Driver rammed into crowd outside Hollywood club, then was shot. Alleged shooter now under arrest

Police have arrested a man accused of shooting the driver who allegedly rammed into a crowd of people outside an East Hollywood nightclub last month, injuring dozens.

Fernando Ramirez, 29, of San Clemente, was thrown out of the Vermont Hollywood nightclub on July 19 and returned in a car around 2 a.m., allegedly plowing his Nissan sedan into a crowd of street vendors and pedestrians before his vehicle slammed into food carts and finally came to a stop, according to Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman.

Ramirez was then pulled from the car and punched and kicked by bystanders, authorities said.

As nightclub security guards tried to detain Ramirez, Efrain Villalobos, a Lawndale resident, allegedly approached from across the street and shot Ramirez once in the lower back before fleeing, police said.

More than two weeks later, Villalobos has been arrested. He was taken into custody Sunday around 1:15 p.m. by officers from the Redondo Beach Police Department, according to L.A. police.

After the shooting, police released video surveillance images and a physical description of the shooter and asked the public’s help in identifying him. Police did not say whether a tip from the public led to Villalobos’ arrest.

Villalobos was booked on an attempted murder charge and was being held without bail, police said.

At least 36 people were injured in the incident, some of whom were trapped under the car until authorities arrived, Hochman said. Eight of the victims suffered “serious fractures, lacerations and broken bones.”

Ramirez faces life in prison if convicted as charged, according to Hochman.