California shooting: Eight killed at Seal Beach salon

The BBC's Peter Bowes says Seal Beach is a relatively high-end beach resort

Eight people have been shot dead at a hair salon in the Los Angeles area, authorities say.

The shooting took place in the city of Seal Beach, California, in a retail area off the Pacific Coast Highway.

Six people were initially confirmed dead, while two others died later of their injuries and one remains in a critical condition, police said.

Police say they have a suspect in custody after arresting a man nearby. Multiple weapons were seized.

The shooting occurred at about 13:30 PDT (21:30 GMT) at a hair salon called Salon Meritage.

Sgt Bowles said a suspect was arrested shortly after the shooting.

"The officers identified the [suspect's] vehicle as it was leaving the location," Sgt Bowles said. "They followed it and made a traffic stop and took the driver into custody."

He could not confirm local media reports that the gunman was wearing body armour, but appeared confident the man arrested was the suspect.

"He appeared co-operative, and did not resist our officers when he was detained," said Sgt Bowles said, adding: "We do feel confident at this point that we do have the single and only suspect in custody."
The motive for the shooting was still unclear.

Police from nearby towns were assisting with the investigation.

"A crime of this magnitude is not something Seal Beach is familiar with," Sgt Bowles told reporters.

Seal Beach is a beachfront city of approximately 25,000 residents, located about 30 miles (48km)south-east of Los Angeles.

It is home to a gated senior citizen community of 9,000 people, as well as the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station military complex and a national wildlife refuge.