Man accused of fatally shooting 2 at park as children played nearby is arrested

A man Los Angeles police believe shot two acquaintances to death in a popular Los Angeles park as children played nearby was arrested in Torrance.

Ryan Conrad, 31, of Los Angeles was taken into custody Friday, said Officer Drake Madison. He said no other details on the arrest were immediately available.

Authorities had warned earlier that Conrad should be considered armed and dangerous and urged anyone who saw him to contact police rather than confront him. Police had previously given his age as 27.

Authorities said he opened fire on two acquaintances Wednesday night after a brief argument in the parking lot of Shadow Ranch Park in the west San Fernando Valley. Children were playing at a nearby baseball diamond at the time.

“The motive for this murder appears to have been a dispute the suspect and victims were involved in just prior to the shooting,” police said in a statement. “Investigators do not believe this was a random act of violence or gang related.”

One man died at the scene. The other died at a hospital after speaking briefly to police.

Authorities withheld the victims’ names as they attempted to contact family members.