Honoring the 26-year-old Hero who Disarmed a Gunman

Today we are celebrating Brandon Tsay, a selfless and courageous 26-year-old hero who risked his life to save others. On Saturday evening, Brandon heard the "distinct sound of metal" in the lobby of Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio, a dance hall in Alhambra, California.

The dance hall has been owned by Brandon's family for three generations. He was working in the ticket office when a gunman entered, and he immediately realized that something was wrong.

The man aimed the gun at Brandon as he scanned the room. Brandon froze when he saw the armed man, who had just murdered 11 people at a Lunar New Year celebration at another dance hall located nearby in Monterey Park.

“I’m going to die. This is it. This is the end for me,” he remembered thinking. “But then something happened. Something came over me.”

Brandon leapt towards the gunman and struggled with him for what felt like a very long time. He was hit several times by the susupet on his face, back, and hands.

“I was trying to divert the weapon away from me and the ballroom, down on the ground in case he did fire,” he said. As his life hung in the balance, Brandon thought, “If I let go of this gun, what would happen to me, the people around me, my friends, my family?”

Eventually Brandon managed to pull the gun away from the gunman - it was his first time holding a gun - and told the man to leave. “I threatened him that I would shoot,” he said. “I thought I would have to kill him. That I would have to shoot a person.”

The man appeared to be considering attacking him again, but left and jogged back to his van. Still holding the gun, Brandon immediately called 911.

Brandon is being called a hero for stopping the man authorities claim was responsible for killing 11 people. According to law enforcement, the gunman opened fire in Monterey Park, then drove to the Lai Lai dance hall in Alhambra. Sheriff Luna identified Brandon as the lone person responsible for saving many lives at the Alhambra dance hall.

“He’s the hero that disarmed the suspect at the Alhambra location and in my opinion saved many lives,” he said. “What a brave man he is.”