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  A special community dance was held at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where Brandon Tsay disarmed a mass shooter in January inside of his family’s dance studio, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  Brandon Tsay, speaks during an event outside of Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where in January, he disarmed a mass shooter who already killed 11 people, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  A special community dance was held at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where Brandon Tsay disarmed a mass shooter in January inside of his family’s dance studio, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  A special community dance was held at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where Brandon Tsay disarmed a mass shooter in January inside of his family’s dance studio, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  A special community dance was held at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where Brandon Tsay disarmed a mass shooter in January inside of his family’s dance studio, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  Lloyd Gock, 67, of Alhambra, right, who survived the mass shooting at Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, dances with Karen Hahn, 62, of Pasadena during a special community dance at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where Brandon Tsay disarmed the same shooter in January inside of his family’s dance studio, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  A special community dance was held at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where Brandon Tsay disarmed a mass shooter in January inside of his family’s dance studio, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  A special community dance was held at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where Brandon Tsay disarmed a mass shooter in January inside of his family’s dance studio, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  Paul, left, and Millie Cao perform during a special community dance at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where Brandon Tsay disarmed a mass shooter in January inside of his family’s dance studio, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  Lloyd Gock, 67, of Alhambra, right, who survived the mass shooting at Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, dances with Karen Hahn, 62, of Pasadena during a special community dance at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where Brandon Tsay disarmed the same shooter in January inside of his family’s dance studio, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  Charmeen Wing, left, and Pavel Balykin perform during a special community dance at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where Brandon Tsay disarmed a mass shooter in January inside of his family’s dance studio, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  Lloyd Gock, 67, of Alhambra, left, who survived the mass shooting at Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, dances with Karen Hahn, 62, of Pasadena during a special community dance at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where Brandon Tsay disarmed the same shooter in January inside of his family’s dance studio, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  Millie, left, and Paul Ca0 perform during a special community dance at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where Brandon Tsay disarmed a mass shooter in January inside of his family’s dance studio, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  Kristi Semochko, left, and Vlad Ogurtsov perform during a special community dance at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where Brandon Tsay disarmed a mass shooter in January inside of his family’s dance studio, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  A special community dance was held at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where Brandon Tsay disarmed a mass shooter in January inside of his family’s dance studio, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  Vlad Ogurtsov, left, and Kristi Semochko perform during a special community dance at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where Brandon Tsay disarmed a mass shooter in January inside of his family’s dance studio, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  A special community dance was held at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where Brandon Tsay disarmed a mass shooter in January inside of his family’s dance studio, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  A special community dance was held at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where Brandon Tsay disarmed a mass shooter in January inside of his family’s dance studio, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  A special community dance was held at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where Brandon Tsay disarmed a mass shooter in January inside of his family’s dance studio, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  Brandon Tsay, poses for photos during a community dance event outside of Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where in January, he disarmed a mass shooter who already killed 11 people, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  Performers wait to hit the dance floor during a special community dance at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where Brandon Tsay disarmed a mass shooter in January inside of his family’s dance studio, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

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  Millie, left, and Paul Ca0 perform during a special community dance at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where Brandon Tsay disarmed a mass shooter in January inside of his family’s dance studio, on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The event was coordinated between Tsay and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

Old friends reconnected. Strangers laughed alongside each other. And on Saturday, May 20, they danced into the night on an Alhambra dance floor.

It was here, at Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio, on the eve of Lunar New Year, where just four months ago a young man wrestled a gun away from a man who just minutes before, in neighboring Monterey Park, had caused what is the deadliest American mass shooting of 2023. It was here where Brandon Tsay foiled a second attack.

On Saturday, hundreds of people gathered at the site to celebrate the Asian American heritage, to laugh, eat and enjoy an evening of dance – where each step is step toward telling a different story, one about a peaceful, tight-knit community that finds smiles, friendship in their beloved ballroom dance halls.

The free community dance — co-hosted by the Tsay family, which owns the studio, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice — was an evening of remembrance during a month devoted to celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage. But it was also an opportunity for people to lean on each other for support in the aftermath of a tragedy that rocked many to their core, according to some of the event’s attendees.

Among those in the crowd were families of victims, as well as people who were physically injured and emotionally scarred by the tragedy.

For some, getting back to the dance floor was not easy thing. For some it was imperative to get back soon.

