Moment hero bystander grabs Monterey Park shooter's illegal weapon after he ... trends now
The full footage of a heroic bystander risking his life to disarm the Monterey Park shooter, by grabbing his illegal semi-automatic pistol after he killed eleven people in a jealous rage, has emerged.
Brandon Tsay, 26, has been lauded for his act of bravery after a traumatic tussle with Huu Can Tran, 72, took place at 10.40 pm Monday night at the Lai Lai Ballroom in Alhambra, California.
Surveillance footage from the seemingly empty dance hall lobby obtained by NBC News shows Tran, who was armed at the time, dressed in dark clothing and a hat, walking out of sight before remerging in a struggle with Tsay.
The two are seen wrestling over the deadly weapon, Tran then starts punching Tsay in the head while he attempts to push the 72-year-old off him.
The full footage of a heroic bystander risking his life to disarm the Monterey Park shooter, by grabbing his illegal semi-automatic pistol after he killed eleven people in a jealous rage, has emerged
Tran had already killed 11 people at the Star Dance Studio in Monterey Park before Tsay took his 'semi-automatic pistol' from him and called the cops
Tran then tries to reach for the gun after Tsay manages to take it off him before the elderly man finally concedes defeat and walks out of the room.
Tsay then points at the man briefly moving out of the camera's view before returning with the gun in his right hand and a cell phone in the other. The entire ordeal lasted about 4 minutes.
The heroic 26-year-old told NBC News that the incident felt like a matter of life or death but risking his life to save others had been a priority.
'There was a moment I actually froze up, because I was, I had the belief that I was gonna die, like my life was ending here, at that very moment,' said Tsay.
He told Good Morning America and The New York Times on Monday how he was helping out on Saturday night at his family's business when dozens had come to the ballroom for a Lunar New Year party.
Tran had already killed 11 people at the Star Dance Studio in Monterey Park.
Surveillance footage from the seemingly empty dance hall lobby shows Tran, who was armed at the time, dressed in dark clothing and a hat, walking out of sight at the start of the vision
The two are seen wrestling over the deadly weapon, Tran then starts punching Tsay in the head while he attempts to push the 72-year-old off him
Tran then tries to reach for the gun after Tsay manages to take it off him in the clash
Tsay is determined to keep the gun away from Tran who has lost his glasses during the fray
Tran finally concedes defeat and walks out of the room a distressed Tsay pointing at him
Tsay is seen carrying the gun in his right hand and a cell phone in the other, presumably calling police at this point. The entire ordeal lasted about 4 minutes
Police sources said that he was 'looking for his wife.' It remains unclear if she is among the victims.
Tran was looking for more victims when Tsay - whose family owns the Lai Lai Ballroom - confronted him, snatching his weapon from him after a struggle and scaring him away.
In an interview with GMA's Robin Roberts in Monterey Park, Tsay described the moment he realized the shooter had come looking to kill.
'It was Chinese New Year's, we were hosting a social dance party.
'I was in the lobby and it was late into the evening. Most of our customers already left, I was looking into the dance ballroom.
'This is when I heard the sound of the front door creaking, instantly followed by the sound of metal objects rubbing together.'
The heroic 26-year-old told NBC News that the incident felt like a matter of life or death but risking his life to save others had been a priority
Tsay told Good Morning America that he thought he was going to die when he saw Tran enter the ballroom with his gun
He told The New York Times in a separate interview that it was 'primal instinct' to attack him, and that Tran's eyes were 'menacing'. Tsay had never seen Tran before.
He said he instantly knew he was there to commit a mass shooting, and was scanning the room for targets.
'I could tell he was not here to rob us, he wasn't looking for money. He was looking around the room. It seemed like he was looking for targets, people to harm.
'Something came over me - I realized I needed to take this weapon, disarm him, or else everybody would have died.
'When I got the courage, I lunged at him with both my hands, grabbed the weapon an we struggled into the lobby, trying to get this gun away from each other. He was hitting me across the face and bashing my head.
'I was trying to create some distance. Finally, at one point, I was able to pull the gun away from him, shove him aside and create some distance.
'I was able to get the gun and point it at him, intimidate him, shout: 'Get the hell away from here! I'll shoot! Get away!'
'At this point, I thought he would run away. He was contemplating whether to fight or run away. I really thought I'd have to shoot him. This is when he turned around and walked out the door, and walked back to his van.
'I immediately called the police, with the gun still in my hand. I couldn't believe what happened,' he said.
Tran's first stop was the Star Dance Studio in Monterey Park - where 11 people died
The struggle with Tsay was at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, the gunman's second stop
Shortly after he was spotted at the hospital for treatment, Tran was pulled over by police. A SWAT team swarmed the van after a three-hour long standoff
Tran died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the van he used to flee after his attempt at a second shooting that was thwarted by Tsay
From the Lai Lai ballroom, Tran is believed to have traveled to a nearby hospital.
He then got back in his white van - which had stolen plates - and drove 22 miles to Torrance.
A SWAT team surrounded the vehicle and upon breaching it, found him dead inside.
Police are yet to confirm exactly what drove him to commit the murders but a source told LA Magazine it was a 'domestic dispute' and that he was looking 'for his wife.'
His first wife - whom he divorced in 2005 - has since spoken anonymously to CNN to describe how they met at Star Dance, where he taught lessons for years.
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