Driver who plowed into L.A. crowd leaving 30 injured, 7 critically, is shot after being attacked by bystanders

A man was dragged from his car and shot by bystanders after police said he intentionally plowed a vehicle into an L.A. crowd that left seven people critically injured and at least 23 others hurt outside a nightclub on Santa Monica Boulevard in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, early Saturday morning.

Cameras in the area are still being canvassed, but incident appears to have been intentional, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Patrol officers with the LAPD responded to a call of an assault with a deadly weapon near the area of Vermont Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard at around 2 a.m.

“When officers arrived, they found the driver being assaulted by bystanders and determined he had sustained a gunshot wound,” the LAPD said in an update.

LAPD Sgt. Travis Ward said the driver was shot after the collision, transported to the hospital and taken into surgery. For this reason, he said, the LAPD was unable to determine if the driver was intoxicated.

The LAPD described the suspect who shot the driver as “a Hispanic male, approximately 5 feet, 9 inches tall, 180 pounds, bald, wearing a blue jersey, and possibly armed with a silver revolver.” The man fled the scene on foot and was last seen going westbound from Vermont Avenue, the LAPD said.

Police are asking anyone with information on the suspect to get in touch.

Pictures from the scene showed a bashed-up gray vehicle straddling the sidewalk with debris strewn across the ground. At least a dozen firefighters can be seen alongside a number of people sitting on the ground on blankets.

In another picture, firefighters appear to be helping to lift someone off the ground by the car.

Videos showed the moments after the car rammed into the busy street. Multiple people could be seen bloodied and on the ground, some screaming. Others could be seen running away from the scene. A woman who had blood running down one of her legs said she couldn’t feel either of them.

In another video, a group of bystanders could be seen removing the alleged driver from the vehicle before they collectively assaulted him. One video showed the man laying on the ground on his stomach, with his hands secured behind his back while one bystander kicked him in the head, and another threw what appeared to be a condiment at him.

Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center told NBC News that it received patients who were impacted by the incident, and that all of them “were brought in with minor injuries and are currently in stable condition.” The medical center did not clarify how many patients it received.

“This is a heartbreaking tragedy,” Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass said in a statement Saturday. “The hearts of Angelenos are with all of the victims impacted this morning — a full investigation into what happened is underway.”

A man who was inside the nightclub told NBC News that he heard a “loud bang” and that a crowd of people ducked believing they’d heard gunshots.

“We look out the club, and it’s a car into the hole right there,” he said. “And then it’s crazy, because people everywhere, laying down, unconscious people, bleeding out and stuff.”

Capt. Adam VanGerpen, public information officer for the Los Angeles Fire Department, told NBC News that the vehicle hit a taco cart before running into a large number of people outside a nightclub. He said the fire department was dispatched at 2 a.m. PT.

Seven people are in critical condition and six are in serious condition, the LAFD said in a separate statement, with 10 others being treated for injuries. Seven others declined help at the scene. It said 124 fire personnel assisted at the scene.

The investigation into the incident is still ongoing.