A 29-year-old man was taken into custody early Saturday morning after authorities say he intentionally drove his car into a crowd gathered outside a nightclub in East Hollywood, leaving 23 people injured, including seven in critical condition.
The incident occurred around 2 a.m. near the intersection of Vermont Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, just as The Vermont Hollywood nightclub was closing for the night, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Officials say Fernando Ramirez had been escorted out of the club roughly eight minutes before he drove a Nissan Versa into a crowd gathered outside. Authorities later determined the act was intentional.
Club security and patrons subdued Ramirez after the crash, and one unidentified man in the crowd reportedly shot him in the rear with a silver revolver before fleeing the scene, police said.
Los Angeles Fire Department personnel transported the injured using multiple ambulances, dispatching a total of 124 firefighters to the scene. All injured parties, including Ramirez, were listed in stable condition and are expected to survive.
Ramirez was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. The suspected shooter remains at large. Witnesses described him as a bald Hispanic man, approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing around 180 pounds, and last seen wearing a blue jersey.
The investigation is ongoing.
