EAST HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — At least 30 people were injured after a car plowed through a crowd early Saturday in East Hollywood, authorities said, and the driver was pulled from the vehicle and shot after the crash.
The crash occurred after an individual was removed from a nearby business, the Los Angeles Police Department said. That person then allegedly drove a vehicle into a crowd, according to police.
The incident occurred shortly before 2 a.m. near the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Vermont Avenue. At least seven people were in critical condition, six were in serious condition and more than a dozen were treated on site, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Twenty-three patients were transported.
Among the injured was a male with a gunshot wound, the LAFD said. Authorities said 124 fire personnel responded at the scene.
Witnesses said bystanders pulled the driver of the vehicle and attacked him following the car ramming. The driver was shot during the melee, the LAPD said.
The shooter remained at large, and was described as a bald Hispanic man, about 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing about 180 pounds. He was wearing a blue jersey and was possibly armed with a silver revolver, police said.
The LAFD initially said the driver had apparently lost consciousness at the time of the crash. The Fire Department later told ABC7 that despite initial reports, the agency could no longer confirm that the driver lost consciousness.
The victims were standing outside of music venue The Vermont. The crowd included clubgoers, valet attendants and food vendors from a nearby taco stand, according to the fire department.
LAFD Capt. Adam VanGerpen said that a line of people — mostly women — were waiting to enter the nightclub when they were struck by a Nissan Versa that also hit the taco truck and valet stand.
People inside the club came out to help in the minutes before emergency crews arrived, he said, to help the victims.
“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,” VanGerpen said. “The valet podium was taken out, the taco truck was taken out, and then a large number of people were impacted by the vehicle.”
The club was hosting a reggae/hip hop event from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., according to its online calendar.
“This is 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,” Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. “The hearts of Angelenos are with all of the victims impacted this morning – a full investigation into what happened is underway.”
The LAPD is investigating the cause and motive of the crash.
ABC News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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