In a horrific incident that occurred in Los Angeles on Saturday morning, a driver plowed into a crowd in the city and injured nearly three dozen people, nearly two dozen of which had to be immediately transported to the hospital. One of the individuals had a gunshot wound, with it being reported that it was the driver who was shot by a man on the scene.
Such is what was explained by Capt. Adam Van Gerpen, public information officer for the Los Angeles City Fire Department, on the morning of Saturday, July 19. He explained the number of casualties and how many had to be transported to local medical facilities by first responders, noting that the carnage wrought by the driver was substantial.
According to Captain Van Gerpen and the LAFD, seven of those injured were in critical condition. Further, another half-dozen of those injured were in serious condition, though not as serious as the seven at critical risk of dying. Another 10 of those injured by the driver were in fair condition despite being hit by the car, and taken to the hospital. 23 total people were taken to the hospital, and a dozen individuals had to be treated on site. Seven individuals in fair condition refused to be taken to medical facilities.
More details emerged on X (formerly Twitter) and via media reports. According to the authorities and media, the ramming incident took place in East Los Angeles, near the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Vermont Avenue. The LAFD confirmed as much in a report noting exactly where on West Santa Monica Boulevard the incident occurred.
Apparently, the driver rammed a large crowd of people who were standing outside a music venue and nightclub in the city called The Vermont. Most of those who were injured by the driver were women, who were waiting in a line outside the venue to enter the club when the driver struck and plowed through them.
The driver is also alleged to have slammed into a food truck selling tacos that was outside the venues, and hit a valet stand outside the club. The location of the incident, with a large crowd of people standing in a confined area right off the street, helps explain how so many people were injured by the driver.
In any case, witnesses on the scene reported to ABC News that, after the driver slammed into the crowd, uninjured bystanders attacked the car and managed to drag the driver they thought to be murderous out of it to pummel him and dish out some private justice for the ramming. The driver may have lost consciousness before the ramming, indicating it could have been an accident.
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It is unclear how injured the driver was by the crash and the pummelling he received, though it was reported by ABC News that the driver was shot by a Hispanic male who was at the scene of the ramming when it occurred. That Hispanic male, according to ABC News’s report, has not yet been detained.
According to the LAFD, 124 fire personnel assisted at this scene, in dealing with the carnage wrought by the horrible attack and in dealing with the general situation. Watch the first responders on the scene here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video