LOS ANGELES, CA – Three women were killed and two others were critically injured Tuesday evening when a minivan driven by a man later arrested on suspicion of DUI left the roadway and struck street vendors and pedestrians on a sidewalk outside the North Hollywood Metro station, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The crash happened just before 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, at Lankershim and Chandler boulevards. The LAPD Valley Traffic Division is investigating.
The driver, identified by the LAPD as Ihor Demianenko, 61, of Valley Village, was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI and three counts of murder. Bail was set at about $6 million.
An arrest is not a conviction, and the allegations remain subject to the criminal court process.
Minivan leaves the roadway at Lankershim and Chandler
The LAPD said a white Toyota Sienna minivan was traveling southbound on Lankershim Boulevard at an unsafe speed when it veered right and left the roadway. The vehicle struck a traffic signal and then hit vendors and pedestrians on the sidewalk.
The minivan broke through protective barriers and came to rest under a blue tarp canopy where vendors sold coffee, tamales, hot dogs and pastries, according to initial reports. The sidewalk outside the station was crowded at the time, with the evening rush hour under way.
The Los Angeles Fire Department and the LAPD responded to the scene.
Three women pronounced dead at the scene
Three women were pronounced dead at the scene. Two of them were longtime food vendors at the intersection, according to family members who spoke after the crash.
Two other women in their 50s were taken to a hospital in critical condition. One of them was later reported to be in stable condition.
All five victims were women.
Driver trapped in minivan and taken for testing
Demianenko was trapped inside the minivan and had to be extricated. He suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital, where he was being tested, police said.
LAPD Capt. Warner Castillo said at the scene that investigators did not know whether the crash was deliberate. “We don’t know if (the crash) was deliberate, but he’s at the hospital now,” Castillo said.
He was later booked on the felony DUI and murder allegations.
Captain says car appeared to be avoiding another vehicle
LAPD Capt. Jonny Smith described what investigators have seen so far. “It looked like the car was avoiding another one when it went onto the sidewalk at a good rate of speed,” Smith said.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said investigators would go through what happened frame by frame to determine how the crash unfolded. Police had not said whether another vehicle was involved or whether the driver intended to leave the road.
Officials express sympathy for the families
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she was heartbroken for the families affected. “I’m heartbroken for the families of everyone impacted,” Bass said Nov. 11.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger called the crash “a tragic loss of life.”
Memorial and relief fund for the families
Flowers, candles and photographs now mark the spot near the North Hollywood Metro station, where neighbors and regular commuters have gathered since the crash. A vigil was held Wednesday night, Nov. 11.
Councilmember Adrin Nazarian’s office, which represents the area in Council District 2, partnered with ICON CDC to set up the North Hollywood Community Relief Fund. The fund is collecting donations for the families of the three women who died, the families of the injured victims and the broader street vendor community.
Valley Traffic Division asks witnesses to come forward
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the LAPD Valley Traffic Division at 818-644-8114 or 818-644-8117.
The investigation remains active. The LAPD has not announced a determination on whether the crash was deliberate, and the District Attorney’s Office had not publicly announced charges against Demianenko as of Thursday.
