Authorities released new details in last week’s Los Angeles nightclub crash, revealing the man suspected of driving his car on a sidewalk, injuring 36 people, has a lengthy criminal history that includes felony battery.
The driver, identified by police as 29-year-old Fernando Ramirez, allegedly drove his Nissan Versa into a line of people – mostly women – waiting to enter the Vermont Hollywood event venue around 2am on Saturday, and struck several food carts.
After the crash, bystanders pulled Ramirez from the vehicle and assaulted him, police said, and paramedics later found that he had been shot. Police were still searching for the suspected shooter, described as a man with a goatee in a blue Dodgers jacket.
Ramirez, of San Clemente, California, was recovering and was expected to face a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon. He could not be reached for comment and it was not known if he had an attorney.
Capt Ben Fernandes of LA police told KNBC-TV on Sunday that Ramirez was sentenced in 2020 for attacking a man outside a Whole Foods grocery store in June 2019. He was on parole at the time of Saturday’s crash, but it is unclear whether it was in connection with the 2019 attack or another case.
Ramirez has had at least 11 criminal cases ranging from misdemeanors to felonies, KNBC reported. In January 2022, he was charged with felony domestic battery and entered a not guilty plea. That case remains open.
It was not immediately clear why Ramirez drove into the crowd on Saturday, but a law enforcement source told KTLA that Ramirez had been forced to leave the club earlier in the evening and was prevented from re-entering later. The outlet reported that he allegedly got in his car, and drove on to the sidewalk where he struck a taco stand, valet podium and the crowd gathered there.
At least 36 people were treated for injuries including fractures and lacerations after this weekend’s crash, police said on Sunday without providing updates on their conditions. Several people were briefly trapped under the vehicle, police said in a statement.
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