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 at a ballroom in Monterey Park.
The killer 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 news conference. (Watch below.).
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.” Authorities didn’t identify them.
The gunman, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, died of a self-inflicted gunshot Sunday as police closed in on his white van in a parking lot.
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 bystanders wrestled away Tran’s “magazine-fed semi-automatic assault pistol,” which had an “extended, large capacity magazine,” according to Luna.
Tran then fled the scene, leaving behind clues that police said led to him.
Luna said investigators haven’t determined a motive.
Check out the sheriff’s news conference: