What began as a quiet evening by the sea turned into a moment of extraordinary courage for Amandeep Singh Bola, a Punjabi-Sikh New Zealander, during the deadly Bondi Beach shooting. As gunfire rang out and panic spread, Bola ran towards danger, helping subdue one of the attackers before police took control, according to a report by the Times of India (TOI).
Bola, 34, was at Bondi Beach enjoying kebabs when he heard loud sounds that he initially mistook for firecrackers. The situation quickly became clear as people began fleeing in terror.
“I was having a kebab when I heard the gunshots. At first, I thought it was firecrackers, but soon I saw men and women running away in fear. I started running in the direction of the gunfire. On the way, I tried to ask some people what happened, and figured out that two gunmen were shooting at people on the beach,” Bola said, as quoted by the Times of India.
As he moved closer to the footbridge where the shooters had positioned themselves, Bola slowed his pace and advanced cautiously, waiting for the right moment to intervene.
“When I saw one of them dropping down on the footbridge, I was just focused on getting him,” Bola told TOI.
Moments later, police opened fire on one of the gunmen. Bola sprinted towards him, tackled him to the ground, and restrained him until authorities arrived.
“I saw police shoot at one of the gunmen. I sprinted towards him, pounced upon him, and held his arms behind his back. A policeman also helped and asked me to keep a tight hold and not let him go. I could feel that he was dying while I was sitting over him. I told police that he seemed to be taking his last breaths. In moments, policemen took control of him,” he recalled, TOI has reported.
Bola, who works as a personal trainer in Australia, kicked the gun away and locked the attacker’s arms to prevent further harm.
“I could feel him dying under me,” he said.
A short mobile phone video later surfaced, showing Bola in a white T-shirt and shorts sitting on the gunman’s back while police handcuffed the second shooter, identified as Sajid’s son, Naveed Akram. The video also shows a man running up and kicking Sajid in the head.
After the ordeal, the emotional toll became apparent.
“As I got up, there was a strong adrenaline rush. I felt like vomiting. People around me comforted me. Bondi has people from multiple cultures, and that brief moment reflected the true spirit of multiculturalism. A French guy gave me coconut water, two Africans remained by my side until I got comfortable, and a few others also stayed around, just to be close,” said Bola, as quoted by TOI.
Reflecting on his instinctive response, Bola said he did not consciously decide to run towards danger.
“In fact, I acted instinctively. My instincts took me there. I was only thinking of helping people in whichever way I could. But once I spotted the shooter, I was focused on getting him,” TOI has quoted.
He added that he has struggled to sleep since the tragedy.
Bola’s roots trace back to Naura village near Banga in Punjab’s Nawanshahr district. His family has a long history in New Zealand.
“My great-grandfather, Puna Singh Bola, emigrated to New Zealand in 1916. He was one of the first Sikh immigrants to the island country. My grandparents, Mahan Singh Bola and Parkash Kaur, also lived here. My father, Manjit Singh Bola, who was born and raised in New Zealand, and my mother, Harvinder Kaur, who hails from Ludhiana, live in New Zealand, while I moved to Australia six-seven years ago,” he said, TOI has quoted.
Bola said he has visited Punjab several times and last visited Darbar Sahib in Amritsar in 2019.