East Hollywood crash: Car ramming suspect Fernando Ramirez charged with 37 counts of attempted murder, among other charges

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — The man accused of driving into a crowd of clubgoers in East Hollywood on Saturday is being charged with 37 counts of attempted murder and 37 counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced the charges at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, joined by LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell.

Hochman said the number of charges corresponds to each of the 37 victims who suffered injuries during the car ramming. If convicted, each charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Hochman said of the 37 people hurt, eight suffered serious bodily injury — including serious fractures, lacerations and broken bones.

For now, the suspect — identified as 29-year-old Fernando Ramirez from San Clemente — is being held without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.

“Mr. Ramirez has alleged, and we will prove in a court of law, when he drove that car onto that sidewalk, he aimed it at a whole sea of pedestrians that were in front of him,” Hochman said. “On the sidewalk at 2 a.m. — many of them were at the taco truck, or they were waiting at valet, or they were waiting to get into the club.”

Investigators believe anger and alcohol were possible motivating factors in the ramming, senior law enforcement officials tell ABC News. Ramirez was kicked out of The Vermont Hollywood. Then, he allegedly got into his car, made a U-turn, and drove up onto the sidewalk, plowing into the crowd.

The crash was reported just before 2 a.m. Saturday in the 4600 block of Santa Monica Boulevard, near Vermont Avenue, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Lyndsey Lantz. The crowd was standing outside The Vermont Hollywood, where a show was taking place.

Ramirez was pulled from the vehicle and shot in the back by an unknown attacker as onlookers set upon him, kicking and punching him, police said. He was taken into custody, and it later emerged that he has a lengthy criminal history. Records reviewed by Eyewitness News show that in the past, Ramierz has been found guilty of battery, assault, petty theft, child abuse and endangerment.

All of the injured individuals, including Ramirez, are expected to survive.

The vehicle crashed into a taco stand and a valet stand during the attack.

The shooting suspect was described as Hispanic, between 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 7 inches tall, and weighing between 150 and 170 pounds. He was last seen wearing a blue Dodgers jacket, a light blue jersey with the number “5,” and blue jeans. He has gauges (wide piercings) in both ears and a goatee. He is bald in photos released by police, who earlier described him as possibly armed with a silver revolver. He ran from the scene after the shooting and is still wanted by police.

“We understand the emotions involved, but when the threat had ended, and the suspect was no longer actively harming others, the use of deadly force was both unlawful and dangerous to everyone present,” McDonnell said.

The Los Angeles Police Department released an updated photo of the suspected driver on Monday. Police said at least 37 victims had injuries ranging from minor pain to serious fractures and lacerations, that several were struck by the vehicle, and some were briefly trapped beneath it.

At least one food cart became lodged beneath Ramirez’s vehicle, police said.

Video from the scene showed firefighters putting red, yellow and green tarps in the street to triage patients, and a heavily dented car with a shattered windshield and broken headlights on the sidewalk in front of the venue.

City News Service contributed to this report.