LIVE COVERAGE: A motorist rammed a vehicle into a crowd of people waiting to enter the popular Vermont Hollywood music venue early Saturday in Los Angeles injuring at least 30 people – many of them are in critical condition. This page will be updated throughout the day. Click here to receive breaking news alerts in your inbox.
What We Know About the Nightclub Attack
- Man Kicked Out of Vermont Hollywood music venue just before 2 a.m. Saturday morning
- Man plows his vehicle into front of venue, striking at least 30 people, mostly women
- The music venue’s valet podium and a taco stand were also destroyed
- Driver pulled from vehicle and beaten by the crowd. He was reportedly shot
- Police say they are searching for the gunman. The condition of the driver has not been released
- At least 7 in critical condition, 6 in serious condition
Attack On Club May Have Been Intentional: Police
Police sources are telling television station KTLA that the motorist had been kicked out of the Vermont Hollywood club for being disruptive. Their sources say the man left in his car, pulled a U-turn and then slammed into the crowd.
Cell phone footage obtained by KTLA shows people pulling the driver out of the vehicle and beginning to punch and kick him repeatedly. He was also reportedly shot. Police are searching for the gunman (who many are calling a hero).
“This Really Was a Horrific Scene”
“This really was a horrific scene, just because all of these people are coming out to have a good time,” Los Angeles Fire Captain Adam VanGerpen told KTLA 5’s Carlos Herrera. “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.”
Driver Hit Taco Truck and Valet Stand
The driver slammed into a taco truck and a valet stand outside the popular nightclub, Fire Captain Adam Van Gerpen told Associated Press.
“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,” said Van Gerpen, a public information officer. “The valet podium was taken out, the taco truck was taken out, and then a large number of people were impacted by the vehicle.”
Maria Medrano and her husband were selling hot dogs outside the club and she told the Associated Press that they narrowly escaped being crushed by the car.
“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).”
“This is a Heartbreaking Tragedy” – Mayor Karen Bass
“This is a heartbreaking tragedy. I want to thank the more than 100 LAFD and LAPD personnel who responded to the scene to help to save lives,” Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. “The hearts of Angelenos are with all of the victims impacted this morning – a full investigation into what happened is underway.”
Victims were transported to local hospitals and trauma centers, according to Capt. Adam Van Gerpen, public information officer for the Los Angeles City Fire Department. At least three were in critical condition after being injured along Santa Monica Boulevard in East Hollywood, the Fire Department said in a statement.
First responders discovered that one of the patients had a gunshot wound, Van Gerpen said.
Officials didn’t say yet if they believed the driver crashed intentionally, or what a motive may have been.
“This is under police investigation,” he said. “This will be a large investigation with the LAPD.”