A terrible incident unfolded in the early hours of the morning in Los Angeles after a car drove into a crowd of people.
The incident occurred shortly before 2:00AM PT, outside a nightclub on Santa Monica Boulevard, per the Mirror.
Located in East Hollywood, the crash site lies on Santa Monica Boulevard at the Vermont Avenue intersection.
The boulevard stretches over 14 miles through Los Angeles, connecting West Hollywood to the iconic Santa Monica Pier.
Amid the accident chaos, reports emerged of gunshot wounds among the injured. Capt. Adam Van Gerpen, LAFD’s public information officer, told NBC News: “Apparently, there was a vehicle that had somebody who lost consciousness. We have reports that there was a gunshot wound in one of the patients.”
Eyewitnesses confirmed hearing loud bangs amid the commotion. One club patron told NBC: “We look out the club, and it’s a car into the hole right there. And then it’s crazy, because people everywhere, laying down, unconscious, people, bleeding out and stuff.”
Police have not confirmed whether the gunshot wounds occurred before or after the crash.
At the time of writing, Sky News reports that three people are in a critical condition, while six others are in a serious condition, and 19 are in a "fair" condition.
No fatalities have been confirmed, but panic and chaos ensued as emergency crews and clubgoers rushed to assist the wounded.
In total, 124 fire personnel were dispatched to the scene to provide immediate care and triage.
With the driver reportedly losing consciousness before the crash, the LAPD’s Central Traffic Division, led by Sgt. Travis Ward, has launched a comprehensive investigation.
He cautioned it is still too early to determine whether the incident was intentional: “This is under police investigation… This will be a large investigation with the LAPD.”
Victims were waiting in line at a taco cart and valet stand for entry into the nightclub when tragedy struck.
LAFD Capt. Van Gerpen said: “They were all standing in line going into a nightclub. There was a taco cart out there…waiting to go in. And there’s also a valet line there… then a large number of people were impacted by the vehicle.”
He confirmed first responders saw the taco truck and valet podium “taken out” by the car before it plowed into the crowd.
A small grey car has been pictured at the scene. It is in a state beyond repair.
Our thoughts are with those impacted by this incident.