horrified the country.
But amid the tragedy, many, including the nation’s leaders, have been quick to praise acts of bravery from strangers to try and stop him.
The scene of Mr Guerot in a white t-shirt confronting Cauchi on an escalator has in particular gone viral: The video shows him wielding a plastic pole to ward him off.
Local media reported that he had tried to stop Cauchi advancing up to their level, where there was a children’s play area nearby.
Mr Guerot says he and a friend Silas Despreaux, both construction workers, had just had launched into action without thinking – acting on pure adrenalin.
