Footage shared widely on social media showed Ahmed Al Ahmed, the unarmed man tackling one of the gunmen as shots were being fired at civilians, a move believed to have saved many lives.
An attack by a father and son on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney's Bondi Beach killed 15 people, and left several others wounded, plunging Australia into a day of mourning Monday. The shooting took place during an annual event to celebrate Hanukkah, which police said was attended by around 1,000 people.
However, Australians are praising a man as a "hero" for his quick thinking during the mass shooting. A video filmed from an elevated point overlooking a car park and an adjacent grassy stretch, captured the heart-stopping moments of a violent standoff between one of the armed gunman and the civilian who stepped in.
The clip opens amid the crack of gunfire, with people screaming in blind panic. At the centre of the chaos, a man hiding behind parked cars can be seen running towards the gunman from behind.
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He presses forward, inching closer to the gunman.
The man then breaks from cover and charges, tackling the shooter near the boundary between the grassy area and the car park. A brief but ferocious struggle ensues; he grabs him by the neck, pulls away his rifle and forces him to the ground, before pointing the weapon back at him.
As the gunman flees, another individual seems to give chase or hurls an object in his direction. The camera jolts violently as the person filming reacts, capturing the moment gunfire fades and is replaced by distant sirens and lingering shouts.
The brave unarmed men who overpowered the shooter has been identified as 43-year-old Ahmed al Ahmed, a fruit seller, according to AFP. He reportedly suffered two gunshot wounds during the attack.
