Suspect in Los Angeles car-ramming incident has a criminal history and was on parole, police say
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Ramirez has had at least 11 criminal cases ranging from misdemeanors to felonies, KNBC reported. In January 2022, he was charged with felony domestic battery and entered a not guilty plea. That case remains open.
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A line of people — mostly women — were waiting to enter the Vermont Hollywood event venue around 2 a.m. when they were struck by a Nissan Versa that also hit a food vending cart and valet stand, Fire Capt. Adam VanGerpen said Saturday.
At least 36 people were treated for injuries including fractures and lacerations, police said Sunday without providing updates on their conditions.
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It was not immediately clear if Ramirez was shot before or after the crash or why he drove into the crowd.
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San Francisco Chronicle
16 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Authorities investigating LA shooting and crash that injured dozens ask for tips to find gunman
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police investigating a crash outside a Los Angeles nightclub that injured at least 36 people asked for help Monday to find the man they suspect of shooting the driver. A vehicle rammed into a crowd of people outside the Vermont Hollywood venue early Saturday along a busy boulevard in East Hollywood, leading bystanders to attack the driver, authorities said. The driver was later found to have been shot in the lower back, according to police. Los Angeles police released surveillance photos Monday from cameras near the crash showing a man with a goatee wearing a blue Dodgers jacket and a light blue jersey with the number '5." Officials are asking for help in identifying him. The driver was identified Sunday as 29-year-old Fernando Ramirez. He is expected to face a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon. A phone number for Ramirez could not be found in an online database search and the public defender's office has not responded to requests for comment on whether one of its attorneys is representing him. The Vermont Hollywood nightclub was hosting a reggae hip-hop event Friday night, according to its calendar. People were leaving at the end of the event when the car crashed into them, the venue said online. 'We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident that occurred early Saturday morning outside our venue,' the Vermont Hollywood club said. "We are working closely with law enforcement to ensure the person responsible for this horrific act is held fully accountable.' Ramirez's car came to a stop after colliding with several food carts, which became lodged underneath the vehicle, police said. Injuries ranged from minor pain to serious fractures and lacerations, and some people were briefly trapped beneath the vehicle, police said. Ramirez has a criminal history that includes an aggravated battery conviction for a 2019 attack on a Black man who worked at a Whole Foods grocery store in Laguna Beach, California. He was also convicted of a civil rights misdemeanor and race-based hate crime after expressing to police that he hated Black people. That was later overturned in 2021 after a California appeals court found he made that statement after invoking his Fifth Amendment rights. Ramirez 'has proved to be violent to strangers and family alike and clearly has a lack of concern for the safety of others,' Orange County prosecutors said in a court filing at the time. He also pleaded guilty in 2014 to battery and a gang-related charge, and in 2021 to domestic violence, records show. A 2024 drunken driving case and 2022 domestic violence charge were pending at the time of the nightclub crash, according to records. ___
Hamilton Spectator
17 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Authorities investigating LA shooting and crash that injured dozens ask for tips to find gunman
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police investigating a crash outside a Los Angeles nightclub that injured at least 36 people asked for help Monday to find the man they suspect of shooting the driver. A vehicle rammed into a crowd of people outside the Vermont Hollywood venue early Saturday along a busy boulevard in East Hollywood, leading bystanders to attack the driver, authorities said. The driver was later found to have been shot in the lower back, according to police. Los Angeles police released surveillance photos Monday from cameras near the crash showing a man with a goatee wearing a blue Dodgers jacket and a light blue jersey with the number '5.' Officials are asking for help in identifying him. The driver was identified Sunday as 29-year-old Fernando Ramirez. He is expected to face a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon. A phone number for Ramirez could not be found in an online database search and the public defender's office has not responded to requests for comment on whether one of its attorneys is representing him. The Vermont Hollywood nightclub was hosting a reggae hip-hop event Friday night, according to its calendar. People were leaving at the end of the event when the car crashed into them, the venue said online . 'We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident that occurred early Saturday morning outside our venue,' the Vermont Hollywood club said. 