Charmeen Wing was still reeling from the loss of her mom when Mymy Nhan, a close friend of hers, became the first of 11 people to die at the hands of the gunman at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio on Jan. 21.

“I was so sad. I didn’t really know why I was dancing anymore,” she said.

But upon the invitation of the event organizers, Wing decided to pick up dancing again, something she hasn’t done since 2019.

“This has brought me back to life,” Wing said. “It brought me back to old friends that I haven’t seen in years because of the pandemic, and then obviously new friends.”

Wing, who had trained and danced at both Lai Lai and Star Ballroom for more than 10 years, described the ballroom community as tight-knit and filled with “loving, giving people”.

“What’s so interesting is many people we don’t know, maybe their names, or maybe only know their first names, but we recognize each other from seeing each other in the ballroom for years, and we support each other and we cheer each other,” she said.

Organizers were keenly aware of that solidarity as difficult memories of Jan. 21 linger.

“This event is a celebration of Alhambra and Monterey Park and our communities and our victims and our allies,” said Connie Chung Joe, CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Southern California (AJSOCAL). “It’s also a love letter to ballroom dancing, and to all of the community members here. We want to celebrate the strength and resiliency of our community.”

Two months after the tragedy, President Joe Biden visited Monterey Park to talk with families of the victims and survivors. During that trip, Biden also announced an executive order that seeks to increase background checks to buy guns, encourage safe storage of firearms and address the loss and theft of guns during shipping, among other things.

While national gun reform legislation remains elusive, even after several subsequent American mass shootings, people on Saturday said unity is vital in the road toward recovery.

Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, said Saturday’s event was an important moment on that road.

“It’s been four months since the shooting happened, and it was devastating and numbing to this community, but we have been starting to process this,” she said. “Of course, we will never forget what happened, but what we can do is unite and be strong before it.”

Lloyd Gock, in attendance on Saturday, echoed that strength.

He was roughly 10 feet away from Huu Can Tran, 72, when Tran opened fire at Star Ballroom Dance Studio. Gock fell to the ground just as bullets flew over his head, he said. Although he survived the incident, it took him a long time to heal mentally because many of those killed were his close friends.

But Gock was determined not to let the gunman deter him from doing what he loves most – dancing. He hit the dance floor barely a week after the shooting because he doesn’t want the gunman “to win”, Gock said.

“I am very happy to see many people are back here dancing again, and hopefully with time, lives will go back to normal again,” Gock said.

The 20 to 30 survivors formed a WeChat group and hold monthly meetings to check on each other, Gock said.

Recently, he noticed that more members of the group have begun to recover from the incident.

Meanwhile, Brandon Tsay, who was also in attendance Saturday, has become an American hero, but also has gone about using his newfound notoriety to call for communities to work together for greater compassion and building bridges to each other as the community heals.

Saturday’s event itself, and the support of Lai Lai in the area, seemed evidence of that compassion.

Brenda Tsay, who runs the Lai Lai dance studio with her brother and father, said many people and organizations have reached out to the family in the aftermath of the shooting. The free event was made possible with the support of neighbors, restaurants and elected officials, she said.

“We think that this community needs it,” she said. “They need a day where they can celebrate being Asian-American. They need a day where they can celebrate their culture. Also, also, they need a day to just enjoy themselves after what happened in January.”

Gock was determined to have many days to enjoy, and to heal.

“If we stop dancing, the gunman will get what he wants, but if we continue to dance, he will no longer be able to terrorize us,” Gock said.

Among its May activities is a special Community Dance at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio, in Alhambra.

“We join the residents of Monterey Park and Alhambra for celebration and healing in the wake of the Lunar New Year tragedy — to show the world that we are proud of all of our Asian ancestries, languages and current experiences as Americans,” said Connie Chung Joe, CEO of AJSOCAL, in a statement. “A Community Dance will be an afternoon of joy and we encourage all community residents, AAPIs, allies, family and friends to be there in solidarity.”

The event is hosted in partnership with the Tsay family, including Brandon Tsay – the Lunar New Year hero who on the night of Jan. 21 disarmed Monterey Park mass shooter Huu Can Tran at the Tsay family’s dance studio only minutes after Tran had opened fire inside of Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park. Brandon has been recognized by local, state and national leaders for his selfless act of bravery. 

