- 7/21/2025
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Reporter Melissa Adan has the latest on the driver who plowed into a crowd outside a music venue in Los Angeles, injuring 30 people; Correspondent Alex Stone has new details on the deadly explosion that killed three deputies in the LA County Sheriff's Department; and Senior White House Correspondent Selina Wang reports on the bipartisan push to release more information about the case against notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; and more on ABC World News Tonight with David Muir.
Reporter Melissa Adan has the latest on the driver who plowed into a crowd outside a music venue in Los Angeles, injuring 30 people; Correspondent Alex Stone has new details on the deadly explosion that killed three deputies in the LA County Sheriff's Department; and Senior White House Correspondent Selina Wang reports on the bipartisan push to release more information about the case against notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; and more on ABC World News Tonight with David Muir.
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00:00Tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air.
00:04A driver plows into a crowd outside a busy nightclub, dozens sent to the hospital.
00:09Millions brace for dangerous storms and flash flooding,
00:12and new details in the deadly explosion that killed three L.A. County deputies.
00:16First, the chaotic scene outside a popular East Hollywood nightclub,
00:20a gray Nissan Versa slamming into a crowd.
00:2330 people injured, one in critical condition.
00:26Los Angeles police say it was intentional.
00:29People dragging the driver out of the car.
00:32Officers say he was beaten and then shot.
00:34First responders rushing to the scene.
00:36What we're learning tonight about the investigation.
00:39More than 58 million Americans bracing for flooding or dangerous heat.
00:43Severe storms targeting the Midwest and Northeast.
00:46Flash flooding in Virginia, triggering rescues and evacuations.
00:50Our weather team tracking it all.
00:52The law enforcement community in mourning after the death of three L.A. County deputies in an explosion.
00:57What a source described as an old military grenade being moved by the bomb squad when it detonated.
01:04The fallen deputies with 74 years of combined experience.
01:08Breaking news, the CEO at the center of that viral kiss cam moment during a Coldplay concert has resigned.
01:14What we're learning tonight.
01:16The White House facing mounting bipartisan pressure to release documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case.
01:21New details about the letter.
01:23The Wall Street Journal says Trump allegedly wrote to Epstein the president calling the article false, now filing a $10 billion lawsuit.
01:31Israel and Syria agree to a ceasefire.
01:34It comes after Israel launched airstrikes and days of sectarian clashes killed hundreds.
01:40Superstar Katy Perry's midair scare, a prop malfunctioned as she dangled high above a crowd during a concert.
01:46And the WNBA All-Star Weekend.
01:49We're in Indianapolis for a preview of tonight's game and why one of the league's biggest stars won't be on the court.
01:59From ABC News World Headquarters in New York, this is World News Tonight.
02:05Good evening.
02:06Thanks for joining us on this Saturday.
02:07I'm Whit Johnson.
02:08We begin tonight with a chaotic scene outside a popular nightclub in East Hollywood after police say a driver intentionally rammed his vehicle into a crowd.
02:18Witnesses reported seeing bodies flying into the air, 30 people injured, 20 hospitalized, police and emergency crews rushing to the scene.
02:27Reports tonight that the suspect had been escorted out of the Vermont Hollywood music venue and then got into his car, drove away, but made a U-turn and crashed into the crowd.
02:38Police say bystanders pulled the man out of his vehicle and attacked him and say another individual shot the driver.
02:45The suspect is now hospitalized, facing an arrest for assault with a deadly weapon.
02:50ABC's Melissa Adan leads us off from Los Angeles.
02:54Tonight, over 20 people hospitalized after a car slammed into a crowd in Los Angeles.
03:00A chaotic scene unfolding early this morning in East Hollywood.
03:08Bystanders seen running.
03:10LAPD says the driver of this gray Nissan rammed his car into a crowd outside of a club.
03:16Senior investigators telling ABC News the driver was escorted out of the club, drove away and then made a U-turn and drove onto the sidewalk and into the crowd.
03:26Authorities planning on arresting the driver for assault with a deadly weapon.
03:30Authorities say the driver injured 30 people, crashing into club goers, valets and food vendors at the Vermont Hollywood music venue.
03:39Knocking down this taco stand, scattering and wounding patrons in the vehicle's path.
03:44Eyewitnesses describing the scene as pure mayhem.
03:47Everyone was looking for their items, their people, their loved ones, their phones, their lost friends.
03:52Everything was just scattered.
03:53I'm in disbelief because 20 seconds more, that would have been us.
03:57The incident happening at the crowded club around 2 a.m. when the club was closing and followed by a massive response from rescue crews.
04:05We had a total of 124 firefighters were here on scene.
04:09There was about 25 LAPD officers that came out to assist us.
04:13So the scene when they got on, when they arrived, was very chaotic.
04:17The L.A. Fire Department says most of the victims were women.
04:20One was a fight vehicle, another one had gashes in her, entire leg.
04:25Once the car came to a halt, bystanders dragging the driver out of the vehicle, attacking him.
04:31Police say he was also shot after he crashed into the crowd.
04:35The driver taken to the hospital and undergoing surgery, he is expected to recover.
04:41Of the 23 hospitalized victims, one of them remains in critical condition.
04:45The LAPD are still working to determine a motive.
04:48Several sources saying alcohol may have been involved.
04:52Whit, the LAPD is asking for help from witnesses as they collect surveillance video to better understand what led up to this car ramming.
05:01Melissa Adhan, thank you.
05:02Now to the extreme weather.
05:04More than 58 million Americans bracing for flash flooding and dangerous heat.
05:09Flooding prompting evacuations in southwest Virginia.
05:12Heavy rain also battering parts of eastern Iowa, triggering flood watches across the region.
05:17Let's go right to meteorologist Danny Beckstrom from our New York station, WABC.
05:21And Danny, more dangerous storms on the move.
05:23Yes, let's start with those severe thunderstorms firing up as we speak.
05:29Right now, a tornado watch in effect in Nebraska until 11 p.m. local time.
05:33And a severe thunderstorm watch for a portion of North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland until 10 p.m.
05:38The main concerns for the mid-Atlantic are damaging winds and large hail.
05:41But heavy rain also possible as part of that widespread flood threat for the eastern half of the country tonight.
05:46Areas in yellow could see an additional one to three inches of rain on already saturated ground.
05:50But let's focus in on the red, which includes Louisville, under a level three out of four risk for flash flooding with localized areas seeing up to five inches of rain.
05:58The severe threat shifts to the northeast Sunday, damaging wind and hail possible from New York City to Portland, Maine.
06:03With some of those storms firing up by sunrise Sunday.
06:05And we have to mention the extreme heat building in the central U.S.
06:08Warnings from Wichita to St. Louis with heat indices up to 110 on Sunday.
06:12Many of these communities hanging on to the heat into the work week.
06:15Witt?
06:15A rough week ahead.
06:16Danny, thank you.
06:17We appreciate it.
06:18Now to that deadly explosion that killed three Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies described as the best of the best.
06:25Why investigators are now focusing on an old military grenade found at an apartment complex the day before the blast.
06:32Here's ABC's Alex Stone.
06:35Tonight with the department in mourning, Los Angeles County sheriffs, along with the FBI and ATF,
06:40are learning new details about the blast that killed three of their own.
06:44This is, unfortunately, the largest loss of life for us as the L.A. County Sheriff's Department since 1857.
06:54Agents now searching this residence in Santa Monica, where sources say the bomb squad picked up a device on Thursday that they did not believe was capable of exploding.
07:03The bomb squad went into the parking garage and recovered several grenades.
07:08While that device, an old military grenade, according to one law enforcement official, was being moved at bomb squad headquarters in East L.A. on Friday, there was a blast.
07:16It appears L.A. County Sheriff's deputies from the bomb squad were pulling something on a cart.
07:22That's what it looks like to us.
07:23There was an explosion.
07:25The three members of the L.A. County Sheriff's Department killed detectives Joshua Kelly Eklund, Victor Lemus, and William Osborne had been working at the department for a combined 74 years.
07:35They leave behind 16 children between them.
07:39Their bodies moved to the medical examiner's office in a long procession with their colleagues saluting.
07:44If you're familiar with our special enforcement bureau, they're the best of the best.
07:50And what we're learning tonight, the ATF's elite national response team, expert investigators, have just arrived here in Los Angeles to begin looking into the circumstances that led to this tragedy.
08:00Whit.
08:00Alex Stone, thank you.
08:02Now to Washington and the White House facing mounting bipartisan pressure to release documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case.
08:09We're also learning new details about the letter the Wall Street Journal says Trump allegedly wrote to Epstein, the president saying the letter doesn't exist, now filing a $10 billion defamation lawsuit.
08:21Here's ABC's senior White House correspondent, Selina Way.
08:25Tonight, President Trump pushing back, acknowledging his administration's move to unseal grand jury records in the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein may never be enough to satisfy his critics.
08:37Trump writing on social media, even if the court gave its full and unwavering approval, nothing will be good enough for the troublemakers and radical left lunatics making the request.
08:47It will always be more, more, more.
08:50But much of the pressure to do more is coming from some of the president's longtime supporters.
08:56I want every, every, every email from Epstein.
08:58Why not?
09:00Why not?
09:00Oh, it might embarrass people.
09:02I don't care.
09:02Don't care.
09:03We don't care now anymore.
09:04We, we, we, we're done.
09:05Releasing the grand jury transcripts could be a long process and would not fulfill his team's campaign promises to release the full FBI files on Epstein.
