The man who disarmed a gunman at an Alhambra dance studio minutes after the shooter opened fire at a nearby dance hall, leaving 11 people dead, received praise, words of gratitude and a phone call this week from President Biden.
Brandon Tsay, of San Marino, spoke with President Biden by phone earlier this week ahead of a White House Lunar New Year reception in honor of the 18 people killed in two California mass shootings. Eleven people were killed at a Southern California ballroom dance hall late Saturday and seven others died Monday at two mushroom farms in the northern part of the state.
“Thank you for taking such incredible action in the face of danger,” Biden told Tsay in a brief video of the phone conversation that the White House shared Thursday. “I don’t think you understand how much you’ve done for so many people who are never even going to know you.”
Tsay replied that he was still processing what happened.
“For you to call, that’s just so comforting to me,” Tsay told the president.
Tsay, 26, was seen on security camera video scuffling with the shooter in the Alhambra ballroom lobby. He wrestled the gun away from the shooter in a courageous act that authorities said likely saved lives.
Surveillance footage shows the moment Brandon Tsay disarmed the gunman at an Alhambra dance studio, moments after the suspect had killed several others at a Monterey Park dance studio. Robert Kovacik reports for the NBC4 News on Jan. 23, 2023.
The gunman left the scene. He died hours later from a self-inflicted gunshot in a van parked at a strip mall in Torrance, authorities said.
The White House had scheduled its Thursday Lunar New Year celebration before the shootings.
“He heard the front door close and saw a man pointing a gun at him,” Biden said at the White House event. “Instead of running, Brandon said he thought he was going to die. But then he thought about the people inside.”
Biden praised Tsay’s courage, calling him a “genuine hero.”
“I think sometimes we underestimate incredible acts of courage,” the president said. “Someone has a semiautomatic pistol aimed at you and you think about others. That’s pretty profound.”
The Monterey Park shooting unfolded during a night of Lunar New Year celebrations in the San Gabriel Valley community.
Nine people also were wounded in the attach. Authoritie said they are still trying to determine the 72-year-old gunman’s motive for opening fire on a group of mostly seniors who gathered for a night of dancing.
Biden led the White House gathering in a moment of silence in honor of the victims. He ordered American flags on federal facilities lowered to half-staff through sunset Thursday out of respect for the Monterey Park victims.
He said Thursday that he has been in touch with California Gov. Gavin Newsom. He also sent Vice President Kamala Harris, a native of the state, to Monterey Park on Wednesday to offer condolences on behalf of the government.
Biden had been in California on Jan. 19, just two days before the dance studio shooting, to survey flood damage along the state’s central coast following days of heavy rains. He spoke with Tsay earlier this week.