The young programmer, who disarmed the 72-year-old suspect in a close-range armed attack during California’s Asian Lunar New Year celebrations, talks about his “instinctive” fight against the attacker.
The man identified by the newspaper The New York Times Brandon Tsay, 26, was at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio establishment in Alhambra (Western United States) on Saturday night accompanying the dancers when he saw the suspect pointing a gun.
“My heart froze, I thought I was going to die. That moment was instinctive. Something happened. I don’t know what came over me”he claimed.
In her own words, Tsay lunged at the man and grabbed the barrel of the gun and began fighting for her life.
Tsay, whose grandparents founded the party house where she stayed, was unaware that the suspect, identified by police as Huu Can Tran, had killed 10 people and injured another 10 minutes earlier at another similar home near Monterey Park .
The young man says that he had never seen a real gun in his life, but it was clear that the gunman was not there to steal, but to kill. “Judging by his body language, facial expression and eyes, he was looking for people.”he remembered.
Tsay and her family said security footage shows the two struggling for about 90 seconds before removing the suspect’s gun. Immediately, Tsay aimed it at the shooter and yelled, “Get out, get out of here.” The suspect then fled.
Hours later, the suspect was found dead after taking his own life Sunday afternoon by gunning down a white van in Torrance, several miles to the south, as police were about to arrest him.
Five men and five women, all between the ages of 50 and 60, were killed by the gunman in Monterey Park Saturday night.
The reason for the attack is still unknown, according to police.
Officials believe the gunman planned to inflict a similar massacre at the Alhambra and stressed that those disarming him saved lives.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said two people disarmed the suspect at the Alhambra, but Tsay and her family, who run the party house, said video shows Tsay fighting the killer alone.
Source: DN
