What we know about how the Bondi Junction stabbing attack unfolded (2024)

It started like a regular Saturday.

Hundreds of people flocked to a large shopping centre in Sydney's east to buy groceries, clothes and other items.

But as the afternoon stretched on at the Westfield at Bondi Junction, an emergency incident began to unfold.

This is what we know about the mass stabbing that took place.

Warning: Some readers may find the following details of the attack, witness accounts and footage of the incident distressing.

The man behind the attack has been named by NSW Police as 40-year-old Joel Cauchi.

Cauchi moved to Sydney from Queensland "last month". It's understood that he was previously living in the "Brisbane area".

Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke said the manhad taken possession of a small storage facility in Sydney.

He said Cauchi had mental health problems and there was "no information" to suggest the attack was "driven by any particular ideology".

"We know that the offender in the matter suffers from mental [ill] health," Mr Cooke said.

"We are continuing to work through the profiling of the offender but very clearly to us at this stage it would appear that this is related to the mental health of the individual involved."

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said that Cauchi was "not known criminally" but had "come to the notice of law enforcement" in NSW and Queensland for "mental health-related issues".

Police have been in contact with Cauchi's family, who are cooperating.

What we know about how the Bondi Junction stabbing attack unfolded (1)

The victims

We know six victims — four women and one man — died at the scene.

A sixth, Sydney woman Ashlee Good, died later in hospital.

The women were aged between 20 and 55 and the man was in his 30s, according to police.

We know there were 12 other injured people in hospital. Four have since been discharged.

We know one of the injured victims is a nine-month-old child.

Two patients are at St Vincent's Hospital. One man is in ICU in a stable condition and one woman is also in ICU in a stable condition.

A man and a woman are atRoyal Prince Alfred Hospital. The woman is in a critical but stable condition in ICU, while the man is in a stable condition.

One woman is in a stable condition at Prince of Wales Hospital, one woman is in a stable condition at St George Hospital and one woman is in ICU in a serious but stable condition at Royal North Shore Hospital.

What we know about how the Bondi Junction stabbing attack unfolded (2)

The child is in a serious but stable condition at Sydney Children's Hospital.

Police are working with the families of the victims. Two of the victims don't have any family in Australia and officers are trying to reach them overseas.

And pieced together from what police and eyewitnesses have said, here's what we know about how the incident unfolded:

As it happened

At 3:10pm, Cauchi arrived at the Westfield shopping centre at Bondi Junction.

It is unclear where he goes, but police say he leaves the centre "very shortly after".

He returns 10 minutes later, at 3:20pm, and then begins to move through the centre, stabbing people.

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Panicked shoppers begin to notice and many make triple-0 calls, alerting police, who have now received multiple reports about an incident.

As this is happening, shoppers call out for others to run. Some escape the centre and others shelter in stores.

Another eyewitness, Vernon Michael, said he saw a man armed with a large knife walking "calmly" and riding an escalator to a higher floor.

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One person bravely stood at the top of an escalator and briefly held off the attacker.

Responding police units are on their way, but it is the actions of Inspector Amy Scott, who was already in the area, that bring the stabbing spree to an end.

Outside the shopping centre, people alert her to what is happening.

She enters the Westfield and makes her way towards where she believes the attacker is.

What we know about how the Bondi Junction stabbing attack unfolded (3)

Officer confronts Cauchi

She tracks him and follows him to the fifth floor, walking "quickly behind him to catch up with him", according to Assistant Commissioner Cooke.

"[The attacker] turned, faced her and raised a knife," he said.

Inspector Scott shot Cauchi and he died at the scene. Police have not said how many shots were discharged but some witnesses say they heard three shots.

What we know about how the Bondi Junction stabbing attack unfolded (4)

Shopping attendants lock down their stores with customers still inside and some help shoppers escape out exits in the back of storerooms.

By this stage, heavily armed police are at the scene and searching the area.

Reports there may be more than one offender turn out to be incorrect, with police later confirming that Cauchi was the sole attacker.

The officer who stopped the attack has been hailed a "hero" by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

She also been praised by NSW Premier Chris Minns and the police commissioner for her "professionalism" and her "courage and bravery".

What we know about how the Bondi Junction stabbing attack unfolded (5)

'New South Wales will bounce back'

Chris Minns, who was overseas when the attack occurred, returned to the state today to speak about the matter.

"Many in the community will feel real anger. We'll have to process that grief in the days ahead," he said.

