Curtis Tam was the first to be arrested on March 24, 1978. Tam, an emigrant from Hong Kong, was 18 years old and attending Galileo High School at the time of his arrest. A police informant recorded Tam recounting details of the attack, and shortly after his arrest, anonymous sources identified Tam as one of the gunmen, During his initial interrogation, Tam confessed and implicated 11 others. A hearing was held in April 1978 to determine if Tam should be tried as an adult, which was granted. The recording of Tam's interrogation was first played at an arraignment hearing in May 1978 and again at his trial; in it, he claimed "They made me do it. If I didn't shoot somebody then they'd say, you know, I'm chicken. I don't think I shot anybody 'cause I didn't aim at anybody."