“After this tragedy, we want to make this about bringing together people back together,” said Brenda Tsay, Brandon’s sister. “To seize opportunity and bring joy back to the dance world and maybe even those people who are not familiar with dancing.”

Tsay added that all are welcome, and that the ballroom will have security there to ensure visitor’s safety. The free event promises an afternoon of dance, food and music that highlights the pride, strength and resilience of the AAPI community.

The afternoon on Saturday, May 20 will include an open tea dance for all ages along with performances by the dancers of the Lai Lai Ballroom and Star Ballroom as well as the Top Shelf Vocal Group with more to be announced on www.ajsocal.org. The event is sponsored by Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, First District. Additional support was provided by the Panda Restaurant Group, Bopomofo Café and Phoenix Bakery.

Zhong Qi Chen of El Monte had pleaded guilty in March to the voluntary manslaughter of Yining Xie of Arcadia.

The shooting was over a workplace dispute, said Greg Risling, a District Attorney’s Office spokesman.

Chen’s attorney couldn’t be reached for comment on Monday.

On Nov. 16, 2018, police headed to the newspaper’s office at 2121 W. Mission Road after a 911 caller reported he’d been shot. The 58-year-old Xie died at the scene from gunshot wounds to the head and torso.

Police found a gun. Officers questioned employees and arrested Chen.

The DA’s Office originally charged Chen with murder with the added allegations that he used a handgun and caused great bodily injury and death. A conviction of those allegations would have led to a possible sentence of 50 years to life in prison.

Here, young people of all learning abilities are encouraged to meet their full potential.

And that’s a big mission on a campus that serves students ages 8 through 22, from the Los Angeles Unified School District and other school districts in the San Gabriel Valley.

The students at Sierra have learning, behavioral or social/emotional challenges that benefit from a structured setting rather than the open form of a large, mainstream public school.

But that doesn’t make the learning any less relevant or timely. In fact, it’s the very interaction with the environment around them that for teachers and their students become a path toward learning and emotional awareness.

“They are in an environment where they can feel safe and feel supported and know that they have not just one teacher in the classroom to help but plenty of adults to guide them and work through any issues that they have, whether that be academic or behavior,” said Sierra School of Alhambra director, Stephanie Helguera.

To that end, April’s theme was environmentalism. So on Friday, students and staff walked to Story Park in Alhambra as part of their community-based instruction to gather recyclables and clean up trash.

To encourage creativity, students recycled newspapers to make a piñata.

In the process, the idea was to learn good stewardship of the land.

According to Autism Specialty Group, outdoor activity promotes cognitive function, sensory development, social skills, attention span, and overall sense of well-being.

It’s all part of building an academically, socially and emotionally aware curriculum at the private school, which the program centers on self-esteem to improve students’ self-image as they navigate common, everyday stressors.

“Our goal for every student here on campus is to make them as independent as possible,” Helguera added.

The staff consists of special education teachers, counselors and a speech and occupational therapist. Programs are split to serve the needs of each student, ranging from  a general education curriculum to programs that cater to youngsters with autism.

Helguera has been with the Sierra school since 2000, when she started as a teacher’s aid. Since starting her career with the campus, she has earned master’s degree in psychology. She said that the holistic approaches offered on campus are the reasons she has stayed for more than years.

According to a 2023 report by Centers for Disease Control’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, one in 36 children identified on autism spectrum.

Students on the autism spectrum are diverse in their experiences, backgrounds and abilities, so the Sierra School provides programs that engage outside of the classroom.

No matter the level of learning that a student is experiencing, three days of the week all the classes engage together in an outdoor curriculum.

“It’s really important, I think, to teach kids that differences are OK,” Helguera said. “It’s really good for our students that are on Gen Ed curriculum to learn about other kids and know they’re programmed so that they understand that these are differences everybody has, and that they’re always going to come across people that different than them.”

Around 2 p.m., the victim was crossing Garfield Avenue in a marked crosswalk at the intersection with San Marino Avenue, according to Alhambra Police Sgt. Michael Montano. A sedan heading westbound along San Marino Avenue attempted to make a left turn onto southbound Garfield Avenue when the vehicle struck the victim.

The victim, a woman in her 60s, was taken to a hospital where she later died from her injuries. Her identity was not released Tuesday pending notification of family.

