Man Shot Dead After Hitting Crowd with Car, 30 Injured

 

BY C STONE | STONE NEWS NETWORK || LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

Source: PBS

A man with a car rammed into people waiting to enter a nightclub in Los Angeles early today, injuring 30 people. The people waiting in line attacked the man. The driver was later found to be shot, and it was not known if he was shot before, during, or after the attack.

via PBS:

Fire Capt. Adam Van Gerpen 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 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 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, he said, 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. The shooter was described as a man in a blue jersey with a silver revolver.

“This is under police investigation,” Van Gerpen said. “This will be a large investigation with the LAPD.”

The club, Vermont Hollywood, was hosting a reggae/hip hop event from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., according to its online calendar. A phone message left with the business was not immediately returned.

A fight had broken out outside of the club prior to the incident, according to Maria Medrano, who was working a food cart outside.

Shortly after, 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,” Medrano told The Associated Press from the hospital. “If not, I wouldn’t be here to tell (the story).”

Medrano said she heard what appeared to be gunshots after the crash.

“Everyone started running,” she said.

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It is not know why the man decided to ram innocent people, but it might have been a previous fight outside the club that led to this event.