The man accused of deliberately ploughing his vehicle into a crowd outside a California nightclub in the early hours of Saturday morning has been formally charged with attempted murder, prosecutors revealed on Tuesday.
28-year-old Fernando Ramirez faces 37 counts of attempted murder and 37 counts of assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the Los Angeles nightclub attack. Should he be found guilty, these charges carry a potential maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The incident, which left a total of 37 people injured, occurred as revellers were departing from a reggae hip-hop event at the Vermont Hollywood venue during the early hours of Saturday.
The car struck the crowd outside the East Hollywood establishment, leading furious onlookers to drag the driver from his vehicle and assault him, with one person pulling out a gun and shooting the driver in the back.
Casualties sustained injuries ranging from minor wounds to severe fractures and cuts, with several individuals temporarily pinned beneath the car.
“We understand that this brazen act has shaken the community and but for the good grace of God, this could have been a mass casualty incident” LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated. He further noted that eight individuals sustained “great bodily injury.”
Ronnie Villanueva, interim fire chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department, confirmed that 23 people required hospital treatment amongst those hurt.
“When he drove that car onto that sidewalk, he aimed it at a whole sea of pedestrians that were in front of him on the sidewalk at 2 am,” Hochman declared. Ramirez stands accused of deliberately steering his vehicle onto the pavement and into the gathered crowd.
“This was an unprovoked act of violence that injured 36 people, some critically,” Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell declared. “It’s truly a miracle that no one was killed that day.”
Ramirez sustained a gunshot wound to the lower back, though authorities have yet to identify the suspected shooter, reports the Mirror US.
On Monday, Los Angeles police released CCTV images from cameras situated near the crash site showing a man sporting a goatee, dressed in a blue Dodgers jacket and a light blue jersey bearing the number “5.”