Fernando Ramirez, a 30-year-old man from San Clemente, is accused of driving a Nissan Versa into a crowd outside an East Hollywood nightclub in the early hours of July 19, 2025, injuring 37 people. He now faces 84 felony counts, is being held on roughly $37 million bail, and is scheduled to stand trial on October 5, 2026. If convicted, he faces a possible life sentence.1NBC Los Angeles. East Hollywood Nightclub Crash Trial Date
What Happened Outside The Vermont Hollywood
The crash occurred around 2 a.m. on Saturday, July 19, 2025, outside The Vermont Hollywood on North Vermont Avenue. The club had hosted a reggae and hip-hop event ending at 2 a.m., and clubgoers, food vendors, and valet attendants were gathered on the sidewalk as the night ended.2CNN. Hollywood, Los Angeles Vehicle Strikes Crowd
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, Ramirez had been thrown out of the club earlier that night for being disruptive. He returned, was turned away again, and became “visibly upset.”3KTLA. At Least 30 Injured After Car Plows Into Crowd Outside East Hollywood Nightclub LAPD Captain Ben Fernandes said that about eight minutes after being escorted out, Ramirez drove to the intersection of Vermont Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, made a U-turn, drove onto the sidewalk, and plowed into the crowd.4ABC7. Car Plows Into Crowd in East Hollywood The car struck pedestrians, a taco stand, and a valet podium before becoming lodged against food carts.
Fernandes said that based on a review of video footage, the act appeared intentional: “When he hit bystanders, it was an intentional act.”2CNN. Hollywood, Los Angeles Vehicle Strikes Crowd Investigators have not publicly identified a motive beyond Ramirez’s anger at being ejected, and authorities found no evidence linking the crash to terrorism.
Who Was Injured
Thirty-seven people were hurt, with injuries ranging from minor abrasions to serious fractures, lacerations, and broken bones. Twenty-three were taken to hospitals. Seven were initially reported in critical condition, six in serious condition, and ten in fair condition.5Daily News. OC Driver Pleads Not Guilty to Plowing Car Into 37 at East Hollywood Nightclub Prosecutors later alleged that eight victims suffered great bodily injury.6Al Jazeera. LA Nightclub Car Ramming Driver Charged With Attempted Murder No one was killed. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell called the lack of fatalities “truly a miracle.”7CNN. Fernando Ramirez LA Crash Attempted Murder Charges
Maria Medrano, a hot dog vendor at the scene, told CNN the car stopped only because it became stuck against her stand. “If not, I wouldn’t be here to tell the story,” she said.2CNN. Hollywood, Los Angeles Vehicle Strikes Crowd
Ramirez Was Pulled From the Car and Shot
After the Nissan came to a stop, bystanders dragged Ramirez from the vehicle and beat him. Video showed people punching and kicking him on the ground.3KTLA. At Least 30 Injured After Car Plows Into Crowd Outside East Hollywood Nightclub As club security tried to detain him, a man identified by police as Efrain Villalobos, then 28, of Lawndale, allegedly crossed the street, shot Ramirez once in the lower back, and fled. Ramirez was hospitalized for his injuries.8Los Angeles Times. Man Accused of Shooting Driver Who Allegedly Rammed Crowd Outside Hollywood Club Arrested Villalobos was arrested on August 3, 2025, and faces separate felony charges of assault with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a felon.9ABC7. Man Pleads Not Guilty to Shooting Driver Accused of Plowing Into East Hollywood Nightclub Crowd
The Charges Against Ramirez
On July 22, 2025, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman filed a 74-count criminal complaint against Ramirez (Case No. 25CJCF04399). The original complaint included 37 counts of attempted murder and 37 counts of assault with a deadly weapon, with the vehicle itself cited as the weapon. It alleged great bodily injury to eight victims and noted that Ramirez was out on bail in a pending Orange County domestic violence case at the time of the crash.10LA County District Attorney’s Office. Motorist Charged With 74 Felony Counts for Driving Into Crowd Outside East Hollywood Nightclub Deputy District Attorney Brian Kang of the Major Crimes Division was assigned to prosecute.
Ramirez was initially held without bail. He pleaded not guilty on September 22, 2025, before Superior Court Judge Theresa McGonigle, and bail was set at just over $37 million.5Daily News. OC Driver Pleads Not Guilty to Plowing Car Into 37 at East Hollywood Nightclub
At a preliminary hearing in March 2026, Judge Ronald Coen ordered Ramirez to stand trial and adjusted the counts. He sustained 45 counts of attempted murder and 39 counts of assault with a deadly weapon, a total of 84 felony counts, and dismissed four counts for lack of evidence. The attempted murder counts rose from 37 to 45 to reflect additional charges filed after the original complaint.11MyNewsLA. Trial Date Set for Driver Accused of Plowing Into Crowd at Nightclub
When Trial Begins and What He Faces
Judge Coen set trial for October 5, 2026, with a pretrial hearing on July 14, 2026.12Patch. Driver Accused of Plowing Into Crowd Outside East Hollywood Nightclub Headed to Trial Ramirez remains in custody on $37 million bail and faces a possible life sentence if convicted.1NBC Los Angeles. East Hollywood Nightclub Crash Trial Date
Ramirez’s Prior Record
Ramirez has a documented history of violent offenses. In 2014, at around age 18, he was convicted of a gang-related felony assault and sentenced to two years in state prison.13Orange County District Attorney’s Office. San Clemente Man Convicted of Hate Crime for Punching African American Man
On June 15, 2019, Ramirez walked into a Whole Foods Market in Laguna Beach and attacked a 26-year-old Black employee on his lunch break, punching him from behind in what prosecutors described as an unprovoked assault. The victim suffered a broken nose and severe damage to his front teeth. After Ramirez was apprehended nearby, officers reported he launched into a “racist tirade filled with slurs against black people.”14KTLA. Man Sentenced to 6 Years for Racist Attack on Whole Foods Employee in Laguna Beach
A jury convicted Ramirez in October 2019 of felony battery causing serious bodily injury with a hate crime enhancement and misdemeanor civil rights violation by force. He was sentenced in January 2020 to six years in state prison. In January 2021, the Fourth District Court of Appeal overturned the hate crime enhancement and the civil rights conviction, finding that a recorded conversation in a police vehicle had been obtained after Ramirez invoked his Miranda rights. The underlying felony battery conviction was left intact.15Los Angeles Times. Court Overturns Hate Crime, Civil Rights Convictions for Man Who Attacked Black Grocery Store Worker The record does not establish exactly when he was released from prison.
At the time of the July 2025 crash, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Ramirez was out on bail in a pending Orange County domestic violence case.10LA County District Attorney’s Office. Motorist Charged With 74 Felony Counts for Driving Into Crowd Outside East Hollywood Nightclub