The driver remained at the scene and was cooperating with authorities. Drugs or alcohol were not believed to have factored into the crash, Montano said.

Anyone who witnessed the collision can contact the Alhambra Police Department Traffic Section at 626-570-5119.

Alhambra Police Department officers were called about 9:24 p.m. Friday to the intersection of South Almansor and East Bay streets where they found the victim sitting in the driver’s seat of his vehicle suffering from apparent gunshot wounds to his upper torso, said Lt. Mike Gomez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau.

No other information was immediately available.

The victim was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Sheriffs homicide detectives are assisting Alhambra police with the investigation.

Anyone with information about the shooting was asked to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous calls can be made to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or sent to lacrimestoppers.org

As part of a new license agreement, the city will continue to provide space for Chinatown Service Center to provide on-site counseling for the next five years.

“When this tragedy happened, we knew it was out of obligation to work together with the city — with the residents — to heal, said Peter Ng, CEO of Chinatown Service Center.

Immediately after the Jan. 21 tragedy that left 11 dead and nine injured, the city of Monterey Park offered drop-in counseling to any resident affected by the shooting through Feb. 10. It was part of broader push for mental health services and counseling in the wake of the shooting as the city began a long process of recovery.

Now, visitors of the library can expect to access community counseling services Tuesdays and Wednesdays from noon to 6 p.m. and Thursdays and Fridays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Caseworkers on site are multilingual.

Monterey Park Mayor Pro Tem Thomas Wong confirmed that these services come at no extra cost to the city, and that the Chinatown Service Center is responsible for securing funding through its nonprofit status.

Diana Garcia, Monterey Park librarian, said the partnership with the Chinatown Service Center goes back further than Jan. 6 mass shooting.

The two have worked together to provide programs such as small business coaching, parenting workshops and a Tax Assistance Clinic.

Garcia said this longstanding partnership made providing a permanent space for the center a natural decision with a smooth transition.

“One of the lessons that we took out of COVID was that people turn to the library in times of crisis,” Garcia said. “It’s a trusted institution — they know the librarians and feel comfortable … so we knew that in the aftermath of the shooting that people were going to turn to the library.”

Whether folks just need a quick check in or require intensive mental health care, Garcia said that the table in the center of the first-floor Chinatown Service Center is there for to find help.

“We hope that this effort is going to help bring more mental wellness to the community and also destigmatize the need for a mental health services or mental health treatment,” said Nina Loc, behavioral health director for Chinatown Service Center.

The counseling are part of an array of measures the city has taken to bolster recovery resources since the tragedy.

To further healing, the Monterey Park Community Fund has now raised $50,000, according to Monterey Park’s Treasurer, Amy Lee who also sits on the fund committee. The most recent contribution, provided during the April 5 City Council meeting, was $5,000 and made by Monterey Park’s Firefighters Association after a community barbecue fundraiser in March.

As money continues to be donated, the committee is centering prevention, education and community engagement, said Hans Liang, president of L.A. County Deputy Probation Officers Union and Monterey Park Community Fund committee member. As a former city council member and mayor, Liang looks to embolden the community with resources to use in times of crisis.

“The more informed and educated people are on on what options are available, the better,” he said.

Lee announced that the committee’s first initiative is to provide free monthly dance classes to all ages at Langley Senior Center on Emerson Avenue.

“We want to hold joy, connect generations and keep our residents dancing,” she said.

For Chinatown Service Center mental health services, visit www.cscla.org/counseling or call (213) 808-1700.

Additionally, the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health help line is available 24/7 to provide mental health support, resources and referrals at (800) 854-7771. Or text 741741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor to get free crisis support via text message.

For emergency help call 9-1-1. The suicide and crisis hotline can be reached at 988. For Crisistext and Deaf and Hard of Hearing support, text “HEARME” to 839863.

“Both incidents were completely unprovoked,” said Lt. Ryan Rabbett of the March 3 stabbings, one killing 17-year-old Xavier Chavarin as he waited for his mother. “These victims were attacked for no apparent reason.”

The driver was in a small SUV, a 1996 to 2001 Honda CR-V, authorities said at a press conference at the Los Angeles Police Department’s headquarters. They did not elaborate but called the motorist a suspect in the first stabbing.

