Vehicle ploughs into crowd outside night club in Los Angeles near Hollywood

A vehicle ploughed into a crowd in Los Angeles Saturday morning outside a nightclub, injuring at least 20 people. The LA Fire Department said "multiple patients" were at the scene on Santa Monica Boulevard near Hollywood. It reported that an "unknown vehicle" hit a crowd. Emergency teams are at the scene, treating the injured. The LAFD said that they had treated 20 people so far. At least five people are in a critical condition, while another eight to ten people are serious. Social media footage from the scene shows multiple people lying on the road, with dozens of firefighters and police officers on the street in East Hollywood. Some videos also show a smashed-up grey car over on the sidewalk. Bystanders were also helping out and treating victims. The fire department said, "LAFD is coordinating patient triage and transport at this time." A witness at the scene claimed to have heard a gunshot before someone crashed into the crowd outside the nightclub. She said that the driver remained inside the car as people surrounded the vehicle. He was soon tackled to the ground by security guards.

The Los Angeles Fire Department's (LAFD) public information officer, Captain Adam Van Gerpen, told NBC News that it isn't clear whether the man ploughed into the crowd intentionally or if it was an accident. Sergeant Travis Ward, central traffic division watch commander at the Los Angeles Police Department, said an investigation is ongoing. He put the number of injured at 31. "Apparently there was a vehicle that had somebody who lost consciousness," he said. "We have reports that there was a gunshot wound in one of the patients."