At Least 30 Injured, Seven Critical After Car Rams Into Crowd in Los Angeles

At least 30 people were injured, including seven critically, after a car ploughed into a crowd outside a nightclub in Los Angeles. The driver, believed to be intoxicated, was assaulted and shot by bystanders before receiving medical aid. 

Los Angeles: At least 30 people were injured – seven of them critically – when a vehicle drove into a crowd waiting in line outside an East Hollywood nightclub early Saturday (local time), according to the Los Angeles Fire Department, CNN reported.

Car Ploughed Through Taco Stand, Valet Podium, and Crowd

Arriving firefighters found that a vehicle had driven through a large number of people 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.

Bystanders Assault and Shoot Driver After Crash

After the car halted, the bystanders fished the driver out and physically assaulted him, according to Jeff Lee, public information officer with the Los Angeles Police Department. During the altercation, one of the bystanders 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 Aged Between Mid-20s and 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 centres and surrounding hospitals, VanGerpen said, noting that one victim also had a gunshot wound, as per CNN.