A man was dragged from his car by enraged bystanders and shot after he plowed a vehicle into a crowd in Los Angeles, leaving seven people critically injured and at least 23 others hurt outside a nightclub early Saturday morning, police said.
Cameras in the area are still being canvassed, but the incident appears to have been intentional, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Two law enforcement sources familiar with the situation said the suspect was kicked out of the venue for being intoxicated and disruptive.
Patrol officers with the LAPD 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.
LAPD Sgt. Travis Ward said the driver was shot after the collision, transported to the hospital and taken into surgery. For this reason, he said, the LAPD was unable to determine whether the driver was intoxicated.
The LAPD 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 fled the scene on foot and was last seen going westbound from Vermont Avenue, the LAPD said.
Police are asking anyone with information on the shooter to get in touch.
Officials did not share the name of the nightclub where the incident occurred, but The Vermont Hollywood released a statement sharing that it happened outside of the venue following 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 and on the ground, some screaming. Others could be seen running away from the scene. A woman who had blood running down one of her legs said she couldn’t feel either of them.
In another video, a group of bystanders could be seen removing an individual who appeared to be the driver from the vehicle before they assaulted him. One video showed the man lying on the ground on his stomach with his hands secured behind his back while one bystander kicked him in the head and another threw what appeared to be a condiment at him.
Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center told NBC News that it received patients injured in the incident, 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 inside the nightclub told NBC News that he heard a “loud bang” and that a crowd of people ducked believing they’d 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.”
Capt. Adam VanGerpen, a public information officer for the Los Angeles Fire Department, told NBC News that the vehicle hit a taco cart before running into a large number of people outside a nightclub. He said the fire department was dispatched at 2 a.m. local time.
Seven people are in critical condition and six are in serious condition, the LAFD 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.
A preliminary victim count listed 18 females and 12 males injured, ranging in age from their mid-20s and to their early 30s, according to the LAPD.
The investigation is ongoing.
Bill Feather, Erick Mendoza, Anna Sundberg, Austin Mullen and Rebecca Cohen contributed.
