![\"Law](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0e30bdda4e93472b1845386d9a0ec010.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\nA lively night outside a bustling east Hollywood nightclub took a dangerous turn early Saturday when a car barreled through a crowded sidewalk, injuring at least 36 people, authorities say.<\/p>\n
The crash occurred outside The Vermont Hollywood, where 29-year-old Fernando Ramirez had reportedly been kicked out for being disruptive before police say he intentionally drove his car into the crowd. The suspect was dragged out of his car by bystanders and beaten \u2013 one person pulled out a gun and shot him \u201cin the lower back,\u201d police said.<\/p>\n
Video footage after the crash showed blood on the street and injured patrons sprawled on the pavement as first responders provided aid, with some victims carried away on stretchers. Officials said Saturday seven of the injured were in critical condition. Police cordoned off the area as investigators worked to piece together the sequence of events.<\/p>\n
The crowd had gathered outside for valet services, food stands and entry to the nightclub. A taco stand and valet podium were among the structures hit, but the venue itself sustained no structural damage, officials said.<\/p>\n
Ramirez, who remains hospitalized, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, but a motive has not yet been identified, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson told CNN.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what we know so far, as investigators piece together what happened that night:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Law enforcement investigated the scene where a vehicle rammed into a crowd of people waiting to enter a nightclub along a busy boulevard in Los Angeles early Saturday. – Damian Dovarganes\/AP<\/p>\n
How the incident unfolded<\/p>\n
The crash occurred around 2 a.m. local time, as patrons were leaving The Vermont Hollywood, located just west of the famed Sunset Junction in the Silver Lake district.<\/p>\n
\u201cA driver veered onto the sidewalk and struck multiple individuals,\u201d the venue<\/a> said in a statement. The club was hosting a reggae-hip hop event from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., according to its online calendar.<\/p>\n A fight broke out outside the club before the crash, Maria Medrano told the Associated Press.<\/a> The car hit a hot dog stand operated by Medrano and her husband, who narrowly escaped injury.<\/p>\n \u201cThe car stopped once it hit the hot dog stand; it got stuck there,\u201d Medrano told the AP from the hospital. \u201cIf not, I wouldn\u2019t be here to tell\u201d the story.<\/p>\n Police initially responded to reports of an assault with a deadly weapon but arrived to find the car had plowed into the crowd \u201cfor reasons unknown,\u201d with bystanders assaulting the driver, authorities said.<\/p>\n The suspect was \u201cimmediately taken into custody by the LAPD, and an investigation is currently underway,\u201d the venue said.<\/p>\n What we know about the driver<\/p>\n The driver had been kicked out of The Vermont Hollywood for being disruptive prior to the incident, Los Angeles Police Department Captain Ben Fernandes told the Los Angeles Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom review of the video, he went up to the sidewalk further down and when he hit bystanders, it was an intentional act,\u201d Fernandes told the LA Times.<\/p>\n First responders discovered Ramirez had been shot during a secondary medical assessment, said Capt. Adam VanGerpen, public information officer for the Los Angeles Fire Department.<\/p>\n The suspect, who police believe was intoxicated, was taken to the hospital for surgery, a law enforcement official briefed on the situation previously told CNN.<\/p>\n Authorities have found no evidence to suggest the incident was connected to terrorism or motivated by criminal intentions beyond the driver\u2019s impaired state, a law enforcement official said.<\/p>\n The man believed to have shot Ramirez remains at large. Police said he was last seen wearing a blue Dodgers jacket. Officials previously said they believe he used a silver revolver in the shooting.<\/p>\n
![\"Police](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/f524b6add7cd7056ff08ef48b031c836.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n