Heroic tradies Damien Geurot and Silas Despreaux praised for fending off crazed murderer Joel Cauchi

The duo who used bollards to fearlessly fight off Joel Cauchi have been praised as the nation celebrates the bravery of those who faced incredible danger to save others.

Joel Cauchi confronted by Damien Geurot with a bollard on Saturday

A pair of tradies who used bollards to fearlessly fight off a crazed murderer – and later chased after him with a metal chair – have been praised as “absolute heroes”, as the nation celebrates the bravery of those who faced incredible danger to save others.

Handfuls of valiant shoppers rushed to restrain violent killer Joel Cauchi as he went on a stabbing spree through Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday afternoon, in desperate attempts to prevent further attacks.

French native Damien Geurot, who had arrived at the centre to train at Fitness First, was filmed standing at the top of the escalator joining Woolworths and Uniqlo, stabbing a black post in the air in front of Cauchi to keep him at bay. His friend Silas Despreaux hoisted his own bollard off-camera.

Damien Guerot.

Silas Despreaux.

“I didn’t know the situation, I didn’t know who he was, I just saw someone doing something crazy stuff,” Mr Geurot told 7News, saying he and Mr Despreaux “acted on adrenaline”.

“We just … (needed) something to catch him,” Mr Geurot said, explaining the use of the bollards.

Asked how he felt about being labelled a “hero” by Australians, Mr Despreaux said: “I feel a bit shy about that, to be honest, but yeah it’s good.”

Shopper Natasha Irani, who witnessed the pair fending off Cauchi, told The Australian they were “absolute heroes”.

“Had they not done that, it could have very much been the case that that person would have run out of the Westfield because the exit was just there, or potentially done more … on that floor,” she said. “They’re absolute heroes in my eyes, for their efforts and their courage.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns praised the “acts of courage” from “complete strangers” rushing to help.

“It has been incredible to see complete strangers jump in, run towards the dangers, put their own lives in harm’s way to save someone that they’ve never met before,” he said. “There’s not too many positives to take out of a horrifying event, but, we’ve got some wonderful people in our city and our state, and it’s been encouraging to see so many people affected by what’s happened in Bondi, whether you knew one of the people that has been killed or not.”

Mr Minns also celebrated the efforts of NSW police inspector Amy Scott, who he said “exemplified the very best of public service in this state.”

In a video posted to social media on, hero police inspector Amy Scott is seen chasing Cauchi down, where he will eventually shoot him dead. Following her are four men, one of whom was Mr Geurot wielding a metal chair, to assist the officer in disarming the attacker.

Bondi lifeguard Andrew Reid, who rushed into the centre to assist those harmed by Cauchi, has also been praised for his bravery in rushing to assist victims.

“A guy came up to us from Myer and said, ‘Mate, everyone has got to leave, there’s people getting stabbed’,” he told Sky News.

“Then we heard two gunshots but they were around the corner and as I looked down on level four, there was a lady down there, just, there was so much blood and I was like, ‘Oh I’ve got to go help’.”

Lifeguard Andrew Reid of Bondi Rescue fame was in the Bondi Junction Westfield during the multiple stabbing attack.

Mr Reid, who was a friend of murder victim Ashlee Good, said he there was “just all so much blood and I went to help … we all just started working on this girl and looking for stab wounds.”

“There was just victims sort of just every 50 metres and there was at least four,” he said.