California police are in a standoff with a “barricaded suspect” in a van authorities believe could be tied to the gunman who killed 10 people and injured 10 others in Monterey Park on Saturday.
Authorities on Sunday confirmed a “possible” link to the “barricaded suspect situation” in Torrance, located roughly 30 miles southwest of Monterey Park.
“I want to address also that there is a tactical incident that’s occurring in the city of Torrance,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said during a press briefing. “People have asked is that your suspect? We don’t know.”
“It’s a barricaded suspect situation. We are working with one of our partner agencies, the Torrance Police Department to resolve that. We believe there is a person inside of that vehicle.”
Luna said that police are working to resolve the barricaded suspect situation in the “safest manner” and that the suspected person inside the van could “possibly” be the mass shooting suspect.
Officials confirmed 10 people were killed and at least 10 other people were injured and taken to local hospitals after a man opened fire on people shortly after festivities for the Lunar New Year wrapped up in the city. The shooting was carried out on West Garvey Avenue at about 10:22 p.m., according to authorities.
LA PROSECUTOR MOURNS MASS SHOOTING THAT ROCKED ‘CLOSE-KNIT’ COMMUNITY AS SUSPECT REMAINS AT LARGE
Suspected Monterey Park mass shooter.
(LASD )
The victims include five men and five women, and were all “probably” of Asian descent, according to LA County Sheriff Robert Luna.
Monterey Park is located about 10 miles from downtown Los Angeles and has about a 65% Asian American population, the LA Times reported. Authorities described the suspect earlier Sunday as an Asian male between the ages of 30 and 50, but did not release additional information or a potential motive for the shooting.
The sheriff’s office released the first photos of the suspect on Sunday, showing a man who stands at about 5’10” and weighs 150 pounds. He was wearing a hat, glass and winter coat in the photos released by authorities. They said they were withholding the suspect’s name.
A police officer gets out of his vehicle near a ballroom dance club in Monterey Park, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023. A mass shooting took place at a dance club following a Lunar New Year celebration, setting off a manhunt for the suspect.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A police vehicle is seen near a scene where a shooting took place in Monterey Park, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023. Dozens of police officers responded to reports of a shooting that occurred after a large Lunar New Year celebration had ended in a community east of Los Angeles late Saturday.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The suspect fled the scene following the shooting.
