Police descend on Los Angeles-area Trader Joe's after gunman reportedly opens fire outside

Google Maps

• Police descended on a Los Angeles-area supermarket on Saturday evening after reports of a gunman opening fire outside, then running into the store.
• The Los Angeles Police Department said there was an "active incident" at the Silver Lake Trader Joe's.
• Local media outlets reported that it was a possible hostage situation and the gunman remained barricaded inside.

A large number of police and rescue personnel descended on a a Los Angeles supermarket amid numerous media reports of possible gunshots.

The gunman opened fire outside the store following a police pursuit that ended in a car crash, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The gunman barricaded himself inside the Trader Joe's, and authorities were working to rescue people stuck inside the store, according to NBC Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Police Department tweeted there was an "active incident" at a Trader Joe's in the Silver Lake area.

Calls to the department's public information office were not immediately answered. Reports of gunshots could not immediately be confirmed.

An Associated Press employee who lives in the area reported seeing a crashed car into a utility pole outside the store.

One tweet showed people attempting to exit the Trader Joe's out a window. Other views from TV helicopters showed people leaving through the front door with their hands up.

No further details were immediately available.