South Bay Man Arrested For Shooting Driver Who Drove Into Crowd Outside Nightclub: Police

REDONDO BEACH, CA — Police say they've arrested a man suspected of shooting a man who plowed into a crowd of pedestrians outside an East Hollywood nightclub in July.

Lawndale resident Efrain Villalobos, 28, is accused of shooting Fernando Ramirez, 29, during a chaotic scene outside The Vermont Hollywood during the early hours of July 19, according to prosecutors.

Villalobos was identified as the gunman in the shooting on Friday, and he was arrested Sunday afternoon in Redondo Beach on suspicion of attempted murder, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The case against him will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for filing consideration, according to the department.

Ramirez, according to police, had been kicked out of the nightclub for being disruptive. He then got into a car and intentionally drove into the crowd, injuring at least 37 people, prosecutors said.

In the aftermath of the crash, Ramirez was pulled out of the car and shot by Villalobos once in the lower back, according to police. Villalobos then fled the scene.

Ramirez, meanwhile, has since been charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office with 37 counts of attempted murder and 37 counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

“The defendant’s brazen and destructive actions, as alleged in the criminal complaint, have caused unimaginable harm to dozens of innocent people,” District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a July statement. “This is a heinous act that left dozens injured, and while the allegations will be tested in court, the impact on the victims is undeniable."

If convicted of the charges, Ramirez could spend the rest of his life in prison, according to authorities.