At least 28 people have been injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles.

Seven people have been critically injured and six are a serious condition, the LA Fire Department (LAFD) said.

It said the incident occurred at 02:00 local time (09:00 GMT) near a nightclub on North Vermont Avenue, close to the intersection with Santa Monica Boulevard – which is famous for its nightlife.

One of the patients had a bullet wound, LAFD Captain Adam VanGerpen said, and eyewitnesses described hearing gunshots. “This is under police investigation,” he said.

Capt VanGerpen also said the person with the bullet wound might be the driver but added “we haven’t confirmed that yet”.

Pictures from the scene show a grey car on a pavement with debris strewn on the ground, and a large police presence.

It is not currently clear what caused the vehicle to drive into the crowd.

The victims have all been taken to hospitals or trauma centres, Capt VanGerpen told reporters at the scene.

He said that the majority of those in the crowd were women waiting to go into the nightclub.

“It was a very chaotic scene,” Capt VanGerpen said, adding that “a lot of bystanders by the club came out to help people”. (BBC)