Huu Can Tran: Cops slammed for not alerting community that Monterey Park mass shooter was on loose
MONTEREY PARK, CALIFORNIA: California police are being heavily criticized for risking public safety after they waited for five hours to warn the public that the Monterey Park mass shooter was on the loose. Huu Can Tran, 72, opened fire in a dance studio on Saturday night, January 21, killing 11 members of the LA area Asian-American enclave’s Chinese community who were out celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year.
It was reported that Tran opened fire at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio around 10.20 pm, and 20 minutes later, he went to a nearby rival dance studio, where heroic bystanders disarmed him of a MAC-10 submachine gun, police said. Despite the obvious risk to the public, police did not announce the suspect's location until 3.30 am, when LA County Sheriff's Capt. Andrew Meyer told reporters that the "suspect fled the scene and remains outstanding," according to the LA Times. However, it wasn't until 11.20 am, Sunday, that the police issued a bulletin with security camera pictures of Tran, warning he was considered “armed and dangerous."
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"When we started putting out public information, the priority was to get this person into custody, so we were very strategic in the way we were putting out information,” LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said on Monday, defending the strategy. “Ultimately, it worked,” he claimed. Horace Frank, a former assistant chief at the LA Police Department asserted, “It is a public safety issue.” "The only time you don’t do that is when you can articulate specific reasons otherwise. You always err on the side of keeping the public informed,” the former LAPD tactical operations expert added.
“If there is a reason for delay, I cannot think of one.” Simultaneously, Travis Norton, a lieutenant with the Oceanside Police Department who runs the After Action Review Team for the California Association of Tactical Officers claimed the officers had a good reason to withhold the information as they collected facts on the matter. “It is not usual to wait that long if they have a known suspect. However, there is always the possibility they have a good reason,” he said.
“These are rapidly unfolding events, even after the shooting stops. Dealing with multiple victims, crime scene processing, large number of witnesses, an active manhunt and all the other factors and dynamics at play make these events highly complex.” Retired LA County Sheriff Department chief of special operations also weighed in claiming cops may have strategically withheld information. “During a manhunt for dangerous suspects, law enforcement must follow up on leads and use measures to determine a suspect’s location,” he reportedly said.
“Sometimes, it’s not prudent to reveal the source of leads or how you intend to find the suspect, particularly when it involves intel or technology.” The police were allegedly manhunting the community looking for the gunmen after the mass shooting, said, Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese. “We began to associate the suspect there with what we thought was the description of the suspect here,” Wiese told the paper. “The weapon description was similar, and that’s when we started to put it all together.” “It was very fragmented,” he said.
“We had two crime scenes, and trying to get that info and make sure it was precise and that it was information the public could actually use takes a little bit of time." He further added, “By the time we could get the information out, we did.” Luna claimed the department was assessing the investigation to see “what worked and specifically what didn’t work." Suspect Tran died the next day from a self-inflicted gunshot wound following a police standoff in Monterey Park.
While police desperately probe a motive, it is unclear why the “isolated gun enthusiast,” who once frequented the local dance venue, carried out the callous murders, reported LA Times. He appeared to have no personal connection to any of the victims, according to investigators, despite initial reports suggesting he was envious that his ex-wife had been invited to the dance party and he harbored resentment toward the club's dance instructors.