After he was thrown out of the venue, the man who slammed his car into a crowd outside an East Hollywood nightclub was charged with attempted murder and assault with a fatal weapon in a crash crash that was injured early Saturday morning.
Fernando Ramirez, 29, of San Clemente, faces life in prison if convicted, according to the Los Angeles County district. Atty. Nathan Hochman.
Ramirez was dumped from a nightclub in Vermont Hollywood early in the morning of July 19, but returned to a bustling area with cars around 2am, police said. He ploughed what police described as a “compact Nissan sedan” into a crowd of drinks, street vendors and pedestrians, and the vehicle only rested after being slammed by a food cart.
At least 36 people were injured and were temporarily trapped under the car until help arrived. Hochman said Tuesday that eight of those victims suffered “serious fractures, lacerations and fractures.”
“But, because of God’s good grace, this could have been a massive victim incident,” Hochman said.
At least 23 people were hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported. Hochman said it was a “miracle” that no one was dead and he acknowledged the prompt response of police and firefighters to save their lives.
After the collision, bystanders pulled Ramirez out of the car and dragged him into the street, where he was punched, kicked and eventually shot. Authorities said he was in stable condition over the weekend. The police are still searching for gunmen.
“We understand the feelings involved, but when the threat was over… the use of lethal force was no longer legal,” said Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell.
Ramirez is scheduled to appear in the first courthouse Wednesday morning. It was not immediately clear whether he had a legal representative.
Popular nightclubs often have an outer line that stretches Vermont. Last Saturday we were hosting the Trapeton Party, a recurring dance party featuring reggaeton and hip-hop music.
Hochman said he could not comment on the altercation that led to the removal of Ramirez from the club, or whether he was specifically targeting anyone when he was allegedly barreling the car into the crowd. He also declined to comment on whether Ramirez was drunk at the time or expensive.
LAPD Rampart Division Capt on the scene on Saturday morning. Ben Fernandes said Ramirez was taken from the club because he was destructive.
Ramirez has a long criminal history. He was convicted of a hate crime for assaulting a black Whole Foods employee in 2020 and sentenced to four years in prison, but some of his convictions were overturned when officers ruled that they violated Miranda’s rights. He has also been pre-convicted for assaulting a police officer, dating back to 2019 in opposition to arrests and resisting domestic violence.
As of Saturday’s case, he was drunk and awaiting trial for driving while in a domestic battery, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.
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