At least 30 people were injured—seven critically—after a vehicle rammed into a crowd waiting outside an East Hollywood nightclub early Saturday (local time), Los Angeles Fire Department said, as reported by CNN.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, they discovered that the vehicle had struck a large group gathered in front of the Vermont Hollywood music venue.
“They drove through a taco stand, through the valet podium, and then through the crowd of people that were waiting to go inside,” Captain Adam VanGerpen, public information officer for the Los Angeles City Fire Department, told CNN.
“It was a very chaotic scene,” VanGerpen added.
According to Jeff Lee, public information officer for the Los Angeles Police Department, after the vehicle came to a stop, bystanders pulled the driver out and began assaulting him. During the confrontation, one of them shot the driver, Lee said.
Police believe the driver was intoxicated, a law enforcement official briefed on the situation told CNN.
There is no indication beyond the impaired state of the driver that there was any other criminal intent or connection to terrorism, the official said.
Victims were between mid-20 to early 30s
Seven victims were transported in critical condition, six in serious condition, and 10 in fair condition, the LAFD said. Seven patients refused transport after being assessed on scene, according to the department. The victims included 18 women and 12 men in their mid-20s to early 30s, according to Lillian Carranza, a commander with the LAPD.
Los Angeles police officers were initially dispatched to the scene on a report of an assault with a deadly weapon and found a vehicle had driven into the crowd “for reasons unknown,” with the driver being assaulted by bystanders, according to police, as per CNN.
Once first responders were able to access the driver, they provided medical treatment and discovered the gunshot wound, according to police.
Patients with broken bones and soft tissue injuries were transported to the appropriate trauma centers and surrounding hospitals, VanGerpen said, noting that one victim also had a gunshot wound, as per CNN.
(With inputs from agencies and CNN)
East Hollywood nightclub, vehicle rams into crowd, Los Angeles Fire Department, driver intoxicated, critical injuries
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