A vehicle rammed into a crowd of people waiting to enter a performance venue along a busy boulevard in Los Angeles early Saturday, injuring 30 people and leading bystanders to attack the driver, authorities said.
The driver of the Nissan Versa was later found to have been shot, according to police, who were searching for a suspected gunman who fled the scene along Santa Monica Boulevard in East Hollywood.
It was not immediately clear if the driver was shot before or after the crash or why he drove into the crowd, a police spokesperson said.
Twenty-three victims were taken to hospitals and trauma centers, according to police. Seven were in critical condition, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement.
Capt. Adam Van Gerpen, public information officer for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said that a line of people — the majority female — were waiting to enter a nightclub when they were struck by a Nissan Versa that also hit a taco cart and valet stand.
Paramedics first discovered that one of the victims also had a gunshot wound, Van Gerpen said. He told The Associated Press that the identity of that person was not yet known.
“This is under police investigation,” he said. “This will be a large investigation with the LAPD.”
Police did not identify the person who was shot or disclose his condition. But the person suspected of shooting him was described as a man in a blue jersey with a silver revolver.
People inside the club came out to help in the minutes before emergency crews arrived, Van Gerpen said, to help the victims.
“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,” he 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.”
A phone message left with the club, Vermont Hollywood, was not returned. The club was hosting a reggae/hip hop event from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., according to its online calendar.
A fight broke out outside the venue beforehand, according to Maria Medrano, who with her husband was there selling hot dogs. Shortly afterward, she said, the car hit the people, and the couple narrowly escaped when it crushed their stand.
“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.
After the crash she heard what sounded like gunshots.
“Everyone started running,” Medrano said.
Updated 6:10 p.m. July 19, 2025
