A courageous former police officer recounted how he and a friend rushed to assist in subduing a man accused of trying to seize an Australian Federal Police officer’s gun during a tense incident at Sydney Airport.

Eyewitnesses report that two officers promptly tackled the individual to the ground, and during the ensuing struggle, the firearm discharged, leading Terminal T2 into a lockdown early on Wednesday.

Among those present was William, a former NSW Police dog handler, who was at the airport preparing to board a flight to Townsville accompanied by his friend, an off-duty police officer.

The pair’s instincts kicked in when they saw the unfolding altercation. 

‘We noticed this guy wrestling with the two AFP officers. It ended up on the ground, and the AFP officer’s long firearm was also on the ground underneath the man. As we moved in to restrain him, the gun fired,’ William recounted to 2GB morning host Mark Levy.

‘I applied a wrist lock to lock his left wrist up, my colleague locked up his right hand, and eventually handcuffs were applied.

‘You just do, when these things happen, you don’t really think about it.’

He didn’t hesitate when asked if the public were at risk.

‘Absolutely,’ William replied.

‘It was … about a metre and a half away from a coffee shop.

‘The terminal was full of people.’

The man, who has not been identified, was filmed shouting expletives as officers pinned him to the floor. 

No one was injured, and the airport confirmed flights continued as normal.

‘Sydney Airport is currently assisting Australian Federal Police following an incident earlier this morning,’ a spokesperson said. 

‘An arrest has been made and the airport is operating normally.’

The incident happened directly outside Veloce Espresso in Terminal T2. 

‘We heard a loud noise around 6am and initially were unsure what it was. But once it registered as a gunshot, it was truly alarming—I was very scared,’ a worker shared with the Daily Mail.

‘Luckily, the airport was very quiet at that time and most of the shops here weren’t open yet. We were just opening up.

‘Everyone remained calm and we just stayed inside the shop.’

A second witness told Radio 2GB they were at the other side of the coffee shop when the gun went off, describing the ‘loud’ noise.

‘Everyone hit the deck… I think it was a police gun. I think it was fired during the initial struggle,’ they said.

AFP officers have set up a crime scene and launched an investigation, but say there is no ongoing threat to the public. 

Former NSW Police Detective Superintendent Robert Critchlow told Sunrise the incident was ‘extremely rare’ given the heavy security and training officers receive.

‘They carry both pistols and long arms like rifles,’ he said. 

‘A lot of training is dedicated to keeping hold of those weapons. 

‘The holsters are designed with multiple safety features to stop someone taking them, and long arms are strapped to the body and connected to the officer’s vest.’

Mr Critchlow said it’s ‘almost impossible’ to remove a firearm from the wrong angle, but in a physical struggle, anything can happen.

‘If a gun goes off, someone can get hurt. We’re very lucky no one was injured here. This appears to be a horrible but rare occurrence,’ he said. 

Investigations continue.