Dozens of police officers responded to a reported shooting in a community in California, United States, on Saturday night, where a crowd of tens of thousands was celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year, the Los Angeles Times said. Authorities have not provided details, but multiple victims are feared.
The shooting took place in Monterey Park, a city of about 60,000 people with a large Asian population about 10 miles (16 km) from downtown Los Angeles.
Seung Won Choi, owner of a seafood barbecue restaurant across the street from where the shooting occurred, told the Los Angles Times that three people ran into his establishment and urged him to lock the door.
Choi said he was told the shooter had a machine gun with multiple rounds of ammunition and the shooting reportedly took place at a dance club.
The shooter’s condition is unknown at this time. Law enforcement sources told the LA Times that at least 12 people had been killed.
The Times said the incident occurred sometime after 10 p.m. on Saturday.
Journalists from the AFP news agency, who were at the scene, said there was a large police presence and the areas had been sealed off with helicopters hovering overhead.
