January 22, 2023 Monterey Park mass shooting news

A law enforcement tactical team has moved in and started searching a white cargo van that was involved in a standoff with officers in Torrance, California.

Aerial video from CNN affiliate KABC showed officers approaching the van with rifles drawn. One officer was seen breaking the passenger side window, then reaching inside and opening the door. Officers then opened the side doors and started searching the vehicle.

Law enforcement sources earlier told CNN that the van is potentially linked to the Monterey Park mass shooting. Officers heard what they believed was the sound of the driver shooting himself during a standoff that started after officers pulled the van over, the sources said.

Asked about the standoff, which was still ongoing as Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna held a news conference Sunday afternoon, the sheriff said he didn't yet know if the person in the van was the suspect in Saturday's mass shooting at a dance studio.

Torrance is a city in Los Angeles County's South Bay region, located about 30 miles southwest of Monterey Park.

While law enforcement officials have released a photo of the suspect in the Monterey Park, California, mass shooting, the Los Angeles County sheriff declined to publicly name him at a news conference Sunday afternoon.

Asked by reporters why he was not sharing the man's name, Sheriff Robert Luna said:

"Please be patient with us," Luna continued. "We're going to keep our word that we're going to continuously update you. Because the community, I understand, they're thirsty for information."

Luna said the photo was released because, "from a public safety perspective, we want people to see who this is, and then give us any information that they may have about his whereabouts."

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna offered support for survivors and the families of the victims in the Monterey Park mass shooting during a news conference Sunday afternoon.

Luna said a victim resource center has been established at the community's Langley Senior Center.

"As we're looking for the suspect, we will not forget the victims and survivors," Luna told reporters.

He said that workers at the resource center can help anyone still trying to reunify with a loved one who was at the dance studio where the shooting took place, and that psychological services will be offered.

Authorities don't know if a driver of a cargo van involved in a standoff situation in Torrance, California, is linked to the Monterey Park mass shooting, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

"I want to address also that there is a tactical incident, that is occurring in the city of Torrance, that is being covered. People have asked, 'Is that your suspect?' We don't know," Luna said during a news conference.

He continued, "As I said earlier, today, we had a vehicle that was described as a white box van, I guess you would say, a van of interest. And there is a van that looks just like what was described to us in the city of Torrance. It is a barricaded suspect situation, we are working with one of our partner agencies in the Torrance Police Department to resolve that. We believe there is a person inside of that vehicle. We don't know what their condition is but we will handle that in the safest manner that we possibly can."

Luna went on to say that the driver of the white cargo van could possibly be the shooting suspect, "but at this point, if we are doing our jobs correctly, we are not only looking at that situation or scenario, but we are making sure that we are looking at any and every possibility."

He asked and encouraged community members if they have any information on the shooting suspect to please come forward.

The sheriff's office released photos of the shooting suspect earlier today on social media.

The standoff in Torrance, California, began when police tried to stop a white cargo van that fit the description of a vehicle of interest from the Saturday night shooting in Monterey Park, law enforcement sources tell CNN, citing preliminary information.

As officers gave commands for the occupant to exit the van, they heard what they believe was the sound of the driver shooting himself, the sources said.

Officers have surrounded the van, and it appears they may be moving toward a tactical approach to ensure the driver is not still alive and armed inside.

Torrance is a city in Los Angeles County's South Bay region, located about 30 miles southwest of Monterey Park.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has released photos of the suspect in the Monterey Park mass shooting.

Sheriff Robert Luna tweeted photos of the man and noted that investigators identified him as a homicide suspect who should be considered "armed and dangerous."

View the tweet:

There is an ongoing police standoff in Torrance, California, that is believed to be associated with the investigation into the Monterey Park shooting, a law enforcement source tells CNN.

Torrance is a city in Los Angeles County's South Bay region, located about 30 miles southwest of Monterey Park.

An employee at a store across the street from the standoff told CNN they were told to lockdown.

The employee said they have been on lockdown since around 11:45 a.m. local time, when a police officer came in and told them to remain inside. The employee said the entire shopping complex, which includes a PetSmart, Walmart and Hobby Lobby — in addition to other smaller stores — is locked down.

Customers and employees are currently hunkered down inside the store until they receive an all clear.

Stop AAPI Hate released a statement following the mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, that killed 10 people Saturday night, calling it "a nightmare."  

"At Stop AAPI Hate, many people on our staff know this community well and feel connected to it. Our hearts are with the loved ones of all those whose lives were taken, those who were injured, and the countless others who were shaken by fear that no one should have had to experience," the statement continues.

"This tremendous act of violence, on one of the most important days of the year for many Asian Americans, at a place where Asian American families come to gather and celebrate, is sending shockwaves through our community," the statement continues. "As we struggle to process the pain, we must also work to prevent this from ever happening again.” 

Stop AAPI Hate describes itself as, "a national coalition addressing anti-Asian racism across the U.S."  

While police have not disclosed any motive for the attack in Monterey Park, it has been felt deeply in the Asian American community. The city is home to one of the largest Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the US.

Five men and five women were killed in a mass shooting at a dance studio in Monterey Park, California, Saturday night, authorities said. The gunman remains at large.

Here are some of the scenes from around the community, located in Los Angeles County's San Gabriel Valley, as the investigation continued Sunday: