12 hurt as car drives into crowd in Venice Beach

LOS ANGELES -- A car drove into a packed Saturday early evening crowd walking along the Venice Beach boardwalk in Los Angeles, injuring at least a dozen people, two of them critically.

Multiple witnesses reported that the driver appeared to be in control of the car and it was not moving erratically as it plowed through the crowd, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.

Firefighters were surveying the crowd and looking for anyone who was hurt, Humphrey said.

Twelve injured had been counted so far, with 10 of them hospitalized. Two were hurt seriously and two critically, Humphrey said. He had no details on the identities of the victims or their injuries.

The car, described by witnesses as a sedan or compact, was still moving as it drove out of sight of firefighters and the people who were hit, and it was not clear if the person had stopped or was arrested.

Officers at the LAPD's Pacific Station would give no information on the incident.

The famed Venice boardwalk is a cultural hub in a part of Los Angeles known for its eccentricities. It is home to galleries, restaurants, tattoo shops, skateboard parks and the famous outdoor weight room known as Muscle Beach.

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