More than 30 people were injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd in East Hollywood in Los Angeles, United States. The incident took place on Santa Monica Boulevard early on Saturday.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, at least four victims are said to be in a critical condition, while eight others are seriously injured, news agency Reuters reported.
Victims were rushed to local hospitals and trauma centers, according to Capt. Adam Van Gerpen, public information officer for the Los Angeles City Fire Department. He said that a line of people, mostly female, were waiting to enter a nightclub when a Nissan Versa drove into the crowd. The vehicle also hit a truck and valet stand, Associated Press reported.
The officer also said that paramedics discovered one of the patients had a gunshot wound. The identity of that person was not yet known. "This is under police investigation," he told AP. “This will be a large investigation with the LAPD.”
After the vehicle plowed into the crowd, people inside the club came out to help the victims even before the emergency crew arrived.
“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," he added.
An eye witness, who was standing outside the club, when the vehicle crashed recalled the incident, saying, "We heard a loud bang and we all started ducking, we think it's gun shots. We are in disbelief because 20 seconds more that would have been us."
Los Angeles City Fire says a total of 124 firefighters responded to the scene, CBS News reported. The club outside which the incident took place is located a few blocks west of the famed Sunset Junction in the Silver Lake district.