‘Heroes’ Hailed For Disarming Monterey Park Shooting Suspect At Second Location

Topline

Authorities hailed two people present at a second dance studio in the Los Angeles suburb of Alhambra for disarming the suspected gunman involved in the mass shooting in nearby Monterey Park and preventing another potential massacre after he killed 10 people late on Saturday night.

Key Facts

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the suspect walked into the other facility “probably with the intent to kill more people.”

But he fled the scene after “two community members” who Luna referred to as “heroes” wrestled his gun away from him.

The sheriff added that the situation “could have been much worse” have the weapon not been seized from the suspect.

Luna described the gun seized from the suspect at the Alhambra location as “a magazine-fed semiautomatic assault pistol” with an “extended large capacity magazine.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Alhambra location called the Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio remained closed on Sunday with a sign on its door saying “Closed, in observance to Star Dance Tragedy.”

Crucial Quote

California Governor Gavin Newsom who visited Monterey Park on Sunday evening tweeted: “Spent time in Monterey Park today meeting with leaders and those impacted by this terrible tragedy. The strength of this community is incredible. No other country in the world is terrorized by this constant stream of gun violence. We need real gun reform at a national level.”

News Peg

Apart from the semiautomatic assault pistol recovered from the Alhambra location, police discovered a handgun inside the van where the suspected shooter, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The assault pistol with an extended large capacity magazine may have been illegal to own under California’s gun laws which ban “high-capacity magazines” which can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. Citing a law enforcement official, CNN reported that the gun in question was a “Cobray M11 9mm semi-automatic weapon” which is “designed to take 30-round magazines that allow for rapid fire.”

Key Background

On Saturday night, 10 people were killed and 10 others were injured at a ballroom dance studio in Monterey Park after a shooter opened fire at the location. Police were eventually able to locate the suspect in the city of Torrance—located about 20 miles from Monterey Park—after spotting a white van linked to the shooting. But the suspect fatally shot himself inside the van before he could be apprehended. Monterey Park is home to a large Asian-American population and the shooting took place near the location of a Chinese Lunar New Year celebration where tens of thousands of people had gathered earlier in the evening. The tragedy, however, cast a shadow on the planned celebrations on Sunday which would have been the community’s first large celebration in three years, after the event had to be postponed in the previous two years due to Covid.

Further Reading

Monterey Park Shooting: Suspect Dead From Self-Inflicted Gunshot After Killing 10 At L.A.-Area Dance Studio, Police Say (Forbes)

Two ‘heroes’ grabbed Lunar New Year suspect’s gun, likely preventing second attack, sheriff says (Los Angeles Times)