'We are working closely with law enforcement to ensure the person responsible for this horrific act is held fully accountable.' Ramirez's car came to a stop after colliding with several food carts, which became lodged underneath the vehicle, police said. Injuries ranged from minor pain to serious fractures and lacerations, and some people were briefly trapped beneath the vehicle, police said. Ramirez has a criminal history that includes an aggravated battery conviction for a 2019 attack on a Black man who worked at a Whole Foods grocery store in Laguna Beach, California. He was also convicted of a civil rights misdemeanor and race-based hate crime after expressing to police that he hated Black people. That was later overturned in 2021 after a California appeals court found he made that statement after invoking his Fifth Amendment rights. Ramirez 'has proved to be violent to strangers and family alike and clearly has a lack of concern for the safety of others,' Orange County prosecutors said in a court filing at the time. He also pleaded guilty in 2014 to battery and a gang-related charge, and in 2021 to domestic violence, records show. A 2024 drunken driving case and 2022 domestic violence charge were pending at the time of the nightclub crash, according to records. ___ Associated Press reporter Ed White contributed from Detroit. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Los Angeles Times
21 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Hollywood club crash: What we know about the driver and man who shot him
Police on Monday were continuing to investigate a violent crash outside an East Hollywood club where 36 people were injured and the driver wounded by gunfire. Around 2 a.m. on Saturday, a driver plowed into a crowd outside of the Vermont Hollywood night club, injuring dozens of clubgoers, pedestrians and vendors on the sidewalk outside. After the collision, the driver was pulled from the vehicle by the crowd and assaulted, with one person pulling a gun and shooting the driver, Los Angeles Police said. While the gunman is still outstanding, the driver — identified as Fernando Ramirez — was taken into custody. Video from the scene showed Ramirez beaten bloody as police took him away. Here's what we know so far. Ramirez, 29, was a club patron who was thrown out, but returned to the area in a vehicle around 2 a.m., LAPD officials said. The vehicle hit street vendors and dozens of late-night clubgoers, causing multiple medical emergencies and stoking fear and anger among the crowd. Bystanders pulled Ramirez from his vehicle and attacked him — video showed him being punched and kicked — and, at some point, he was shot, LAPD officials said. On Sunday, he was listed in stable condition after being taken into surgery, police said. He was also arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon with force likely to produce great bodily injury. Before the Saturday morning attack, Ramirez had already spent months behind bars. On Jan. 10, 2020, he was sentenced to four years in prison after a jury found him guilty of battery with serious injury, violation of civil rights and a hate crime enhancement for attacking a Black Whole Foods employee. However, an appeals court in January 2021 overturned part of the verdict after the court found a recorded conversation with an officer violated Ramirez's Miranda rights. The appeals court reversed the civil rights violation and the hate crime enhancement and vacated the sentence, but upheld the aggravated battery conviction because it was 'not affected by the Miranda error.' In 2020, Ramirez was convicted of a 2019 battery upon a police officer and resisting arrest and got 180 days in jail. In 2021, he was convicted of assault with great bodily injury and two counts of resisting arrest and received a sentence of 194 days in jail and a year of probation. That same year, he pleaded guilty to corporal injury upon a spouse and was sentenced to three years of probation with 234 days in jail. Kimberly Edds, a spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney's office, said Ramirez has a pending driving under the influence charge, and a separate domestic battery charge, including a violation of a protective order stemming from a 2022 incident, also pending in the Orange County courts. Police said that after Ramirez was pulled from the vehicle, after it became lodged on top of food vendor equipment, someone pulled out a gun and shot him in the back. Officer Norma Eisenman, an LAPD spokesperson, said on Sunday that the person who shot Ramirez remained at large. Police described the suspected gunman as male, Latino, about 5-foot-7 and 150 to 170 pounds. He was last seen wearing a blue Dodgers jacket, a light blue jersey with the number '5' and blue jeans. He had gauges — a type of body jewelry — in both ears and a goatee. Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. At least 36 victims sustained injuries ranging from minor pain to serious fractures and lacerations. Several individuals were struck by the vehicle, and some were briefly trapped beneath it. At least 23 people were hospitalized. Given the size of the crowd, LAPD Capt. Ben Fernandes said the incident could have easily spiraled into a mass casualty event. 'Quite honestly, I believe it is a miracle,' Fernandes told NBC-4 News. One witness told ABC-7 News that he saw dozens of people on the ground after the crash. Another said it was 'like a movie.' 'You see shoes flying, you see change, money, there's hot dog stands that were outside the bar … they got hit,' the witness said. Eduardo Lopez, who was working at his taco truck down the street from the nightclub early Saturday, said he heard the crash and the subsequent screams. He told NBC-4 he saw people running and 'a lot of people hurt.' The club issued a statement following the incident. 'We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident that occurred early Saturday morning outside our venue,' the Vermont Hollywood club posted in a statement online and outside its doors. 'We are working closely with law enforcement to ensure the person responsible for this horrific act is held fully accountable.'
