More than two dozen people were hurt when a vehicle careened into a crowd of people in front of a nightclub in East Hollywood overnight, authorities said. The driver was then pulled from his vehicle, beaten and shot.
Initial reports of a car colliding with a crowd came in around 2 a.m. Saturday in the 4600 block of Santa Monica Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The popular Vermont Hollywood venue is located within that block.
More than 120 Los Angeles Fire Department first responders rushed to the scene and took 28 people to nearby hospitals, LAFD Captain Adam VanGerpen confirmed to KTLA on Saturday morning. Of those patients, seven were said to be in critical condition, six in serious condition and the remaining ten in fair condition.
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At least 30 were injured after a car plowed into crowd outside an East Hollywood nightclub. July 19, 2025. (RMGNews) -
At least 30 were injured after a car plowed into crowd outside an East Hollywood nightclub. July 19, 2025. (RMGNews) -
At least 30 were injured after a car plowed into crowd outside an East Hollywood nightclub. July 19, 2025. (RMGNews)
Video footage taken in the immediate aftermath of the crash showed first responders treating victims at the scene for their wounds. Some individuals were loaded into ambulances while others were bandaged and given other forms of treatment on tarps in the street.
Further cell phone footage obtained by KTLA shows people pulling the driver out of the vehicle and beginning to punch and kick him repeatedly.
The hatchback involved in the collision, which had sustained significant damage, came to rest on the sidewalk in front of what appeared to be the entrance to the club.
Investigators said they believe the driver lost consciousness and hit a taco stand and a valet podium before colliding with the crowd. Initial reports indicated the driver had been shot just before the incident and may have lost control of their vehicle; it was later learned that the driver was shot in the aftermath of the crash, not before it.
His condition as of 8 a.m. Saturday was not known.
A law enforcement source informed KTLA shortly before 8 a.m. that the man behind the wheel of the car had been removed from the venue for being disruptive and was turned away again after leaving and coming back. Visibly upset, the man left, got into his car and drove to Vermont and Santa Monica, where he made a U-turn and drove onto the sidewalk, hitting the taco stand and valet podium before careening into the crowd.
The shooting is being investigated as a separate incident and no arrests were immediately made in connection with it.
In a silver lining, Captain VanGerpen noted that members of the public were helpful in assisting authorities with their immediate response to the incident.
“This really was a horrific scene, just because all of these people are coming out to have a good time,” VanGerpen told KTLA 5’s Carlos Herrera. “They’re waiting in line and then a vehicle comes and drives through them, so it was a chaotic scene, but we also saw people showing their best…people with broken legs were being assisted by people they never met before.”
The Los Angeles Police Department is handling the investigations into the crash and shooting.
This is a developing story. Stay with KTLA for updates.