Los Angeles police are actively searching for a man suspected of shooting a driver who had reportedly intentionally driven into a crowd gathered outside an East Hollywood club on Saturday. The incident, which occurred around 2 a.m. near North Vermont Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, left at least 36 people with various injuries, ranging from minor to severe, including fractures and lacerations as reported by LAPD's news release.
The driver, 29-year-old Fernando Ramirez, was forcibly pulled from the car and assaulted by bystanders after the crash. Amid the commotion, an unidentified man approached Ramirez and proceeded to shoot him in the lower back before fleeing the scene. The shooting suspect remains at large, and authorities have released descriptions of him to the public in an attempt to quickly apprehend this individual, as stated in an NBC News article.
Ramirez, who has an extensive criminal history dating back to 2014 and was on parole at the time, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, among other charges. KNBC detailed that before the incident, Ramirez had been involved in an altercation at the club and was ejected by security, only to return in his vehicle and drive into the crowd. Ramirez's further complications include a pending DUI case and a felony battery conviction from 2020, as outlined by NBC News.
The suspect in the shooting is described as a male Hispanic, 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-7, between 150 to 170 pounds, last seen wearing a blue Dodgers jacket and a light blue jersey with the number "5." He was reported to have gauges in both ears and a goatee. In a statement obtained by ABC News, a witness recounted the harrowing scene, saying, "We in the club, we standing, we're like five people behind, and we hear a loud bang. So we all start ducking. We think it's gunshots. We look out the club and it's a car into the f------ crowd right there. It's crazy because people everywhere are laying down. People are bleeding out and stuff."
Anyone with information related to the incident or the shooter is encouraged to contact the LAPD Rampart CAPS Detective Audelo or call Crime Stoppers, as per the information provided by LAPD's newsroom. The LAPD emphasizes the importance of the public's help in such cases, offering several means to anonymously tip off authorities. All victims, including Ramirez, are stable and expected to survive. This includes clubgoers, valet attendants, and food vendors who were in the vicinity during the assault.
