Driver shot after ramming car into Los Angeles nightclub crowd, injuring 30

The man was “assaulted by bystanders” after ploughing his car into a crowd outside a Los Angeles nightclub, injuring 30 people.

More than 30 people were hurt after a driver ploughed into a crowd standing outside a Los Angeles nightclub overnight, officials said, with bystanders attacking and shooting the driver before he was detained by authorities.

The suspect was “undergoing surgery” and in a stable condition, Lillian Carranza from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said.

“He is not free to leave, he is in the custody of Los Angeles Police Department,” Ms Carranza told local news station KCLA, adding that police were looking into charges including attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.

Seven of the victims were in a critical condition after the incident, which unfolded at 2am on Saturday when a Nissan Versa car flew into the crowd outside of The Vermont Hollywood club on Santa Monica Boulevard, in East Hollywood, the New York Post reports.

Police patrol vehicles close Vermont Ave. after a vehicle rammed into a crowd gathered outside The Vermont nightclub in Los Angeles. Picture: AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

“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 out there,” Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Adam 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 driver was pulled out of the car by the crowd and attacked in the chaos that followed the car ramming, police said. Authorities were searching for a gunman who shot and wounded the driver before fleeing on foot.

Footage posted on social media showed panicked people running outside the club and victims sprawled on a bloodstained sidewalk, while others sobbed nearby.

The driver of the car was pulled from the vehicle by the crowd, handcuffed and brutally beaten, a video on social media showed.

“When officers arrived, they found the driver being assaulted by bystanders and determined he had sustained a gunshot wound,” a police statement said.

More than 100 firefighters responded to the scene in East Hollywood. “We have 30 victims, 18 females and 12 males between the ages of the mid-twenties to early thirties,” Ms Carranza said.

An area is roped off after a vehicle rammed into the crowd of people. Picture: AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the incident was ‘a heartbreaking tragedy’. Picture: AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

‘Heartbreaking tragedy’

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the incident “a heartbreaking tragedy.”

“The hearts of Angelenos are with all of the victims impacted this morning — a full investigation into what happened is underway,” she said in a statement.

The Vermont Hollywood club said on social media it was “deeply saddened by the tragic incident”.

The area of the car ramming is near Hollywood landmarks including Sunset Boulevard and the Walk of Fame — a sidewalk emblazoned with stars commemorating movie industry figures.

Reporting with The New York Post

Originally published as Driver shot after ramming car into Los Angeles nightclub crowd, injuring 30