As a knife-wielding man went on a rampage on Bourke Street on Friday afternoon, bystanders rushed to the chaotic scene to help police.
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One quick-thinking man, whom the internet has dubbed Trolley Man, rammed a supermarket trolley at the suspect as he attacked police.
Video uploaded onto social media appears to shows the trolley slowing down the suspect as he lunges at police with a knife.
At one point, Trolley Man falls to the ground after the suspect swipes at him.
But the sturdy trolley-pusher, who is wearing a black T-shirt, picks himself up and tries to intervene again by pushing the trolley towards the suspect.
Melburnians have praised the bravery of police and Trolley Man as they come to terms with yet another horrific incident on Bourke Street.
"I feel safe in my city knowing that somewhere out there - Trolley Man is watching over us," John Cameron wrote on Twitter.
Grace Jennings-Edquist thanked the trolley hero for his actions.
"Take care of each other today, Melbourne," she wrote.
Another civilian in a blue shirt tries to help police by grabbing a wooden outdoor chair, while a man in a red-checked shirt grabbed the base of a traffic cone.
Premier Daniel Andrews thanked the strangers who sprang into action "without a moment's hesitation".
"Those strangers, people who were bystanders who knew nobody involved, who stepped in without a moment's hesitation, to render support and assistance to the brave members of the Victoria Police, they too, are people whose qualities make all of us proud," he said.
Victoria Police chief commissioner Graham Ashton said the trolley man was one of the many witnesses who had been interviewed by police.
"He has attempted to support the police and do what he could," he said of the mystery man's actions.
It's not the first time quick-thinking civilians have intervened in a CBD attack.
Last September, a hero threw a bicycle under a four-wheel drive to stop a 15-year-old driver from running down pedestrians on the morning of the AFL grand final.
He grabbed an oBike and hurled the bicycle at the vehicle to stop it reversing.
Three people were stabbed, one fatally, following Friday's attack on Bourke Street.
The suspect was shot by police and died from gunshot wounds in the Alfred Hospital.
Police are treating the incident as a terror attack.
