How the Monterey Park Gunman Was Disarmed in Alhambra - The New York Times

SAN MARINO, Calif. — Saturday nighttime was winding down astatine the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio, with little than a half-hour to spell until closing. There were 3 radical near connected the spacious creation floor.

Brandon Tsay, the third-generation relation of the family-run creation hallway successful Alhambra, was successful the bureau disconnected the lobby, watching the ballroom, erstwhile helium heard the beforehand doors plaything closed and a unusual clang that sounded similar metallic objects hitting 1 another.

He turned astir to spot a semiautomatic battle pistol pointed astatine him.

“He was looking astatine maine and looking around, not hiding that helium was trying to bash harm. His eyes were menacing,” recalled Mr. Tsay, 26, astatine his family’s San Marino location Sunday, little than 24 hours aft helium stared down a gunman who, unbeknown to him, had opened occurrence astatine different adjacent ballroom, sidesplitting 10 radical and injuring respective others successful 1 of California’s worst wide shootings.

About 20 minutes aft that massacre, the gunman, who authorities identified arsenic Huu Can Tran, 72, arrived astatine Lai Lai, conscionable astir 2 miles to the north, officials said.

Mr. Tsay struggled with the gunman and yet disarmed him, redeeming countless lives and averting different tragedy. It was an enactment that officials roundly praised arsenic heroic. Mr. Tran was recovered dormant Sunday day of a self-inflicted gunshot successful a van astir 30 miles away, according to instrumentality enforcement officials.

Mr. Tsay said the limb the gunman was carrying signaled helium intended to inflict maximum damage.

“How it was built and customized, I knew it wasn’t for robbing money,” Mr. Tsay said of the weapon. “From his assemblage language, his facial expression, his eyes, helium was looking for people.”

Sheriff Robert Luna of Los Angeles County said successful a quality briefing Sunday day that “two assemblage members” had disarmed the gunman astatine the Alhambra ballroom. “This could person been overmuch worse,” helium said.

But Mr. Tsay and his family, who reviewed the information camera footage from the lobby of the ballroom, said it was helium unsocial who fought the gunman implicit power of the limb and wrested it from him. The doors to the ballroom were closed and nary 1 other was involved, they said.

“It was conscionable my son. He could person died,” said his father, Tom Tsay, who said helium was arrogant of his lad for the bravery helium showed. “He’s lucky, idiosyncratic was watching implicit him.”

His older sister, Brenda, who presently runs the business, said the video showed a prolonged, fierce conflict betwixt the 2 men each implicit the lobby.

“He kept coming astatine him, helium truly wanted the weapon back,” she said of the gunman.

The younger Mr. Tsay, a machine coder who mans the summons bureau a fewer days a week astatine the ballroom started by his grandparents, said it was astir 10:35 p.m. Saturday that helium turned to look the gunman, whom helium didn’t recognize. He had ne'er seen a existent weapon before, but could archer that it was a deadly weapon, helium said.

“My bosom sank, I knew I was going to die,” helium said.

The adjacent moment, helium lunged and grabbed the limb by its tube and began wrestling with the gunman for power of it.

“That moment, it was primal instinct,” helium said. “Something happened there. I don’t cognize what came implicit me.”

They fought implicit power of the weapon for astir a infinitesimal and a half, and it felt similar they were likewise matched successful strength, Mr. Tsay said. At 1 point, the gunman looked down astatine the limb and took 1 manus disconnected it, arsenic if to manipulate the weapon to statesman shooting. Mr. Tsay said helium seized the infinitesimal and pried the pistol distant from the man.

He pointed the limb backmost astatine him and yelled: “Go, get the hellhole retired of here,” helium recalled.

Mr. Tsay, who stayed up each nighttime assisting constabulary with their investigation, said helium felt traumatized and hadn’t rather been capable to process what helium had been through. He peculiarly felt heartbroken for the assemblage of Monterey Park and surrounding areas wherever his household and their ballroom had go established arsenic a beloved haven implicit 3 decades, helium said.

“Lai Lai,” a sanction his grandma chose, means “come, come,” successful Chinese, his sister said. The assailant, dressed successful black, looked similar helium could easy beryllium 1 of their regulars, helium said.

“We person specified a tight-knit assemblage of dancers,” helium said. “It feels truthful unspeakable thing similar this happened, to person 1 of our individuals effort to harm others.”

Shawn Hubler contributed reporting.