A man was dragged from his car by enraged bystanders and shot after he plowed a vehicle into a crowd in Los Angeles, injuring at least 23 people, at least seven of them critically, outside a nightclub early Saturday, police said.
The incident appears to have been intentional, Los Angeles police said. They said cameras in the area were still being canvassed.
Two law enforcement sources familiar with the situation said the driver had been kicked out of the venue for being intoxicated and disruptive.
Police said they arrested Fernando Ramirez, 29, who was charged with assault with a deadly weapon. He was hospitalized and had not been booked into jail, police said. His condition was not immediately known.
Patrol officers responded to a call of an assault with a deadly weapon in East Hollywood near the intersection of Vermont Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard around 2 a.m.
“When officers arrived, they found the driver being assaulted by bystanders and determined he had sustained a gunshot wound,” the LAPD said in an update.
Sgt. Travis Ward said the driver was shot after the collision, transported to the hospital and taken into surgery. For that reason, he said, police were unable to determine whether he was intoxicated.
Police described the person who shot the driver as “a Hispanic male, approximately 5 feet, 9 inches tall, 180 pounds, bald, wearing a blue jersey, and possibly armed with a silver revolver.” The man ran away and was last seen going westbound from Vermont Avenue, the LAPD said.
Police ask anyone with information about the shooter to get in touch.
Officials did not share the name of the nightclub, but The Vermont Hollywood said in a statement that it happened outside the venue after an event.
“We are working closely with law enforcement to ensure the person responsible for this horrific act is held fully accountable,” the statement read.
The Vermont Hollywood describes itself as a “state of the art, live performance and special event venue” on its official Instagram profile. Photos and videos in the account show a range of events, from concerts and wrestling matches to a 2024 Grammys after-party hosted by SZA.
Pictures from the scene showed a bashed-up gray vehicle straddling the sidewalk with debris strewn across the ground. At least a dozen firefighters can be seen alongside a number of people sitting on the ground on blankets.
In another picture, firefighters appear to be helping to lift someone off the ground by the car.
Videos showed the moments after the car rammed into the busy street. Multiple people could be seen bloodied the ground, some screaming. Others could be seen running away. A woman who had blood running down one of her legs said she could not feel either of them.
In another video, a group of bystanders remove a person who appears to be the driver from the vehicle before they assault him. One video shows the man lying on the ground on his stomach with his hands secured behind his back while a bystander kicks him in the head and another throws what appears to be a condiment at him.
Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center told NBC News that it received patients and that all of them “were brought in with minor injuries and are currently in stable condition.” The medical center did not clarify how many patients it received.
“This is a heartbreaking tragedy,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement Saturday. “The hearts of Angelenos are with all of the victims impacted this morning — a full investigation into what happened is underway.”
A man who was in the nightclub told NBC News that he heard a “loud bang” and that a crowd of people ducked believing they had heard gunshots.
“We look out the club, and it’s a car into the hole right there,” he said. “And then it’s crazy, because people everywhere, laying down, unconscious people, bleeding out and stuff.”
Los Angeles Fire Capt. Adam VanGerpen told NBC News that the vehicle hit a taco cart before it ran into a large number of people outside a nightclub. He said the fire department was dispatched at 2 a.m. local time.
Seven people were in critical condition and six were in serious condition, the fire department said in a separate statement, with 10 others being treated for injuries. Seven others declined help at the scene. It said 124 fire personnel assisted at the scene.
Police said a preliminary victim count listed 18 women and 12 men injured, ranging in age from their mid-20s and to their early 30s.
The investigation continues.
