A driver was charged with assault after plowing into a crowd outside a Hollywood nightclub early Saturday, police said, injuring 30 people, with bystanders attacking and shooting the driver before he was detained by authorities.
The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Fernando Ramirez, was charged on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) spokeswoman Rosario Cervantes told AFP.
Ramirez had been “undergoing surgery” at a local hospital after suffering a gunshot wound from the incident.
“He is not free to leave, he is in the custody of Los Angeles Police Department,” LAPD Commander Lillian Carranza told local news station KCAL.
Ramirez had been kicked out of The Vermont Hollywood nightclub in East Hollywood before he deliberately rammed his vehicle into the crowd, US media reported.
Based on reviewing a video of the incident, “when he hit bystanders, it was an intentional act,” the Los Angeles Times quoted LAPD Captain Ben Fernandes as saying.
The crowd pulled Ramirez out of the car, reportedly a Nissan Versa sedan, and attacked him in the chaos that followed the car ramming, which took place around 2:00 am (0900 GMT), police detailed.
Authorities were still searching for a gunman who shot and wounded the driver before fleeing on foot, Cervantes said.
Footage posted on social media showed panicked people running outside the club and victims sprawled on a blood-stained sidewalk, while others sobbed nearby.
“When officers arrived, they found the driver being assaulted by bystanders and determined he had sustained a gunshot wound,” a police statement said.
More than 100 firefighters responded to the scene in East Hollywood.
“We have 30 victims, 18 females and 12 males between the ages of the mid-twenties to early thirties,” Carranza said.
Seven were in critical condition and six were in serious condition, authorities said. Ten suffered minor injuries while seven left the hospital against medical advice.
– ‘Heartbreaking tragedy’ –
Many clubgoers were outside when the car plowed into the crowd, a taco truck and a valet stand.
“They were all standing in line going into a nightclub. There was a taco cart out there, so they were … getting some food, waiting to go in. And there’s also a valet line there,” Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Adam Van Gerpen told ABC News.
“The valet podium was taken out, the taco truck was taken out, and then a large number of people were impacted by the vehicle.”
At dawn Saturday, a tow truck hauled away the car, its bumper torn off. Club employees power washed the sidewalk outside The Vermont Hollywood, which had been hosting a reggae and hip-hop event.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the incident “a heartbreaking tragedy.”
“The hearts of Angelenos are with all of the victims impacted this morning — a full investigation into what happened is underway,” she said in a statement.
The Vermont Hollywood club said on social media it was “deeply saddened by the tragic incident.”
The area of the car ramming is near Hollywood landmarks including Sunset Boulevard and the Walk of Fame — a sidewalk emblazoned with stars commemorating movie industry figures.
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