The man who heroically prevented a mass shooting in a tense struggle says: “It was a primal instinct”

The 26-year-old coder, who took turns watching the front door of his family’s dance studio, had no idea what was going to happen as the Lunar New Year celebration drew to a close on Saturday night at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in the Alahambra. California.

Then Brandon Cey heard metal hitting metal and turned to see a man holding a gun, according to The New York Times.

“He looked at me and looked around, not hiding that he was trying to harm. His eyes were menacing,” Tsai said on Sunday.

The gun was a signal that this was not a robbery.

“From the way it was built and configured, I knew it was not for stealing money. Judging by his body language, facial expression, eyes, he was looking for people.”

Tsai began to fight the militant for gun control.

“At that moment it was a primal instinct. Something happened there. I don’t know what came over me,” he said.

Tsai explained to ABC that his call to action was when the man “began to prepare his weapons.”

“Something came over me. I realized that I need to take away his weapon. I had to take this weapon, disarm it, otherwise everyone would have died.”

“When I mustered up the courage, I threw myself at him with both hands, grabbed a weapon, and we got into a fight. We made our way into the lobby trying to take that gun from each other. He hit me in the face, hit me on the back of the head,” he said.

Tsai said that he eventually got hold of the weapon, pushed the man away and pointed the gun at him, yelling, “Get the hell out of here! I will shoot! Leave! Go!”

“I thought he was going to run away, but he just stood there and considered whether to fight or run. I really thought that I would have to shoot him, and he went to me. At that moment, he turned and walked out the door, jogging back to his van. I immediately called the police with a gun in my hand.”

EXCLUSIVE: “I realized that I needed to take away his weapons, disarm him, otherwise everyone else would have died.”

Brandon Tsai, who helped disarm a gunman who allegedly shot 20 people, killing 10, during California’s Lunar New Year celebrations, has spoken out. pic.twitter.com/OXTCXgml1u

— Good Morning America (@GMA) January 23, 2023

Unbeknownst to Tsai at the time, a man later identified as Huu Kang Tran was a suspect in a nearby Monterey park shooting that killed 10 people and injured 10 others.

“I was shaking all night. I couldn’t believe what happened,” Tsai told ABC.

“Many people told me how much courage I had to face a situation like this. But do you know what courage is? Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the ability to be afraid of adversity when terrible events like this happen,” he said.

“In crises like this, people need courage, especially the victims, their friends, their families. My heart goes out to all involved, especially the Star Dance Studio and Monterey Park staff. I hope they find the courage and strength to endure,” he said.

Tran was later tracked down by the police, but he shot himself when his white van was surrounded.

“We are still not clear on the motives,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“The investigation is ongoing… We want to know how something so horrific could happen,” Luna said.