A “chaotic scene” broke out in Los Angeles early Saturday morning when a man drove through a crowd standing outside a nightclub.
At approximately 2:00 a.m. Pacific Time, a man drove into a crowd waiting outside a club called the Vermont Hollywood on the crowded Santa Monica Boulevard in East Hollywood. At least 30 people were injured in the incident.
‘The car stopped once it hit the hot dog stand; it got stuck there. If not, I wouldn’t be here to tell [the story].’
“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,” Fire Captain Adam VanGerpen said in a statement. “The valet podium was taken out, the taco truck was taken out, and then a large number of people were impacted by the vehicle.”
“This really was a horrific scene, just because all of these people are coming out to have a good time,” VanGerpen told KTLA. “They’re waiting in line and then a vehicle comes and drives through them, so it was a chaotic scene, but we also saw people showing their best. … People with broken legs were being assisted by people they never met before.”
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CNN reported that the allegedly intoxicated driver, after crashing through the crowd and hitting a taco stand and valet podium, was surrounded by a crowd, assaulted, and shot. He was taken to the hospital to be treated while in police custody. The suspected shooter fled the scene on foot with police in pursuit.
The suspect shooter, who has not been identified, was described by LAPD as “a Hispanic male, approximately 5 feet, 9 inches tall, 180 pounds, bald, wearing a blue jersey, and possibly armed with a silver revolver.”
Witness Maria Madrano, who was working at a food stand nearby, reported that a fight had broken out outside the club prior to the incident. “The car stopped once it hit the hot dog stand; it got stuck there,” Medrano told the Associated Press from the hospital. “If not, I wouldn’t be here to tell [the story].”
Fox News reported that there were seven victims in critical condition, six in serious condition, and 19 in fair condition, as well as seven who refused transport to the hospital.
“This is a heartbreaking tragedy,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement Saturday morning, according to CNN. “I want to thank the more than 100 LAFD and LAPD personnel who responded to the scene to help to save lives. The hearts of Angelenos are with all of the victims impacted this morning — a full investigation into what happened is underway.”
According to reports, 124 LAFD personnel responded to the scene. The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
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