MONTEREY PARK, Calif. — A brave member of the community disarmed the suspect in the mass shooting in Monterey Park, Calif., at a second dance studio after the deadly rampage, preventing further carnage, authorities confirmed Monday.
What to know: About 20 to 30 minutes after the suspected gunman killed 11 people at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, California, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran entered the Lai Lai Ballroom & Dance Studio in Alhambra, California with a gun and was likely planning to fire again, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.
What the police say: Tran was discovered in a white van in the nearby town of Torrance, California, where authorities found him dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. The person who disarmed the gunman prevented further damage, Luna said. “This could have been much worse.”
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‘Good man’ disarmed gunman entering Lai Lai Ballroom & Dance
Witnesses at the Lai Lai Ballroom in the Alhambra, about two miles from the Monterey Park dance studio, reported seeing the shooter flee to a white van, according to authorities. A similar van was at the scene of law enforcement action in Torrance on Sunday afternoon, where authorities discovered Tran, who was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
According to Luna, Tran probably intended to shoot more people when he entered Lai Lai Ballroom & Dance. Brandon Tsay, 26, who works at the establishment founded by his grandparents, wrested a gun from him and saved “countless lives,” Luna confirmed Monday.
Luna praised Tsay’s actions at a press conference Monday afternoon.
“He is the hero who disarmed the suspect at the Alhambra site and, in my opinion, saved many lives,” said Luna. “What a brave man he is.”
Tsay took a 9mm semi-automatic assault weapon from Tran in the Lai Lai Ballroom, Luna said.
Luna had previously said on Sunday that two people had disarmed the attacker, but confirmed on Monday that it was one person. Security footage shown on “Good Morning America” showed only the two men struggling over the gun.
According to Luna, police discovered a “magazine-fed semi-automatic assault pistol” with an attached large-capacity magazine in the Alhambra studio.
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Tsay briefly spoke to the media outside his home in San Marino, California, on Tuesday night, saying he wants the attention of the incident off of him.
“I want everyone to focus on the victims of this tragic incident, not draw too much attention to myself. I want everyone to get the attention they need during this incident,” Tsay said.
“The community is currently still healing. We know there are still victims who are still in the hospital, and I think that’s where the focus should be,” said Tom Tsay, father of Brandon Tsay, who co-owns Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio in Alhambra .
“Some of these people I know personally. They come to our studio, it’s a tight-knit community and hope they can heal from this tragic event,” said Brandon Tsay.
Tom Tsay said when the gunman was cocking his gun, his son jumped and wrestled it away.
“I’m very proud. I’ve always told him that if there are people robbing the place or whatever, just give him the money… this is a different situation,” said Tom Tsay. never prepared for it.”
Brandon Tsay said he is overwhelmed with the amount of attention he has received and is slowly starting to take care of himself.
“I would say my mental health is recovering. I just hope that the people affected by this incident can also recover safely,” he said.
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Contributions: The The Bharat Express News
