At least 30 injured when car hits crowd outside Los Angeles club

At least 30 people were injured on Saturday morning when a vehicle drove into a crowd outside a club on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, the city's fire department and local media reports said.

At least seven people were in critical condition and six others were seriously injured, the fire department said in an online statement.

Reuters was not immediately able to contact the city's police department.

The incident occurred just before 2am local time (0900 GMT), the fire department said.

Captain Adam VanGerpen, a fire department spokesman, was quoted by ABC News as saying that a paramedic assessing one of the injured found a gunshot wound. He said he was unable to confirm reports that it was the driver of the car that hit the crowd.

The report added that preliminary investigations pointed to a driver losing consciousness and ramming a large crowd outside a nightclub. However, this could not be immediately verified.

The car, he said, apparently first careened into a taco truck outside the venue and then plowed through a valet stand and into a large group of people.

Videos posted on X showed roads being sealed off and patients being taken away in ambulances.

Authorities gave no immediate details on the cause of the incident or the identity of the driver.

The area where the incident occurred is near Hollywood landmarks including Sunset Boulevard and the Walk of Fame — a sidewalk emblazoned with stars commemorating movie industry figures.