Two civilian bystanders disarmed the man suspected of killing at least 10 in Monterey Park, Calif., when he arrived at a second location in nearby Alhambra, Calif, according to police.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna on Sunday lauded the two civilians as “heroes” at a press conference Sunday evening.
“The suspect went to the Alhambra location after he conducted the shooting and he was disarmed by two community members that I consider to be heroes, because they saved lives. This could have been much worse,” Luna said.
The suspect was identified as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, who was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a van in Torrance, Calif.
Two unnamed civilians in Alhambra Saturday evening wrestled what Luna described as a “magazine-fed semiautomatic assault pistol” with an “extended large capacity magazine” from the suspect, who then fled the scene.
Tran reportedly died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after police tracked him down Sunday in a van at a shopping center parking lot in Torrance, Calif.
The suspect killed 10 and injured others in Monterey Park, but there were no reported injuries in Alhambra.
“The suspect walked in there, probably with the intent to kill more people, and two brave community members decided they were going to jump into action and disarm him. They did so, took possession of the weapon, and the suspect ran away,” Luna said.
He added that it remained unclear whether the people at the second location had been tipped off about the Monterey Park shooting beforehand.
California state Sen. Susan Rubio (D) also praised the two Alhambra community members at the presser, saying “we would be standing here with a lot more tragedy” if not for their actions.
“We hope to honor them at some point in the near future,” Rubio added.