Driver hits crowd in L.A. after dispute, injuring 30, police say
A driver intentionally rammed a car into a crowd in East Hollywood after a dispute inside a nightclub early Saturday morning, injuring 30 before being shot, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
The tragic incident — which police have yet to identify a motive for — unfolded shortly after 2 a.m. local time after the driver had been fighting with several people inside the Vermont Hollywood, a nightclub on Santa Monica Boulevard, according to Sgt. Horacio Aguirre, the on-duty Central Traffic Division watch commander.
No deaths have been reported, Aguirre said. Seven people were left in critical condition, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The collision is another jarring event in a troubling year for Los Angeles, which has been rattled by wildfires and civil unrest amid a tense crackdown on immigration enforcement. Just a day before, an explosion at a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department training facility killed three deputies.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) called Saturday’s incident in East Hollywood a “heartbreaking tragedy.”
“I want to thank the more than 100 LAFD and LAPD personnel who responded to the scene to help to save lives,” she said in a statement. “The hearts of all Angelenos are with East Hollywood this morning and those impacted — a full investigation will be conducted into what happened.”
Aguirre said the suspect, who has yet to be identified, got inside his vehicle shortly after exiting the venue and “decided for whatever reason that he was going to run over the people on the sidewalk,” Aguirre said.
At that time, there was a crowd of people outside the venue following the conclusion of a Reggaeton-themed dance party, the Vermont Hollywood said in a statement posted to social media. “We are working closely with law enforcement to ensure the person responsible for this horrific act is held fully accountable,” the nightclub said.
The driver, operating a Nissan Versa subcompact, struck the crowd, as well as a taco truck and valet stand, Capt. Adam VanGerpen, public information officer for the LAFD, told The Associated Press.
Surrounding spectators then pulled the man out of his vehicle and assaulted him, Aguirre said. One person approached and shot the driver, who was hospitalized and expected to undergo surgery, Aguirre said. The gunman remains at large, he said.
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office did not immediately reply to a request for comment on whether the driver would face charges.
In addition to the critically injured, six people were left in serious condition and 10 were in fair condition, LAFD said. Seven other people whose injuries were assessed at the scene declined to be transported for care.
The fire department said 124 of its personnel responded to the incident. Pictures and video from the scene showed the car that had crashed onto the sidewalk with the area cordoned off by police.