After plowing his car into a crowd outside an LA nightclub, the driver was beaten and shot by bystanders, police say
Police patrol vehicles close Vermont Ave after a car rammed into a crowd gathered outside The Vermont nightclub in Los Angeles on July Police patrol vehicles close Vermont Ave after a bus rammed into a crowd gathered outside The Vermont nightclub in Los Angeles on July CNN A lively night outside a bustling East Hollywood nightclub took a devastating turn early Saturday when a car barreled through a crowded sidewalk injuring at least people including seven critically The crash occurred outside The Vermont Hollywood where -year-old Fernando Ramirez had been kicked out for being disruptive before police say he drove his car into the crowd The suspect was beaten and shot by bystanders after the crash and is now in custody facing likely charges including attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon police noted Video footage after the crash demonstrated blood on the street and injured patrons sprawled on the pavement as first responders provided aid with particular casualties carried away on stretchers Police cordoned off the area as investigators worked to piece together the sequence of events The crowd had gathered outside for valet services food stands and entry to the nightclub A taco stand and valet podium were among the structures hit but the venue itself sustained no structural damage authorities declared Ramirez who remains hospitalized was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon but a motive has not yet been identified a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson advised CNN Here s what we know so far as investigators piece together what happened that night How the happening unfolded The crash occurred around a m local time as patrons were leaving The Vermont Hollywood located just west of the famed Sunset Junction in the Silver Lake district A driver veered onto the sidewalk and struck multiple individuals the venue revealed in a message The club was hosting a reggae-hip hop event from p m to a m according to its online calendar A fight broke out outside the club before the crash Maria Medrano reported the Associated Press The car hit a hot dog stand operated by Medrano and her husband who narrowly escaped injury The car stopped once it hit the hot dog stand it got stuck there Medrano reported the AP from the hospital If not I wouldn t be here to tell the story Police initially responded to reports of an assault with a deadly weapon but arrived to find the car had plowed into the crowd for reasons unknown with bystanders assaulting the driver administration announced The suspect was without delay taken into custody by the LAPD and an scrutiny is at this moment underway the venue revealed What we know about the driver The driver had been kicked out of The Vermont Hollywood for being disruptive prior to the event Los Angeles Police Department Captain Ben Fernandes explained the Los Angeles Times From review of the video he went up to the sidewalk further down and when he hit bystanders it was an intentional act Fernandes reported the LA Times After the crash bystanders pulled the driver from the bus and began assaulting him according to Jeff Lee a population information officer with the LAPD During the altercation one of the bystanders shot the driver Lee mentioned First responders discovered the gunshot wound during a secondary assessment announced Capt Adam VanGerpen residents information officer for the Los Angeles Fire Department The suspect who police believe was intoxicated was taken to the hospital for surgery a law enforcement official briefed on the situation previously recounted CNN Executives have located no evidence to suggest the event was connected to terrorism or motivated by criminal intentions beyond the driver s impaired state a law enforcement official reported The man who police believe shot Ramirez reportedly fled the scene wearing a blue jersey officers announced Police believe he used a silver revolver in the shooting More than firefighters respond A massive urgency response gang of firefighters responded to the crowded scene treating and transporting casualties to trauma centers and nearby hospitals the LAFD commented A large number of people were lined up at the valet podium coming out of the nightclub and gathered around the food stands revealed LAFP society information officer Erik Scott Seven casualties were hospitalized in critical condition six in serious condition and in fair condition An additional seven people declined journey after being evaluated at the scene The casualties ranging in age from their mid- s to early s included women and men according to the LAPD Preponderance injuries were from broken bones and soft tissue trauma but one victim also suffered a gunshot wound A night that could have been worse We re very fortunate there were no deaths When you have individuals injured and seven critical We re very appreciative of the coordinated effort of our society safety partners and we remain committed to supporting the casualties in the area Scott commented Scott commended the efforts of bystanders a multitude of of whom stepped in to help injured strangers People were helping each other out VanGerpen explained People were waiting to go inside there the nightclub they re ordering tacos so they re seeing people that they don t even know are injured They re stepping in to help them out Videos taken after the crash show bystanders helping casualties selected of whom were still bleeding on the pavement as they waited for aid Mayor Karen Bass called the matter a heartbreaking tragedy and praised the swift response of more than police and fire personnel The hearts of Angelenos are with all of the casualties impacted this morning a full examination into what happened is underway The-CNN-Wire Cable News Architecture Inc a Warner Bros Discovery Company All rights reserved Source
