MONTEREY PARK, Calif. (AP) — A gunman killed 10 people at a ballroom dance studio amid Lunar New Year celebrations and then probably tried — but failed — to target a second dance hall, authorities said Sunday.
An hourslong manhunt led police to surround and enter a white van, but it was not immediately clear whether the suspect was inside.
The shooting and manhunt sent a wave of fear through Asian American communities in the Los Angeles area and cast a shadow over Lunar New Year festivities around the country. Other cities sent extra officers to watch over the celebrations.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park left five women and five men dead and wounded another 10 people. Then 20 to 30 minutes later, a man with a gun entered the Lai Lai Ballroom in nearby Alhambra
Authorities believe the two events are connected. They offered no details about a possible motive.
The suspect in both cases was described as an Asian male. He entered the Alhambra club with a gun, and people wrested the weapon away from him before he fled, Luna said.
By midday, police in tactical vehicles and bomb-squad trucks surrounded a white van in a parking lot 22 miles (35.4 kilometers) from Alhambra in Torrance, another majority Asian community.
Hours earlier, Luna said authorities were looking for a white van after witnesses reported seeing the suspect flee from Alhambra in such a vehicle.
“We believe there is a person inside of that vehicle. We don’t know their condition, but we’re going to handle that in safest manner that we possibly can and try and identify that person. Could it be our suspect? Possibly," Luna said.
In response to a question, Luna said it was possible that the person barricaded in van was dead.
Members of a SWAT team entered the van a short time later and looked through its contents before walking away. It was unclear what they found.
Authorities said Sunday they know the suspect's name but declined to release it because it could complicate their ability to apprehend him. But they did release a photo showing an Asian man wearing glasses and a winter hat. The image was taken from the attempted shooting in Alhambra.