Dozens injured after car rams into crowd outside Los Angeles nightclub
The driver was later found to have been shot, according to Los Angeles police, who were searching for a suspected gunman who fled the scene.
It was not immediately clear if the driver had been shot before or after the crash or why he drove into the crowd, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman said.
Twenty-three victims were taken to local hospitals and trauma centres, according to police.
At least three were in a critical condition after being injured along Santa Monica Boulevard in East Hollywood, the Los Angeles City Fire Department said.
Fire Captain Adam Van Gerpen said that a queue of people — the majority female — were waiting to enter a nightclub when they were struck by a Nissan Versa that also hit a taco truck and valet stand.
'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 Capt 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.'
People inside the club came out to help in the minutes before emergency crews arrived to help the victims.
The driver, whose gunshot wound was found by paramedics, was taken to a local hospital. Police did not identify him or disclose his condition.
'This is under police investigation,' Capt Van Gerpen said. 'This will be a large investigation with the LAPD.'
The club, Vermont Hollywood, was hosting a reggae/hip hop event from 10pm to 2am local time, according to its online calendar.
A fight had broken out outside the club prior to the incident, according to Maria Medrano, who was working on a food cart outside.
Shortly after, Ms Medrano said the car hit a group of people standing outside.
She said she and her husband, who were both selling hot dogs outside, narrowly escaped after the car struck their stand, crushing it.
'The car stopped once it hit the hot dog stand, it got stuck there,' Ms Medrano told The Associated Press from the hospital. 'If not, I wouldn't be here to tell (the story).'
Ms Medrano said she heard what appeared to be gunshots after the crash.
'Everyone started running,' she said.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Bloomberg
32 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Timeline of NYC Shooting, According to Police Probe
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch reveal details about the shooting, including how the suspected gunman attacked a building in Manhattan. (Source: Bloomberg)


Washington Post
32 minutes ago
- Washington Post
What we know about the New York City shooting so far
Four people were killed, including a New York City police officer, and one seriously injured when a gunman opened fire inside a high-rise office building in Midtown Manhattan on Monday evening. The gunman then fatally shot himself in the chest, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said at a news conference Monday night. Speaking to reporters, Mayor Eric Adams called the incident 'despicable' and an 'act of evil.'


Forbes
32 minutes ago
- Forbes
FBI Warns iPhone And Android Users—Do Not Share These Texts
Do not make this mistake on your phone. Republished on July 29 with new text attack warnings for smartphones users. The FBI warns that 'malicious actors' continue to send fraudulent texts and voice messages to 'gain access to personal accounts.' Do not reply to messages unless you recognize the sender's number. But there's more you must do to safeguard accounts. America is under attack from a malicious texting industry sending out billions of messages. Whether undelivered packages, unpaid tolls and DMV fines or Amazon refunds, the objective is to steal your data, your money, even your identity. But sometimes even legitimate texts can be dangerous. We're talking two-factor authentication (2FA), which the bureau says you should set up 'on any account that allows it,' and should 'never disable.' But most 2FA codes are delivered by text. And the problem with texts is that you can send them on to others. Never do that, the FBI warns — regardless of who's asking. 'Actors may use social engineering techniques to convince you to disclose a 2FA code,' the bureau says in an advisory reshared this week. Doing so lets attackers 'compromise and take over accounts.' Even if the request comes from someone you know, 'never provide a two-factor code to anyone over email, SMS/MMS or encrypted messaging.' ESET's Jake Moore warns the same. 'Scammers often trick people into revealing them to bypass security checks and take control so even if someone claims to be from your bank, trusted company or even a family member, keep OTPs to yourself.' This all sounds very basic. But if an attacker hijacks one of your friend's messaging accounts, they can pretend to be your friend and ask you to send a code, telling you their phone is not working. The scam is remarkably effective. While you should never share OTP text messages, you can better protect yourself if you stop using them altogether. Use an authenticator app, or better still use a passkey. This links your account to your physical device, making it impossible to steal and use a code. Shifting from SMS to authenticator apps or passkeys is critical now SMS interception and bypass is more common. Per Cybersecurity News, 'criminal enterprises no longer require extensive technical expertise to deploy advanced mobile threats, as ready-to-use malware kits are now available for subscription fees as low as $300 per month.' Banks in Australia and UAE are already calling time on SMS 2FA codes, and you should now do the same. But if you are using those codes, it's even more critical that you never share them, regardless of who is who's asking and the reason they're giving. While SMS persists, Cybersecurity News warns of a 'fundamental shift toward industrialized cybercrime, where specialized providers handle technical complexities while criminal customers focus solely on victim targeting and monetization strategies.' This isn't new. Per one warning from 2021, while 'figures suggest users who enabled 2FA ended up blocking about 99.9% of automated attacks, as with any good cybersecurity solution, attackers can quickly come up with ways to circumvent it. They can bypass 2FA through the one-time codes sent as an SMS to a user's smartphone.'