The Los Angeles County sheriff on Sunday hailed two “heroes” who wrestled an “assault pistol” away from a mass shooter at a second planned attack after he had just killed 10 people late Saturday at a ballroom in Monterey Park.
He was about to open fire at a dance studio in Alhambra when he was “disarmed by two community members who I consider to be heroes, because they saved lives. This could have been much worse,” Sheriff Robert Luna said at a press conference (see below). Luna did not identify them.
Democratic State Sen. Susan Rubio also commended the good samaritans who “tackled” the gunman, because “we would be standing here with a lot more tragedy.”
The gunman has been identified as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, who authorities said died of a self-inflicted gunshot in a white van in a parking lot as police closed in Sunday.
The Alhambra confrontation unfolded “within 20 to 30 minutes” of the mass shooting in Monterey Park as Tran walked in “with an intent to kill more people,” Luna said.
The good samaritans managed to wrestle away Tran’s “magazine-fed semi-automatic assault pistol” that had an “extended, large capacity magazine,” according to Luna.
Tran then fled the scene, leaving behind clues that eventually led police to him, Luna said.
An investigation is ongoing. Police have yet to determine a motive, said Luna.
Check out the press conference here:
