Driver Held on Suspicion of DUI and Murder After Minivan Kills Three Women at a Vendor Stand Outside North Hollywood Metro Station
Police say Ihor Demianenko, 61, veered off Lankershim Boulevard at an unsafe speed during Tuesday's rush hour and hit a vendors' canopy; two more women are in critical condition.
LOS ANGELES — A 61-year-old Valley Village man was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI and three counts of murder after his minivan left Lankershim Boulevard during Tuesday's evening rush and plowed into a cluster of sidewalk food vendors outside the North Hollywood Metro station, killing three women and critically injuring two more, Los Angeles police said Wednesday.
Police identified the driver as Ihor Demianenko, ABC7 reported. He is being held on $6,030,000 bail, according to jail records cited by FOX 11. NBC Los Angeles reported that the LAPD said he was driving at double the legal limit. Police have not said what substance is suspected, and no charges had been filed as of Wednesday.
What Happened on Lankershim
The crash was reported at about 5:55 p.m. in the 5300 block of North Lankershim Boulevard, near Chandler Boulevard, the Los Angeles Fire Department said, according to ABC7's initial report. The corner sits at one of the Valley's busiest transit hubs, where the subway's B Line ends and riders transfer to the G Line busway.
According to police, the minivan was heading south on Lankershim at an "unsafe speed" when it veered off the road. FOX 11 reported that it breached protective barriers and tore through a blue tarp canopy where several vendors were selling coffee, tamales, hot dogs and pastries to commuters. LAPD Major Collision Investigation Team and Valley Traffic Division detectives told CBS Los Angeles that Demianenko had been trying to avoid another car, one they said was being driven "legally and safely," before the crash.
Firefighters pronounced three women dead at the scene. Police said they were 40, 53 and 69 years old. Their names have not been released. Two other women, both in their 50s, were taken to a hospital in critical condition. All five people struck were women.
Crews had to cut the driver out of the van. Officials said he was conscious and talking but appeared to be in shock. He was taken to Dignity Health–Northridge Hospital Medical Center. Valley Traffic officers arrested him there at 9:10 p.m., and he was booked into the LAPD's Valley Jail in Van Nuys at 1:39 a.m. Wednesday, FOX 11 reported.
Police have not said whether they believe the crash was intentional or accidental. "Our investigators have the video. They'll run it down in slow motion and take it frame-by-frame to determine what happened," LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said at the scene Tuesday night. Detectives are also collecting security footage from the Metro bus station and nearby businesses, CBS reported.
"Everybody Knows Them"
Witnesses told several stations that at least two of the women who died were street vendors who had worked outside the station for years, and CBS reported one had been there for more than 15 years. Police have not confirmed that.
Noe Orozco told ABC7 that he worked with one of the vendors, dropping the women off every morning and picking them up, and that he had arrived for his usual pickup when he found the scene. "Everybody knows them... They're the nicest ladies ever," another regular told the station.
"She was a fixture of this neighborhood," a witness who gave his name as Steve told NBC Los Angeles. "I'm devastated for her and her family."
City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian, whose district includes the area, went to the scene. "People are very, very friendly. They know each other," he said, according to FOX 11. "This is the heart of North Hollywood area. This is The Arts District right here. So there's always people."
City and County Respond
Mayor Karen Bass said on X that her office was "closely coordinating with City departments as authorities work to determine what caused this horrific incident." She added, "I'm heartbroken for the families of everyone impacted."
County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said she was "stunned by the tragic loss of life in North Hollywood." "We need to understand exactly what happened and what led to this tragedy," she said.
The intersection was closed for hours Tuesday night while investigators worked, and Metro said its service kept running as usual, ABC7 reported.
What Comes Next
The LAPD will present its case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, which will decide what charges, if any, to file. No arraignment date had been set as of Wednesday, FOX 11 reported. Investigators are still working to establish the van's speed and its path before it mounted the curb, and authorities have not released the names of the women who died. Los Angeles magazine reported that the two injured women remained hospitalized Wednesday.
