Photo: ROBYN BECK / AFP / Getty Images
Early Saturday morning (July 19), a car plowed into a crowd outside The Vermont Hollywood, a music venue in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, injuring at least 30 people. The incident occurred shortly before 2 a.m. near the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Vermont Avenue. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), seven people are in critical condition, six are in serious condition, and more than a dozen were treated on-site. Twenty-three patients were transported to local hospitals.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) reported that the crash happened after an individual was removed from a nearby business and allegedly drove a vehicle into the crowd. Witnesses said bystanders pulled the driver from the vehicle and attacked him. During the melee, the driver was shot, and the shooter, described as a bald Hispanic man wearing a blue jersey, fled the scene and remains at large.
The crowd outside the venue included clubgoers, valet attendants, and food vendors from a nearby taco stand. LAFD Capt. Adam VanGerpen noted that people were waiting in line to enter the nightclub when they were struck by a Nissan Versa, which also hit the taco truck and valet stand.
Mayor Karen Bass called the incident a "heartbreaking tragedy" and praised the more than 100 first responders from LAFD and LAPD who rushed to the scene. The LAPD is investigating the cause and motive of the crash, and anyone with information is urged to contact the LAPD's Rampart station or submit tips anonymously to Crime Stoppers.