Furious bystanders were seen brutally battering a man in handcuffs moments after they survived a terrifying car attack outside a Los Angeles nightclub.
The harrowing ordeal which left and left 31 people injured unfolded at 2am on Saturday near The Vermont nightclub in East Hollywood.
Cops said the suspect, who has not been identified, was dragged from his car and shot. Officials have not confirmed if he was shot by a member of the public or by law enforcement officers.
Witnesses said the assailant had been thrown out of the nightclub for being too intoxicated moments before, leading him to get into his car and mount the curb in a horror episode.
At least least three people were left fighting for their lives and six more critically injured.
It is unclear who shot the suspect, who was taken to hospital in an unknown condition. It was not immediately clear if the man seen in the footage being attacked was the driver.
The man seen in the footage was handcuffed to the ground, before other clubgoers threw food at him, kicked him in the head and punched him.
Patrons could be seen running to safety as others lay on the ground injured.
Shocking footage captured the moment furious survivors attacked a handcuffed man after a disgruntled nightclub patron plowed his car into a crowd outside the Los Angeles venue
The man seen in the footage being punched before he was handcuffed to the ground, as other clubgoers threw food at him and kicked him in the head. Patrons could be seen running to safety as others lay on the ground injured
At least 31 people were injured when the driver, who has not been identified, drove into clubgoers in chaotic scenes outside The Vermont nightclub in East Hollywood at around 2am on Friday night
Social media footage shows a huge response to the incident, with dozens of firefighters and police officers descending on the scene.
The LA Fire Department said they have treated dozens of people, with more later going to hospital.
A witness told NBC News that clubgoers were partying inside when they heard a ‘loud bang’, leading them to look outside at the chaos on the street.
‘We look out the club, and it’s a car into the hole right there. And then it’s crazy, because people everywhere, laying down, unconscious, people, bleeding out and stuff,’ they said.
The crumpled remains of a grey car could also be seen on the sidewalk amid a sea of debris outside the nightclub.
Sources told the LA Times that witnesses told investigators that the driver had been thrown out of the nightclub before the chaos unfolded on Friday night.
The insider told the outlet that the driver then got into his car, made a U-turn and drove onto the sidewalk before accelerating into other clubgoers.
‘When officers arrived, they found the driver had been assaulted by bystanders and determined he sustained a gunshot wound,’ cops said.
Clubgoers scrambled to safety as others lay on the floor injured in horror scenes on Friday night outside the nightclub
The driver was also shot after he accelerated into other revelers as they waited by a taco stand outside the club, and was taken to hospital in unknown condition
In a statement, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass condemned the ‘heartbreaking tragedy.’
‘I want to thank the more than 100 LAFD and LAPD personnel who responded to the scene to help to save lives,’ Bass said.
Another video – supposedly in the moments after the crash – shows people crowding around the car, while others can be seen lying on the ground.
Sgt. Travis Ward, Central Traffic Division Watch Commander at the LAPD, said that the driver was shot before being tackled to the ground by security guards working for the venue.
Speaking at the scene, LA Fire Department captain Adam Van Gerpen said: ‘This morning, about 2am, firefighters were dispatched out to a traffic accident.
‘On arrival, they found that we had a multi casualty incident with a number of victims on scene. Our firefighters quickly realized we had a large number of patients so we called for additional resources.
‘Apparently somebody that lost consciousness inside the vehicle and drove into a taco cart and then ultimately ran into a large number of people that were outside a club in East Hollywood.
Officials described a ‘chaotic scene’ on Santa Monica Boulevard after the driver plowed into the crowd, which left at least three people fighting for their lives and six more critically injured
‘Right now we have a total of approximately 31 patients. All of those patients are in the process of being treated and transported and evaluated.’
‘We have reports that there was a gunshot wound in one of the patients. There was a patient inside the vehicle and they were able to extricate that patient.’
The Vermont nightclub had been hosting a event with DJ FLXN at the time.