At least 14 people were killed in a gun attack on a holiday party in California on Wednesday, triggering a massive manhunt that ended when police shot dead two heavily armed suspects on a quiet residential street.

At least 14 people were killed in a gun attack on a holiday party in California on Wednesday, triggering a massive manhunt that ended when police shot dead two heavily armed suspects - a man and a woman - on a quiet residential street.

San Bernardino police said a possible third suspect had been detained over the shooting, which took place at a social services building about an hour's drive east of Los Angeles.

The attackers were dressed in military-style gear and carried assault weapons as they burst into the auditorium where the bloodbath took place, lent out for the holiday party by the Inland Regional Center.

Beyond the 14 dead, the shooting left at least 17 people wounded, including 10 in critical condition.

FBI agents in the early evening raided an apartment complex in the nearby town of Redlands, where the suspects were seen before the police chase that ended in a shootout a few miles from the Inland Center.

Police spokesman said that a bomb sqaud has been disposed of explosives in the scene.

Several US media identified one of the suspects as Syed Farook, who lived in the apartment complex, and identified the female as Tashfeen Malik. Both of them were killed by police.

According to the site Mass Shooting Tracker, the latest attack brings to 352 the number of mass shootings in the United States so far this year. A mass shooting is defined as four or more people shot in one incident.