Multiple casualties have been reported after a shooting at a nightclub during Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in California.
Initial reports say 10 people have died and at least 10 others are injured, with the lone male gunman still on the run.
The shooting occurred at a dance studio on Garvey Avenue at about 10:22pm (6:22am UK time), according to the Los Angeles Times.
“When officers arrived on scene, they observed numerous individuals, patrons ... pouring out of the location, screaming. The officers made entry to the location and located additional victims,” sheriff’s Captain Andrew Meyer said.
Wong Wei, who lives nearby, told the LA Times his friend had gone to the dance club that night and was in the bathroom when the shooting started.
He said she saw a gunman and three bodies — two women and one person who he said was the boss of the club — when she left the bathroom and managed to flee home around 11 pm.
Mr Wei's friend said the shooter was carrying a long gun and appeared to fire indiscriminately.
Monterey Park is majority Asian American Pacific Islander and was once voted the third safest city in America.
It is home to many Asian American families who would have been excitedly celebrating the New Year this weekend; people say this was a racist attack on the community.
According to census data, the suburb is 65 percent Asian American, 27 percent Latino, and 6 percent white.
Thousands of people gather every year in Monterey Park, just east of Los Angeles, for two days of celebrations to herald the new year.
Seung Won Choi, who owns a seafood barbecue restaurant across the street from where the shooting happened on Garvey Avenue, said to the LA Times three people rushed into his restaurant and told him to lock the door.
The people also told Choi that there was a shooter with a semi-automatic gun who had multiple rounds of ammunition on him so he could reload.
Officials provided no information for several hours after dozens of police officers had responded to reports of the shooting and many have been frustrated at the lack of information coming from the scene.
However, Monterey Park has a very small police force with just 75 sworn officers, compared to LA Police Department's 9,000 - according to Fox News.
Captain Meyer said he’s aware of some kind of incident in the neighbouring suburb of Alhambra, north of Monterey Park and said they have investigators "on scene trying to determine if there’s a connection between these two incidents.”
A 27-year-old man, Josh, who declined to give his last name, also told the LA Times he heard about four or five gunshots.
He lives nearby and heard police cruisers “smashing” down the street, as well as seeing one person being put on a stretcher and another person with a bandage on their arm.
“Our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones tonight in our neighbouring city, Monterey Park, where a mass shooting just occurred,” Los Angeles city controller Kenneth Mejia said in a tweet.
The annual Lunar New Year festival is a weekend-long event that has previously drawn crowds of more than 100,000 visitors.
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the mass shooting and Vice President Kamala Harris and Attorney General Merrick Garland have also received details on the shooting.
We'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.
