Efrain Villalobos, 28, was arrested Sunday afternoon for shooting driver who crashed into an LA crowd
The 38-year-old had been kicked out of the nightclub for being disruptive and returned to the scene in his car, driving into the crowd.
The car crashed into a crowd of patrons leaving the Vermont Hollywood venue in the early hours of July 19 along a busy boulevard in East Hollywood, leading bystanders to attack the driver, authorities said.
The driver was later found to have been shot in the lower back and the suspect escaped on foot, according to police.
Efrain Villalobos, 28, was arrested Sunday afternoon in Redondo Beach, about 12 miles (19.3 kilometers) south of LA. He was booked on suspicion of attempted murder without bail.
A phone number for Villalobos or family members could not be found in an online database search and the public defender’s office did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
The driver, 29-year-old Fernando Ramirez, was initially taken to a hospital. His car came to a stop after colliding with several food carts, which became lodged underneath the vehicle.
Some people were briefly trapped beneath the vehicle, police said. At least 23 people were taken to the hospital, with injuries ranging from minor pain to serious fractures and lacerations.
Ramirez was wounded in the shooting after suffering a gunshot wound to the buttocks. He was hospitalized then arrested and has since been charged with 74 criminal charges for the crash, which left more than three dozen people injured. He remains behind bars since his arrest and is being held in lieu of $37 million bail.
LAPD detectives had just recently identified Villalobos as the alleged shooter last week.
“Villalobos is facing serious felony charges in connection with the shooting of the driver and should be considered armed and dangerous,” police said in a news release on Friday.
