Seven people are in critical condition, while another 23 are hospitalized following an incident where a man, kicked out of the Vermont Hollywood Nightclub, drove his car through a taco stand and a valet parking podium before plowing through 30 people exiting the music venue.
Enraged bystanders pulled the unidentified driver from his car and shot him. His condition is unknown.
Absolutely insane: A car plowed into a crowd outside a Hollywood nightclub, injuring up to 30 people. Then bystanders pulled the driver out and shot him. pic.twitter.com/Ov4P9WcnSL
— WarMonitor (@TheWarMonitor) July 19, 2025
Videos showed the moments after the car rammed into the busy street. Multiple people could be seen bloodied and on the ground, some screaming. Others could be seen running away from the scene. A woman who had blood running down one of her legs said she couldn’t feel either of them.
In another video, a group of bystanders could be seen removing the alleged driver from the vehicle before they collectively assaulted him. One video showed the man laying on the ground on his stomach, with his hands secured behind his back while one bystander kicked him in the head, and another threw what appeared to be a condiment at him.
Initial reports from the scene suggested the driver lost consciousness before the incident. Police say that was not the case. The search for the shooter is ongoing.
"They were all standing in line going into a nightclub. There was a taco cart out there, so they were ... getting some food, waiting to go in. And there's also a valet line there," Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Adam VanGerpen said. "The valet podium was taken out, the taco truck was taken out, and then a large number of people were impacted by the vehicle."
Witnesses say a fight broke out outside the club shortly before the incident occurred. Maria Medrano was working the hot dog stand outside the venue, and says the car hit the concertgoers standing outside the venue before plowing into her food stand, narrowly missing her and her husband.
AP:
“The car stopped once it hit the hot dog stand, it got stuck there,” Medrano told The Associated Press from the hospital. “If not, I wouldn’t be here to tell (the story).”
After hearing gunshots, she said, “Everyone started running."
CNN is reporting that police believe the driver was drunk.
A law enforcement source said witnesses told authorities the man driving the car had been ejected from the club earlier because he was seemingly intoxicated and disruptive.
The source, not authorized to discuss the probe, said the man left, got into his car and made a U-turn and drove onto the sidewalk before smashing into the taco stand and valet podium and plowing into the crowd.
On a typical weekend night, the street outside The Vermont is thrumming with clubgoers filtering in and out of the venue.
“This is a heartbreaking tragedy. I want to thank the more than 100 LAFD and LAPD personnel who responded to the scene to help to save lives,” Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement.
Police are still uncertain whether the driver was shot before or after he drove his car into the crowd.
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