A second man who helped take down a machete-wielding man in Belconnen believes bystanders prevented something "terrible" from happening.
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The attack left two wounded late at night outside the Belconnen Labor Club in Belconnen earlier this month.
A man allegedly took the machete to the intersection of Cameron Avenue and Chandler Street, where he began randomly attacking cars as they were driven past.
He allegedly ran to the front passenger side of one woman's vehicle and began striking the window and door frame.
The attacker is then alleged to have held the knife against the driver's throat. She was cut, although not seriously, and managed to fend off the attacker and run from the vehicle.
The man then stopped a taxi as it drove past, striking the bonnet with the weapon, before opening a door and swinging at the taxi driver, cutting his chin.
The two passengers inside that taxi have been praised as heroes for what they did next.
His friend, John Akuak, was in the front passenger seat and ran to help, restraining the man on the ground until others arrived.
Mr Akuak told Fairfax Media that he believed that had he and Mr Kot not acted when they did, the attack would have been far more serious.
"I'm glad that no-one was seriously injured," he said.
"Any time I look back at it, I think this guy was going to do something serious to someone.
"If he had managed to get away with a knife, there were so many people around, he might have gone for someone else. It would have been terrible."
Imran Hakimi, 32, has been charged over the attack.
The ACT Magistrates Court heard there were serious concerns about his mental health. He is said to have no memory of the incident, but concedes that he needs help, which he is currently receiving behind bars at the Alexander Maconochie Centre.
Mr Akuak said he was not panicked, but was shocked at the suddenness of the incident
"We come from a background where we've seen a lot of things like this happen, so we were not seriously scared," he said.
"I did feel that something terrible was going to happen to us, but you just have to deal with it as it happens."
Hakimi will appear in court again at a later date.
