California police hunting the gunman who killed 10 people at a dance club during Lunar New Year celebrations broke into a van after a lengthy standoff on Sunday, with televised footage showing the driver apparently dead, AFP reported.
The manhunt began 12 hours earlier after a man, described by police as Asian, opened fire at a club in Monterey Park, a city in Los Angeles County with a large Asian community.
The police stand-off around a van began late Sunday morning in Torrance, south of Los Angeles, with the Los Angeles Times reporting shots had been fired at the scene.
It culminated with heavily-armed officers, supported by armored vehicles swarming the white panel van, smashing the passenger side window with their weapons raised, reported AFP.
Aerial footage showed what appeared to be the body of a man slumped in the driver’s seat.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said earlier a “tactical incident” was under way.
“We believe there is a person inside of that vehicle. We don’t know their condition, but we’re going to handle that in the safest manner that we possibly can to try and identify that person. Could it be our suspect? Possibly,” he added.
Witnesses to the shooting said the man fired indiscriminately at the club, and was heavily armed.
In addition to the 10 dead, at least 10 other people were wounded, some of them critically.
Five of the dead were women and five men, officials said, without providing ages or names.