Man whose car struck crowd outside LA club, injuring 30, was shot, attacked by crowd : NPR
A vehicle is sitting on the sidewalk after hitting a crowd of people waiting to enter a nightclub along a boulevard occupied in Los Angeles on Saturday July 19, 2025 injuring several people.
Damian Dovarganes / AP
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Damian Dovarganes / AP
A man plowed his vehicle in a crowd of people waiting to enter a Los Angeles nightclub early Saturday, injuring 30 people and being shot by a passer -by in the chaos that followed.
The police said they had received a call around 2 am concerning an assault with a deadly weapon and went to the scene outside the club in the area of the village of Rampart in Los Angeles.
There, they found the alleged driver of the start of the car attacked by passers -by, one of whom shot the driver, before fleeing the premises.
The alleged driver, Fernando Ramirez, 29, was transported to the hospital, where he was accused of assault with a deadly weapon. He was not seriously injured by the shot.
On Saturday afternoon, the Los Angeles fire service said in a press release that 23 of the 30 adults who needed medical care had been transported in local hospitals for “matching injuries, including 7 in critical condition, 6 in serious condition and 10 in good condition”. Seven injured people refused ambulance transport, the ministry also said.
LAPD’s public information manager Jeffrey Lee said: “Fortunately, at that time, no one died.”
Lee said that he was not immediately clear which had caused the driver to enter the crowd, but that the officers had been informed of a potential dispute between the driver and customers inside the nightclub, and that he had been ejected from the establishment before the cutting episode.
“The main objective will be what has led to this,” said Lee. “What made this driver enter this crowd? Was it intentional, was it not intentional? Was it linked to Dui? Was it personal? We do not know, but the detectives will examine all these angles.”
The spokesperson for the fire service, Brian Humphrey, told Laist that the suspected driver’s car had struck a food stand, a valet stand, then struck and injured dozens. At this point, passers -by attacked the driver, before someone on the stage pulls him. Humphrey said the suspected shooter had then fled the location.
LAPD officer Jeffrey Lee said the police were still looking for the alleged shooter, described as a Hispanic man, about 5 feet 9 inches high, 180 pounds and bald. He said that man must be considered armed and dangerous.
The police are investigating the stage where a vehicle struck a crowd of people waiting to enter a nightclub along a boulevard occupied in Los Angeles on Saturday July 19, 2025 injuring several people.
Damian Dovarganes / AP
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Damian Dovarganes / AP
Captain Fire Adam Vangerpen told the Associated Press that a line of people – the majority of women – waited to enter the nightclub, the Vermont Hollywood, when they were struck by the Nissan Versa which also struck a tacos and valet truck stand.
“The valet podium was removed, the Taco truck was removed, then a large number of people were affected by the vehicle,” said Vangerpen, an information official.
The Associated Press also reported that a fight had broken out outside the club before the incident, quoting Maria Medrano, who operated a food trolley outside. Shortly after, she said, the car struck a group of people standing outside.
Medrano told the Hospital Associated Press that she had then heard what seemed to be shots.
“Everyone started running,” she said.
Duster of NPR chandelis contributed to this report.
