President Joe Biden calls Monterey Park mass shooting hero Brandon Tsay: "Thank you for taking such incredible action in the face of danger."
President Joe Biden took the time to thank 26-year-old Brandon Tsay for disarming the Monterey Park gunman, saving the lives of countless other people.
"I wanted to call to see how you're doing and thank you for taking such incredible action in the face of danger," said Biden. "I don't think you understand just how much you've done for so many people who are never going to even know you — but I want them to know more about you."
Tsay was inside his family's Alhambra dance studio when the 72-year-old gunman Huu Can Tran shot and killed at least 11 people and injured 9 others at a nearby Monterey Park ballroom walked in, planning to continue his massacre.
In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, the 26-year-old said he lunged at the suspect, after mustering up the courage, stripping the gunman of his weapon.
"I would think I'm gonna die, this is it. This is the end for me," Tsay said in the interview with Cooper. "But then something happened, something came over me. I just had this rush of thought and adrenaline."
After Tsay disarmed him, the gunman ran away and into a white van prompting an hours-long manhunt for him. Tsay said that the physical struggle felt like an eternity even though it was less than a minute. The young man said he tried to divert the firearm away from himself and the ballroom while the gunman hit him several times in the face and behind the head.
During the call, Tsay said that he's still trying to come to grips with what happened on that fateful night on Jan. 21.
"I'm still processing... What I did and what I experienced," he said while on the phone with Biden. "For you to call, that's just so comforting for me."
Biden told Tsay that he embodied the resolute spirit of America, never backing down from a challenge — even in the face of insurmountable odds.
"You have my respect," said Biden. "You are America, pal. You are who we are. America has never backed down. We've always stepped up because of people like you."
Tsay has been hailed as a hero by other public officials such as Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sheriff Robert Luna. Tsay will be recognized on the main stage of the Alhambra Lunar New year Festival at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the city.