09:15The public is not clamoring for the release of a redacted version of the grand jury transcripts.
09:20They're calling for the release of the entire file.
09:23Epstein died by suicide in jail in 2019, shortly after his arrest on charges of sex trafficking and sexual abuse.
09:31Many of Trump's allies, including his FBI director, Cash Patel, and his deputy, Dan Bongino, pushed Epstein conspiracies for years.
09:40I don't trust any story they tell me about Jeffrey Epstein.
09:43There is a reason this client list is hidden.
09:46Earlier this year, Attorney General Pam Bondi said she had that list.
09:50Then just weeks ago, the Justice Department and FBI said the list did not exist and that they would not release any more information about Epstein, sparking outrage from the president's base.
10:00Trump gave the order to his Justice Department to release the grand jury transcripts just hours after the Wall Street Journal reported on a letter Trump allegedly sent Epstein for his birthday in 2003.
10:12ABC News has not confirmed the existence of the letter.
10:15Trump is now filing a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the paper, including its conservative owner, Rupert Murdoch.
10:22In the lawsuit, Trump alleges the journal falsely claimed that he authored, drew and signed a letter to Epstein containing salacious language within a hand-drawn naked woman, which was created with a heavy marker and that no authentic letter or drawing exists.
10:39Dow Jones, the parent company of the Wall Street Journal, says they are standing by their reporting.
10:44But, Witt, it's going to be a while until the public sees any new information on this case.
10:50Grand jury testimonies are highly protected and releasing them requires approval from a federal judge.
10:56Witt?
10:56Selena Wang at the White House.
10:59And tune in to This Week tomorrow morning.
11:01Martha Raddatz speaks with Republican Congressman Tim Burchett about growing calls on Capitol Hill for the Justice Department to release all of the Jeffrey Epstein case files.
11:10We move overseas now to the U.S.-backed ceasefire in Syria.
11:14Hundreds are dead after a week of intense gun battles in the streets and a close call for British broadcasters caught in a clash between fighters.
11:23The proposed ceasefire comes after Israel launched several rounds of airstrikes in Damascus.
11:28Here's ABC's Patrick Riebel.
11:32Chaotic gun battles raging in southern Syria tonight.
11:35Today's Arab tribal fighters and Druze militia battling each other in the city of Suweda.
11:44A Sky News crew filming these pictures caught in the fire.
11:49This, some of the most dangerous sectarian violence since the fall of the Assad regime last year.
11:55Hundreds reported killed.
11:57This video circulating online showing piles of bodies in a hospital.
12:01Earlier this week, Israel intervened, launching several rounds of airstrikes on Damascus.
12:09The bombings captured on live TV.
12:12Israel saying it was protecting the Druze and demanding government forces withdraw from the south.
12:18But the U.S. rebuking Israel, now backing the Syrian government's efforts to establish a ceasefire.
12:24President Trump, two months ago, meeting Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Shahra, the U.S. anxious now for the country to stabilize.
12:32We've heard tonight from some frightened Druze civilians in Suweda.
12:36They say homes have been burnt and looted.
12:38Syria's interior ministry tonight says the clashes have now stopped.
12:42But this violence underlines how fragile the country still is.
12:47We're still a volatile situation there.
12:49Patrick Riebel, thank you.
12:50Back here in the U.S. and breaking news in that kiss cam moment that set off a social media firestorm.
12:56Tech executive Andy Byron resigning today as CEO of Astronomer.
13:01Byron reportedly the man in this video seen embracing a woman during a Coldplay concert near Boston Wednesday.
13:08The pair quickly trying to hide.
13:10Coldplay frontman Chris Martin reacted saying they're either having an affair or just very shy.
13:15Astronomer saying in a statement its leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability.
13:22Byron has not commented publicly.
13:25Now to a terrifying mid-air scare for superstar Katy Perry.
13:29A giant butterfly prop she was riding in malfunctioned, dropping towards the crowd as she was flying above concert goers in San Francisco.
13:37It's just the latest in a series of close calls at big name shows.
13:42Here's ABC's Morgan Norwood.
13:43Tonight, a terrifying moment in San Francisco.
13:49Pop star Katy Perry performing mid-air when her giant butterfly prop malfunctions.
13:56Watch as it suddenly drops toward the crowd below.
14:00Perry briefly stops singing, then steadying herself before continuing on with the song.
14:05She came over right in front of us and all of a sudden just dropped.
14:09And when that happened, my heart literally sunk because that was not the expectation at all.
14:16We were scared for her.
14:18We were scared for the fans that were also below her.
14:22It's not the first time the singer has suffered a scary malfunction.
14:25Last month in Australia, Perry clinging to this large metal sphere as it tipped to one side.
14:33And with summer tours soaring, artists taking bigger risks to connect with fans, even in the upper deck.
