Man Who Disarmed Lunar New Year Celebration Shooter: I Had to Take the Gun ‘Or Everyone Else Would Have Died’
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna indicated that the alleged Lunar New Year celebration shooter tried to attack a second location after killing ten innocents in Monterey Park, but his plans were foiled by a citizen who disarmed him.
That citizen, Brandon Tsay, told his story to ABC News’ Good Morning America on Monday.
Tsay said he was at a dance hall in Alhambra, California–the second location the alleged shooter sought to attack–when the suspected attacker entered and caught Tsay’s attention with the sound of racking the pistol’s slide to load a bullet.
Tsay said, “I wasn’t paying attention to the front door. I was looking into the dance ballroom, to the dance floor, and this is when I heard the sound of the front door creaking closed, instantly followed by the sound of metal objects clinking together, as if they were rubbing.”
He added, “That’s when I turned around and saw that there was an Asian man holding a gun.”
Tsay went on to note that he knew he had to take the gun away or else people would die.
He said, “When I got the courage I lunged at him with both hands, grabbed the weapon, and we had a struggle.”
Tsay said the alleged shooter hit him in the face and the back of the head, but Tsay was able to take the pistol from him.
This is Brandon Tsay.
He's the hero who risked his own life to disarm the Monterey shooter.
"I needed to get the weapon away from him, disarm him, or else everyone else would have died."
Know his name.pic.twitter.com/xUPcIhO63w
— Goodable (@Goodable) January 23, 2023
The New York Post reported that no shots were fired in the Alhambra dance hall and no attendees were wounded.
The alleged attacker, identified as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, got into his cargo van and left.
Breitbart News noted a Los Angeles Times report that police spotted the cargo van Sunday morning and initiated a pullover, but Huu Can Tran shot and killed himself before he could be apprehended.