Car hits crowd outside LA nightclub, strikes taco truck and valet stand, 30 injured

A vehicle rammed into a crowd of people waiting to enter a nightclub along a busy boulevard in Los Angeles early Saturday, injuring 30 people.Victims were transported to local hospitals and trauma centers, according to Capt. Adam Van Gerpen, public information officer for the Los Angeles City Fire Department. At least three were in critical condition after being injured along Santa Monica Boulevard in East Hollywood, the Fire Department said in a statement.
Van Gerpen said that a line of people — the majority female — were waiting to enter a nightclub when they were struck by a Nissan Versa that also hit a taco truck and valet stand.
Paramedics discovered that one of the patients had a gunshot wound, Van Gerpen said. He told The Associated Press that the identity of that person was not yet known.”This is under police investigation,” he said. “This will be a large investigation with the LAPD.”

People inside the club came out to help in the minutes before emergency crews arrived, he said, to help the victims.

“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,” he 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.”

A phone message left with the club, Vermont Hollywood, was not immediately returned. The club was hosting a reggae/hip hop event from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., according to its online calendar.

Francisco Mendez arrived at the scene half an hour after the incident after hearing that his sister-in-law and her husband had been injured.

The couple had been working at a hot dog stand outside the club when the car drove into the crowd, Mendez said.

“They were both hit and are now hospitalized,” Mendez told the AP.