14:39R&B artist Chris Brown left hanging mid-air during a performance at Newark's Prudential Center.
14:44And a similar mid-air malfunction at Beyoncé's sold-out Cowboy Carter tour stop in Houston.
14:50Her flying red car, Tilting, suspended over thousands of fans as she performed her song, 16 Carriages.
14:57Stop. Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.
15:00If I'm flying, I know y'all catch me.
15:02And with Katy Perry was not injured in last night's incident, but certainly these high-flying stunts are raising new questions tonight about concert safety,
15:12not just for the performers, but for those thousands of fans below.
15:15Morgan Norwood, thank you.
15:17There's much more ahead on World News Tonight this Saturday.
15:20An emergency in the air.
15:21Scary images from a Delta jet just seconds after takeoff.
15:25And chaos at a German fair.
15:27Low-flying fireworks send attendees scrambling.
15:32Next tonight, more fallout from an HBCU student's death in an alleged hazing incident.
15:38Louisiana Southern University expelling a chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity from campus.
15:45A disciplinary panel finding the frat responsible in the incident, which led to Caleb Wilson's death.
15:50Police say the junior was repeatedly punched in the chest during a February hazing incident.
15:55Three people facing charges now.
15:58No comment on the expulsion from the fraternity's national office.
16:02And startling video of a fire on a packed airliner.
16:05Flames shoot from the left engine of an Atlanta-bound Delta 767.
16:09You can see the flames there.
16:11A fire happening yesterday, moments after takeoff from LAX.
16:15The plane carrying 235 people turned around and made an emergency landing.
16:20No injuries reported.
16:21Delta saying the engine had an issue.
16:23Both the airline and FAA now investigating.
16:27When we come back, we head to Indianapolis for a preview of the WNBA All-Star Game.
16:32To the index now and panic in Germany as fireworks go out of control.
16:39At least 19 people hurt in Dusseldorf yesterday, four seriously.
16:44Authorities saying some of the explosives flew too close to the ground.
16:47Police say a child was among the injured.
16:49The event, the largest fair on Germany's Rhine River.
16:53Tonight, the WNBA showing off its best.
16:55The annual All-Star Game in Indianapolis airing live on ABC later tonight.
17:01Christiane Cordero is at Gainbridge Fieldhouse with a preview.
17:04Hey, Christiane.
17:06We are getting ready for tip-off here in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
17:09It is going to be a packed arena tonight.
17:12Watching these stars shine.
17:13And this is, of course, the home court for Caitlin Clark,
17:15who was one of three All-Stars sidelined with injuries tonight.
17:19It comes as the league's expansion has packed a record number of games into the WNBA season.
17:24Clark will captain her team from the bench, cheering them on,
17:27while counterpart and MVP candidate Nafisa Collier will suit up and try to lead her team to victory.
17:32Tonight's game, the main event in a weekend full of women's hoops.
17:36New York Liberty players Sabrina Unescu and Natasha Cloud brought home big wins last night
17:41during the three-point contest and skills challenge.
17:44Two of many moments for the highlight reel.
17:46We will see what these athletes have in store for us tonight
17:48with the All-Star Game tips off at 8.30 Eastern on ABC.
17:53Looking forward to it, Christiane. Thank you.
17:56Still ahead here, the special anniversary and the birthday party at The Happiest Place on Earth.
18:04Finally tonight, the special anniversary and a California man continues his lifelong Disneyland tradition.
18:11It's 7.30 in the morning in Monrovia, California,
18:15and Doyle Johnson's three grown children
18:17have a surprise for his 70th birthday.
18:22Happy birthday!
18:24What are you doing, y'all?
18:25You gotta change shirts, Doyle.
18:28A custom t-shirt for the occasion marking Doyle's big day
18:32and Zach, Sarah, and Josh presenting their father with a special gift,
18:36tickets to Disneyland, also celebrating its 70th birthday the very same day.
18:41That's right.
18:43Doyle was born on July 17, 1955,
18:46when The Happiest Place on Earth first opened its doors in Anaheim, California.
18:51And the theme park has been a big part of his life ever since.
18:54The tradition started when his parents took him there on his 10th birthday in 1965.
19:00He later celebrated his 40th and 50th birthdays at Disneyland.
19:04When I stepped into Disneyland for my 70th birthday,
19:08it's like I became that 10-year-old boy again.
19:10And tonight, Doyle, reflecting on that birthday celebration, he'll never forget.
19:14Happy birthday, dear Doyle!
19:18I'm going to be 10 forever.
19:21Thank you!
19:24Happy birthday. What a treat.
19:26I'm with Johnson in New York. Have a great night.
19:31David Muir, the most-watched newscast in America.
19:36And now, ABC's World News Tonight has won the Emmy for Best Live News Program
19:41for the third year in a row.
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