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The Monterey mass shooter may have gone to the hospital after fatally shooting 10 people during Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations.
Local hospital staff reported a man matching Huu Can Tran’s description inside the emergency room for injuries potentially sustained in a fight, police told CNN.
Tran, 72, has been identified as the gunman who shot multiple people in a ballroom dance studio Saturday night amid celebrations in the predominantly Asian-American community.
Hospital workers said the man sat in the waiting room before leaving without treatment. He was identified by staff through wanted photos posted on the sheriff’s department’s Twitter account.
The shooting that occurred at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park left five women and five men dead and injured 10 others. Then, 20 to 30 minutes later, the gunman entered the Lai Lai dance hall in the nearby Alhambra, where brave patrons fought him off and seized the gun.
Tran then fled the scene and was on the run until Sunday when police found him in the van he used to flee the massacre.
Huu Can Tran, 72, may have gone to hospital after killing 10 people on Sunday. Hospital workers said he appeared to have sustained injuries from a fight. A photo of the man was posted earlier.
Police release photo of suspect in Monterey Park Chinese Lunar New Year massacre
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna identified Tran as the suspect Sunday and confirmed his motive is unknown.
“He intended to kill more people,” Luna said at a news conference Sunday night. “They saved lives,” she said of the sponsors. This could have been so much worse.
The exact ages of the victims were not released, but Luna appeared to be in her 50s. Seven of the injured remained in the hospital, she said.
Tran was carrying what was described as a semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine, and a second pistol was discovered in the truck where he was found dead, Luna added.
Early Sunday, law enforcement officers entered the van after surrounding it for hours. They heard a gunshot and approached the truck to find Tran’s body slumped over the wheel.
Tran was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the van he used to get away after his attempted second shooting was thwarted by ‘hero’ customers.
A law enforcement officer walks past a body slumped in the driver’s seat of a pickup truck in Torrance, California, on Sunday after a confrontation with police.
Aerial footage shows officials removing unknown items from the white van after the confrontation.
Several incidents took place across much of the Los Angeles area on Sunday, all believed to have been carried out by the same suspect.
Tran was carrying what was described as a semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine, and a second handgun was discovered in the truck where he was found dead, authorities said.
Horrific footage from Saturday showed victims being stretched off the scene before being rushed to hospital as police and ambulances poured into the area.
Police officers said crowds of terrified festival-goers poured out of the area “screaming” as bullets continued to fly.
“Remember, the suspect went to the Alhambra site after carrying out the shooting and was disarmed by two community members who I consider heroes,” Luna said Sunday.
He added: ‘They saved lives. This could have been so much worse. The weapon we recovered in the second scene I describe as a magazine-fed semi-automatic assault pistol. Not an assault rifle, but an assault pistol that had a high-capacity extended magazine attached to it.
Hours earlier, Luna said authorities were looking for a white van after witnesses reported seeing the suspect fleeing the Alhambra in the vehicle.
The shooting and manhunt sent a wave of fear through Asian-American communities in the Los Angeles area and cast a shadow over Lunar New Year festivities across the country. Other cities sent additional officers to monitor the celebrations.
Multiple victims were reported after the shooting in California during New Year’s celebrations.
The first shooting occurred in the 100 block of West Garvey Avenue, which is where the Star ballroom dance studio is located (pictured)
A second shooting, which police were investigating if related, occurred at the nearby Lai Lai Ballroom in Alhambra (pictured)
Monterey Park is a city of approximately 60,000 in far east Los Angeles and is comprised primarily of first-generation Asian immigrants from China or Asian-Americans.
The shooting occurred in the heart of its downtown area, where red lanterns decorated the streets for Lunar New Year festivities. A police car was parked near a large banner proclaiming “Happy Year of the Rabbit!”
The celebration at Monterey Park is one of the largest in California. Two days of festivities were planned, which have been attended by up to 100,000 people in recent years. But officials canceled Sunday’s events after the shooting.