A devastating incident occurred early Saturday morning in East Hollywood, Los Angeles(LA), when a vehicle drove into a crowd waiting in line outside a nightclub, injuring at least 30 people. The Los Angeles Fire Department reported that seven individuals were critically injured, six were seriously hurt, and 10 others sustained fair injuries.
According to Capt. Adam VanGerpen, public information officer for the Los Angeles City Fire Department, the vehicle drove through a taco stand, a valet podium, and then through the crowd of people waiting to enter The Vermont Hollywood music venue. “It was a very chaotic scene,” VanGerpen described.
The fire department coordinated patient triage and transport, with 124 fire personnel assisting at the scene. Unfortunately, one victim was found to have a gunshot wound, although it’s unclear if the gunshot victim was the driver or another patient. “One of our paramedics… when they started doing their secondary assessment of the patient, they identified a gunshot,” VanGerpen said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expressed her condolences, stating, “This is a heartbreaking tragedy. I want to thank the more than 100 LAFD and LAPD personnel who responded to the scene to help save lives. The hearts of Angelenos are with all the victims impacted this morning — a full investigation into what happened is underway.”
The incident occurred around 2 a.m. local time, with video footage showing multiple injured people on the street and sidewalk being treated for their injuries. Some were seen being taken away on stretchers as police cordoned off the area. The driver, who was shot and is currently in surgery for a gunshot wound, has not been identified.
The investigation is ongoing, with the Los Angeles Police Department working to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. The community is left shaken, and authorities urge anyone with information to come forward.