The man who shot a driver who allegedly plowed into a crowd outside an East Hollywood nightclub, injuring 30 people, remained at large Sunday, while police said the motorist drove into the pedestrians on purpose after being ejected from the venue.
The crash was reported just before 2 a.m. Saturday in the 4600 block of Santa Monica Boulevard, near Vermont Avenue, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Lyndsey Lantz. The crowd was standing outside The Vermont Hollywood, where a show was taking place.
Seven people were hospitalized in critical condition, six were seriously injured and 10 were in fair condition, Lantz said. Seven people were assessed at the scene and declined hospitalization.
The vehicle crashed into a taco stand and a valet stand along the way.
Video from the scene showed firefighters putting red, yellow and green tarps in the street to triage patients, and a heavily dented car with a shattered windshield and broken headlights on the sidewalk in front of the venue.
Multiple ambulances were lined up in the street.
After the crash, the motorist was pulled from the damaged vehicle and beaten by onlookers. Officers dispatched to the scene in response to an “assault with deadly weapon” call determined that the man had suffered a gunshot wound, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. He was taken to a hospital, where his condition was not provided, but his injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.
The shooting suspect ran from the scene. He was last seen heading westbound from Vermont Avenue. Police described him as a 5-feet-9-inch tall, bald, Latino man weighing about 180 pounds and wearing a blue jersey and possibly armed with a silver revolver.
The driver was identified as 29-year-old Fernando Ramirez, LAPD Officer Rosario Cervantes told City News Service. He faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon, she said.
LAPD Capt. Ben Fernandes told the Los Angeles Times that Ramirez was kicked out of the nightclub for being disruptive before he crashed into the crowd.
In a statement issued Saturday morning, Mayor Karen Bass called the crash 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. The hearts of Angelenos are with all of the victims impacted this morning — a full investigation into what happened is underway.”
Anyone with information regarding the shooting was urged to call the LAPD’s Rampart Community Police Station at 213-484-3424. Callers who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.