A heroic witness wrestled a pistol from a gunman with "menacing eyes" who had massacred 10 in a mass shooting.
Huu Can Tran, 72, opened fire with a semi-automatic pistol on Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park in California on Saturday evening killing 10 people.
The killer wounded 10 more during Lunar New Year celebrations and intended to kill more people.
However, Brandon Tsay stopped the gunman from continuing his murder spree and disarmed him.
Tsay, 26, whose family runs Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio, wrested the gun from the assailant, after he heard doors slamming and gunshots.
He was in the office on Saturday evening when he looked around and saw Tran, 72, aiming a semiautomatic assault pistol at him.
The witness had no idea Tran had opened fire on Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park in California.
Tsay told the New York Times he had "menacing eyes" as he kept looking around "not hiding he was trying to do harm."
He stopped him from continuing his murder spree and disarmed him, according to Sheriff Robert Luna, from Los Angeles County.
He admitted: "This could have been much worse.”
Police have praised Tsay for his life-saving actions which prevented further tragedy as the witness believes the gun he was carrying was intended to inflict further damage.
He said: "How it was built and customised, I knew it wasn’t for robbing money.
“From his body language, his facial expression, his eyes, he was looking for people."
Tsay, along with his family, reviewed the CCTV footage from inside the lobby of the ballroom and said it was the 26-year-old who wrestled the weapon from Tran.
The doors to the ballroom were closed and no one else was involved, according to the family.
His dad, Tom Tsay, said he was "proud" of his son for showing the bravery to disarm the killer as Tran attempted to get his gun back.
Tsay pointed the gun at Tran and shouted "Go, get the hell out of here."
Witnesses said the suspect then fled in a white van.
The van was found in Torrance, another community home to many Asian Americans.
After surrounding the vehicle for hours, law enforcement officials swarmed and entered it.
A person's body appeared to be slumped over the wheel and was later removed while a handgun was recovered by investigators at the scene.
The sheriff said he didn't have their exact ages but all of the people killed appeared to be over 50. Seven people remain in hospital.
He said the investigation was ongoing although the motives of the suspect remain unclear.
Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese said within three minutes of receiving the call, officers arrived at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park.
There, they found carnage inside and people trying to flee through all the doors.
He said: "When they came into the parking lot it, was chaos."
About 20 to 30 minutes after the first attack, the gunman entered the Lai Lai Ballroom in the nearby city of Alhambra where the hero disarmed Tran.
Chinese Chamber of Commerce leader Chester Chong told ABC7 that he believed the shooting was related to a domestic dispute and not a hate crime.
Mr Chong told local news that he heard through friends who were at the event that a woman was invited to the event and not her husband, which reportedly made him upset.
The celebration in Monterey Park is one of California's largest.
Two days of festivities, which have been attended by as many as 100,000 people in past years, were planned.
But officials cancelled Sunday's events following the shooting.
