Vehicle drives into crowd in Los Angeles, injuring at least 28; 3 in critical condition

Three people are in critical condition after a vehicle drove into a crowd on Santa Monica Boulevard in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, early Saturday morning.

Pictures from the scene showed a bashed up grey vehicle straddling the sidewalk with debris strewn across the floor. At least a dozen firefighters can be seen alongside a number of people sitting on the floor on blankets.

In another picture, firefighters appear to be helping to lift someone off the ground by the car.

A man who was inside the nightclub told NBC News that he heard a “loud bang,” and that a crowd of people ducked believing they’d heard gunshots.

“We look out the club, and it’s a car into the hole right there,” he said. “And then it’s crazy, because people everywhere, laying down, unconscious, people, bleeding out and stuff.”

“Apparently there was a vehicle that had somebody who lost consciousness,” Captain Adam VanGerpen, public information officer for the Los Angeles Fire Department, told NBC News, noting the vehicle hit a taco cart before running into a large number of people outside a nightclub.

“We have reports that there was a gunshot wound in one of the patients,” he added, saying LAFD was dispatched at 2 a.m. PDT.

Sgt. Travis Ward, Central Traffic Division Watch Commander, at the Los Angeles Police Department said it was too early to say if the incident was intentional, adding an investigation was ongoing.

Three people are in critical condition alongside six people in serious condition, LAFD said in a separate statement, with 19 in fair condition. It said 124 fire personnel assisted at the scene.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.