‘Fear and chaos' as Bondi attack unfolded
A security supervisor has revealed the 'fear and chaos' that unfolded on the day of the Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing, saying he wished their team had done better.
Six people were killed and 10 others were injured in the attack at Westfield Bondi Junction on April 13, 2024.
Dawn Singleton, Yixuan Cheng, Faraz Ahmed Tahir, Ashlee Good, Jade Young and Pikria Darchia died in the incident.
Cauchi, 40, had gone on a rampage through the palatial shopping centre with a WWII knife purchased at a camping store before being gunned down by NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott.
A five-week coronial inquest into the deadly stabbing began last Monday, with the first week revealing never-before-heard details about the incident.
Scentre Group operate a string of Westfields across Australia including Bondi Junction.
The nature, timing, and adequacy of the response by Scentre Group and its subcontractors Glad Group and Falkon Security will also be examined in the inquest.
A security guard and security supervisor working at the centre at the time told the court he wished things had been done differently as the fatal rampage unfolded.
'I wish I …did more to help those people,' he said. Bondi stabbing victims (top l-r) Dawn Singleton, Ashlee Good, Cheng Yixuan, (bottom l-r) Faraz Tahir, Jade Young and Pikria Darchia. Credit: Supplied
'We are trained for these, we go through training, and it's good training … but you're in a fight or flight mode.
'But yeah, (upon) reflection I wish we did better — I wish we did different.'
He told the court he wished they had been able to tell customers about the situation 'straight away', and that the centre management emergency override (CMEO) was activated sooner.
The man paid credit to his team and said only two members had been able to return to full-time work, saying what they had all gone through weighed heavily on his mind. Bondi killer Joel Cauchi was shot dead by Inspector Amy Scott. Supplied. Credit: Supplied
'What we went through on that day was truly traumatic, and not everyone understands the fear and chaos we went through,' he told the court.
He thanked team members for doing CPR and getting people to safety as best they could.
'I know that some of you are still carrying the weight of that day, and life hasn't been the same since,' he said.
'I see your strength, I recognise your pain, and I'm truly grateful to every single one of you — thank you for being there with me.'
Newly released CCTV has captured the moment killer Joel Cauchi was pulled over for erratic driving in 2021, years before the fatal attack at Westfield Bondi Junction.
The court was earlier told there were two staff members in the CCTV control room on level 4 on the afternoon of the attack, however, one had left about 3pm with his supervisor to undertake training on level 13 while the other left at 3.32pm to go to the bathroom.
This meant there was 'no active CCTV monitoring in place' for the minute and forty seconds she was outside the room, and exactly 40 seconds later Cauchi attacked Ms Singleton, counsel assisting the coroner Peggy Dwyer SC earlier told the court.
By the time the woman re-entered the control room Cauchi had attacked eight people, three of whom later died.
The second security employee re-entered the CCTV control room by 3.36pm, however, all 16 people had been stabbed by then.
Ms Dwyer said it appeared the CCTV room being vacant at that time impeded Scentre Group's response.
'Security staff were effectively behind the 8-ball – that is, they were then playing catch-up, catch up to understand what was unfolding,' Ms Dwyer said.
An evacuation alert was used rather than one that warned of an AAO, and Ms Dwyer said it appeared appropriately warning customers and staff 'did not occur promptly' or 'in the way it should've done' on the day.
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Glad Group, a subcontractor for security staff, and Scentre, the parent company of Westfield, were asked about their level of responsibility. A former training manager from Glad Group, who trained CR1, was asked why some induction process documents pertaining to CR1 were not signed off. "There was pressure for recruitment. I hope that didn't affect my training," said the manager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons. A security manager from Scentre, whose name also remains under a non-publication order, acknowledged the pressure on guards to be informed, comfortable and confident in responding to extreme crisis events. Scentre has since implemented stab resistant vests, made training more rigorous, and strengthened policies and procedures. There were clear signs Cauchi had chronic schizophrenia. Despite this, his long-term psychiatrist in Queensland, Andrea Boros-Lavack, weaned Cauchi off his anti-psychotic medication entirely by 2019. 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Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Kelly said: "Our police are attending incidents every day. They maintain their professionalism, they're very considered, balanced, but they've got to operate within the legislation and our values, and also in terms of human rights." Formal findings from the inquest will be released in months to come. Regardless, for those directly affected by the events of April 13, 2024, their grief will remain "truly unfathomable", as Ms Dwyer noted.