Acting on tips, surveillance footage and witness accounts, police, Wednesday morning, March 8, went to the Alhambra home of David Zapata, 32, and after a two-hour standoff persuaded him to come out and arrested him for murder.

Both stabbings occurred less than two miles apart. Chavarin was stabbed that afternoon multiple times in the back outside the King Torta restaurant in the 4500 block of Valley Boulevard before stumbling inside, while the second victim, a 33-year-old man, was stabbed five hours later in front of Valley Food & Liquor in the 5400 block on the same street. The man was expected to recover.

In the second stabbing, the suspect was seen on surveillance footage with a skateboard.

LAPD officials have said Zapata had undergone mental-health evaluations following previous arrests without elaborating.

“We did attempt to interview Mr. Zapata,” Lt. Rabbett said at Thursday’s press conference. “I will tell you that his mental health is no reason for what he did.”

The lieutenant would not comment when asked what was said, if anything, between Zapata and the victims before the stabbings. Detectives had no evidence to suggest Zapata tried to rob the victims, police said.

At the Thursday press conference, Rabbett said Zapata has seven misdemeanor arrests on his record. The lieutenant did not describe them.

Neighbors told the Southern California News Group that Zapata lived at the apartment with his grandmother.

ALHAMBRA — A Santa Clarita man who pleaded no contest to sexually assaulting seven women was sentenced Wednesday to 310 years to life in prison by a judge who called him a “predator.”

“Frankly, it’s stunning how much pain and suffering one man can inflict,” Superior Court Judge Jared Moses said after hearing statements from four victims who were attacked by Nicolas Morales. “We’re here because of the courage of the seven women.”

The judge noted that he believed all of the victims who testified at an earlier hearing that they didn’t think they were going to survive the attacks, saying that one woman’s head was smashed against a vehicle dashboard and that another woman was choked when she tried to fight back.

“The defendant was a predator pretending to be an Uber or Lyft driver,” the judge said. “He took advantage of a position of trust by pretending to be a rideshare driver.”

The judge also ordered the 49-year-old defendant to register as a sex offender if he is released from prison, but said he believes the defendant is too dangerous to ever live outside prison walls.

As his trial was underway last month, Morales pleaded no contest to 27 counts including forcible rape and other counts of sexual assault.

Morales’ victims gave emotional accounts during the sentencing hearing, with one woman identified in court as Jane Doe 1 writing in a statement read in court on her behalf that she has “never been so hurt and broken before” and that she still has trauma and flashbacks.

Another woman, identified in court as Jane Doe 2, said she wishes that the defendant could know how he impacted his victims’ lives.

“I just feel like my life, it just stopped there. I haven’t been able to move on at all,” she said.

Jane Doe 3 said she had “waited for this day for a very long time,” saying she felt that she faced an imminent threat of death for three hours and wondered if it was her last day alive after calling for an Uber and getting in Morales’ vehicle as he posed as a ride-hailing service driver.

“You didn’t break me. You only broke yourself and your family,” the woman said in an emotional statement.

Jane Doe 6 told the judge that she opted after the attack to run five miles from her job to her home instead of getting into a car with someone she didn’t know, and that she started “blaming myself.” She said she is still trying to find herself.

The series of attacks occurred in areas throughout Los Angeles County, including Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Burbank and Alhambra between October 2016 and January 2018.

Morales was arrested in February 2018 by Alhambra police and has remained behind bars since then.

Tsay was honored as State Sen. Susan Rubio, D-Baldwin Park, adjourned in a state Senate session in remembrance of the 11 victims.

“Our hearts will always ache for those we lost in Monterey Park,” Rubio said in a statement. “Though our community has been deeply affected, we remain resilient in the aftermath of this tragedy. I am deeply grateful to Brandon Tsay who risked his life and tackled the gunman to prevent even more devastation. He is a hero to our state, to the nation, and to us all.”

Tsay, too, spoke of the victims — people who came to the very Alhambra studio — Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio  –he and his family run.

“The situation still feels so surreal to me,” he said in a statement provided by Rubio’s office. “Most of the victims I knew personally. They’d always come by the dance studio and I considered them friends. They were some of the most caring people I have ever met.”

On Feb. 7, Tsay attended the State of the Union address, at the invitation of President Joe Biden, and has met with not just the president but Gov. Gavin Newsom and local leaders.

He has said his goal is to promote more compassion among people, as the community heals.