A man is being hailed a hero after video footage of him wrestling a gun from the Monterey Park shooter was released to the public. He potentially prevented a second attack that was about to happen at a dance studio a few minutes after the Monterey Park attack.
Twenty-six-year-old Brandon Tsay’s brave actions likely saved many lives as he wrestled the gun away from the gunman at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio located in Alhambra, California, which Tsay’s family owns.
Surveillance footage captured the two men wrestling in an empty hall in the dance studio. An armed man, clad in all black and a hat, briefly walks out of the picture, but about 30 seconds later, he and Tsay are seen wrestling over a gun. A few minutes later, Tsay emerges victorious after taking the gun away.
The shooter, unwilling to accept that he lost the fight, punched Tsay in the head, but Tsay held on to the weapon. A struggle ensued, but Tsay emerged victorious again and pushed the shooter off. Not long after, the shooter gave up and walked out.
The entire incident lasted about four minutes.
Speaking on “Good Morning America” on Monday, January 23, Tsay said that when he noticed the man with the gun, he froze at first because he thought he was going to die.
He finally got the courage to face the man after the shooter started to prep his gun. Tsay realized that if he did not want to die, that was the moment to disarm the man.
According to Tsay, the gunman, who police later identified as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, walked into the studio and looked around for people to kill.
The motive for the mass shooting on Saturday, January 21, which left 10 people dead and another 10 injured, was unclear. Police said on Monday that the shooting appeared to have a personal motive.
Tsay said that most customers had already left when the shooter walked into the studio, which was only about two miles from the Monterey Park incident. He said he had no idea that the man had committed another brutal attack about 20 minutes earlier.
The gunman walked in when the studio was hosting Lunar New Year celebrations. Tsay said he did not recognize the man.
When Tsay finally got a hold of the gun, he threatened to use it on Tran, and that is when Tran fled. He said when he threatened Tran, he just stood there for a few seconds contemplating whether to continue fighting or run away.
Tran fled to his white van, and Tsay called the cops immediately.
According to the police, Tran shot himself on Sunday, and police found him in his van about three miles away from Monterey Park.
The mass shooting is the deadliest attack since the May 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde that left 21 people dead.