"But it's very important to say that New South Wales will bounce back, we are a strong community."

What we know about how the Bondi Junction stabbing attack unfolded (6)

The premier also highlighted the efforts of first responders and the members of the public to save lives and protect others.

"The best in this state confronted one of the worst acts we've ever seen and we're very, very grateful for the men and women that stood up in Bondi Junction," he said.

A family liaison officer has been appointed to each of the victim's families and mental health staff will be at Bondi today to provide support to the local community.

Posted, updated

What we know about how the Bondi Junction stabbing attack unfolded (2024)

FAQs

How did the Bondi Junction stabbing unfold? ›

CCTV showed he left the centre briefly before returning about 3.20pm. He then drew a long-bladed knife from his pack. Over the next 25 terrifying minutes, Cauchi stabbed up to 18 people as he roamed the shopping centre, chasing and lunging at some people and seeming to veer away from others.

How was the Bondi Junction attack unfolded? ›

At 3:10pm, Cauchi arrived at the Westfield shopping centre at Bondi Junction. It is unclear where he goes, but police say he leaves the centre "very shortly after". He returns 10 minutes later, at 3:20pm, and then begins to move through the centre, stabbing people.

What exactly happened at Bondi Junction? ›

What happened in Bondi Junction? A man murdered six people by stabbing them with a knife inside Bondi Junction Westfield on Saturday afternoon. The attacker was shot dead by police.

Who was the killer of the Bondi Junction massacre? ›

Joel Cauchi was shot dead by police after fatally stabbing and injuring shoppers, most of whom were women, at Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday afternoon.

Which Bondi lifeguard went to jail? ›

An ex-Bondi Rescue star who was just 22 when he was jailed for glassing a drug dealer in self-defence has opened up about his nightmare stint behind bars. Clint Kimmins, 38, thought he had the world at his feet as a teenager on the.

What was the last meal at the Bondi stabbing? ›

A worker has told of the moment she served Joel Cauchi his last meal just hours before he went on a stabbing rampage through the Bondi Junction shopping centre. Saigon Noodle worker Rogate Sianipar said the 40-year-old came into the store on Oxford Street about 10am on Saturday and ordered a red curry chicken.

How many stabbed Bondi Junction? ›

On 13 April 2024, a 40-year-old man, Joel Cauchi, stabbed and killed six people and injured a further twelve in the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Five women and one man died, while the injured included a nine-month-old girl.

How many people were killed in Bondi stabbing? ›

Tributes are flowing to the six people who died during a stabbing rampage at a popular Sydney shopping centre. Joel Cauchi's victims at the crowded Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday were five women and a man. Several others, including a baby, were injured before Mr Cauchi was shot dead.

What time was the stabbing at Bondi Junction? ›

Five weeks before Cauchi murdered six people and injured 12 others in the Bondi shopping centre in the twenty minutes from approximately 3.20pm to 3.40pm, he sent a message to his mother, Michele, according to the ABC.

Who are the victims from Bondi Junction stabbing? ›

The stabbing rampage at Westfield Bondi Junction on April 13 took the lives of five women and a man: new mother and osteopath Ashlee Good, 38; bride-to-be Dawn Singleton, 25; architect and mother of two Jade Young, 47; artist Pikria Darchia, 55; Chinese economics student Yixuan Cheng, 27; and Westfield security guard ...

Was Bondi Rescue real? ›

Bondi Rescue is an Australian factual television program which is broadcast on Network 10. The program follows the daily lives and routines of the Waverley Council professional lifeguards who patrol Bondi Beach. Bondi Rescue was first broadcast in 2006. A spin-off, set in Bali, Indonesia, also screened in 2008.

Who was the stabbing offender in Sydney? ›

At 8.30am on Sunday, NSW police announced the man responsible - shot dead by a police inspector inside the shopping centre - was 40-year-old Joel Cauchi from Queensland. He had fatally stabbed six innocent people at the shopping centre and injured more, including a nine-month-old baby.

Which Bondi lifeguard broke his neck? ›

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian lifeguard Kobi Graham, one of the stars of the hit television series "Bondi Rescue," broke his neck after wiping out on a large wave at a dangerous Sydney surf spot.

What level is the Bondi Junction stabbing at? ›

While there are still many details to come, AFR Weekend has been told that Cauchi began his murderous rampage on level four of the shopping centre after entering at 3.20pm.

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