MONTEREY PARK — The man who wrestled a gun away from the Monterey Park mass shooter last month and likely prevented a second deadly shooting from occurring in nearby Alhambra will be among the guests Tuesday night in first lady Jill Biden’s viewing box for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.
Brandon Tsay and the other guests were invited by the White House because they personify issues or themes to be addressed by Biden in his speech or embody the Biden-Harris administration’s policies, the White House said.
In a phone call two weeks ago, Biden thanked Tsay for “taking such incredible action.”
“I wanted to call to see how you’re doing and thank you for taking such incredible action in the face of danger,” Biden told Tsay at the time. “I don’t think you understand just how much you’ve done for so many people who are never even going to know you. But I want them to know more about you.”
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Tsay repeatedly thanked Biden for the phone call, saying, “For you to call, that’s just to comforting to me.”
Biden also told Tsay, “You have my respect” and “You are America, pal. You are who we are. America’s never backed down. We’ve always stepped up because of people like you.”
On the night of Jan. 21, Tsay confronted and disarmed gunman Huu Can Tran at the Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio in Alhambra, shortly after Tran shot 20 people — 11 fatally — at another dance studio in Monterey Park. Tsay’s family runs the Lai Lai studio.
Monterey Park City Councilman Henry Lo, who was mayor when the shooting occurred, will also attend the president’s speech, as a guest of Sen. Alex Padilla, while Juily Phun, a niece of one of the fatally wounded Monterey Park victims, will attend as a guest of Rep. Judy Chu, the legislators’ offices confirmed.
Tsay, Lo and Phun — the niece of 67-year-old shooting victim Muoi Dai Ung — will also be…
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