ALHAMBRA, Calif. The gunman who murdered 10 people and wounded 10 others during a Lunar New Year celebration in Monterey Park Saturday night was later disarmed by two men at a second dance hall in the city of Alhambra, KTLA reported. (Update: One of the wounded has died, bringing the death total to 11.)
Huu Can Tran, 72, has been identified as the mass shooter after he reportedly died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound Sunday afternoon. Investigators believe that 20 minutes after he opened fire at the Star Dance Studio in Monterey Park, he went to Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio just over 2 miles away in Alhambra armed for more mayhem.
Fortunately, two men were able to disarm the gunman before he could get off a single round. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the men’s quick actions most likely saved many lives at the Alhambra location.
“He was disarmed by two community members who I consider to be heroes because they saved lives,” the sheriff said. “This could have been much worse.”
One of the “heroes” was a 26-year-old coder and third-generation operator of the family-run dance hall. He, along with a second unidentified man, wrestled the gun away from the crazed suspect, The New York Times reported.
Brandon Tsay told the Times he was in the office when he heard the front doors open and what appeared to sound like metallic objects striking together. He turned and saw a handgun pointed at him.
Tsay engaged the suspect in a physical confrontation for control of the weapon for about a minute-and-a-half before he managed to disarm the suspect and yelled for him to leave, the Times reported. Tsay told Good Morning America that he thought he was going to die.
No further details have been released about the second man who helped, but Sheriff Luna confirmed the actions of both men prevented a similar massacre in Alhambra.
Sheriff Luna described the firearm used by the suspect as a “magazine-fed semi-automatic assault pistol,” which is illegal in California.
As police closed in on Tran inside a white cargo van in a Torrance parking lot on Sunday, he reportedly shot and killed himself. A second gun and additional evidence tying him to the crimes were found inside the vehicle, authorities confirmed.
Investigators continue to look into Tran’s background as they try to determine a motive for the heinous crimes.
