Vehicle drives into Los Angeles crowd injuring dozens

A vehicle drove into a busy crowd of people waiting to get into a nightclub in Los Angeles early Saturday, injuring 30 people, with at least three in critical condition.

The incident took place on Santa Monica Boulevard, the city’s fire department said, and people were quickly transported to local hospitals and trauma centers.

According to Cpt Adam VanGerpen, the public information officer for the Los Angeles fire department, the line of people struck by the vehicle, a Nissan Versa, were mostly female, and were waiting to get into the nightclub when the car also hit a taco truck and a nearby valet stand.

The paramedics on the scene determined that one of the patients had a gunshot wound, VanGerpen said.

Images from the scene from photographers and social media show debris, including shoes, strewn across the road, as surrounding areas were sealed off and emergency response teams arrived.

“This is under police investigation,” VanGerpen added. “This will be a large investigation with the LAPD.”

Partygoers in the club came out immediately to help the victims before the emergency crews arrived, he said.

“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,” 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.”

The Los Angeles police department confirmed that the investigation is ongoing.

Associated Press contributed to reporting