LOS ANGELES: A car ploughed into a crowd outside a Hollywood nightclub early Saturday (Jul 19), police said, injuring 30 people, with bystanders attacking and shooting the driver before he was detained by authorities.
The suspect was “undergoing surgery” and in stable condition, Lillian Carranza from the Los Angeles Police Department said.
“He is not free to leave, he is in the custody of Los Angeles Police Department,” Carranza told local news station KCAL, adding that police were looking into charges including attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
The driver was pulled out of the car by the crowd and attacked in the chaos that followed the car ramming, which took place at around 2am, according to police.
Authorities were searching for a gunman who shot and wounded the driver before fleeing on foot.
Footage posted on social media showed panicked people running outside the club and victims sprawled on a blood-stained sidewalk, while others sobbed nearby.
The driver of the car, reportedly a Nissan Versa sedan, was pulled from the vehicle by the crowd, handcuffed and brutally beaten, a video on social media showed.
“When officers arrived, they found the driver being assaulted by bystanders and determined he had sustained a gunshot wound,” a police statement said.
More than 100 firefighters responded to the scene in East Hollywood.
“We have 30 victims, 18 females and 12 males between the ages of mid-20s to early 30s,” Carranza said.
Seven were in critical condition and six were in serious condition, authorities said. Ten suffered minor injuries while seven left the hospital against medical advice.
