Los Angeles, California: SUV Strikes Pedestrians Near North Hollywood Metro Station, Killing Three

Updated 00:20 UTC, November 12

Two women killed are identified

Two of the three women killed in the crash have been identified as Maria Peck, 73, and Teodora Villalobos, 57, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner website, as reported by MyNewsLA.

The published article, citing police, gave the ages of the three women who died as 40, 53 and 69. The Medical Examiner identification gives different ages for the two women it names. Orbit Post is reporting the new ages as the Medical Examiner figures and is not changing the earlier police account without a further official statement.

Maria Peck was a mother of five and Teodora Villalobos, 57, was a mother of three from El Salvador, the New York Post reported, citing CBS LA. The third woman had not been identified as of Wednesday afternoon.

City Councilman Adrin Nazarian and the nonprofit ICON CDC established a GoFundMe page to raise money for the victims, MyNewsLA reported.

Updated 16:41 UTC, November 11

Los Angeles police on Wednesday identified the driver as Ihor Demianenko, 61, of Valley Village, and arrested him on three counts of murder, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement reported by USA TODAY. Police said Demianenko was driving at an unsafe speed southbound on North Lankershim Boulevard just before 6 p.m. on Tuesday when he veered to the right and hit a group of people on the sidewalk. Officers determined that he was under the influence, police said. Demianenko suffered minor injuries. He was booked at the LAPD Valley Jail in Van Nuys and held on bail of $6.03 million, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department inmate records reported by City News Service. The three women who died were aged 40, 53 and 69, police said. Two other women were taken to a hospital in critical condition. A police spokesperson, Officer Norma Eisenman, told the Associated Press it was not immediately clear whether Demianenko had a lawyer.

Three people were killed and at least three others were critically injured on Tuesday evening when a white SUV struck a group of street vendors and pedestrians near the entrance to the North Hollywood Metro station in Los Angeles, California, officials said. The crash was reported at about 5:55 p.m. local time on North Lankershim Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

What happened

The Los Angeles Police Department said the white SUV collided with at least five pedestrians at the busy intersection by the station, CNN reported. Reuters reported that local television station KCAL-TV, a CBS News affiliate, said a car crashed into a food stand near a bus stop. Aerial pictures from CNN affiliate KCBS/KCAL showed a white SUV stopped under a blue canopy right next to a covered Metro entrance, with scattered material around the area, CNN reported. Fire trucks and police cars blocked the intersection as crews responded.

Three victims were pronounced dead at the scene after emergency personnel determined they were "beyond medical help," the fire department said, in a statement reported by USA TODAY. At least three other people were transported by paramedics to local hospitals in critical condition, the fire department said. The driver was also hospitalized in critical condition, the police department said in a post on X, according to CNN.

The response

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass responded on Tuesday night. "I'm heartbroken for the families of everyone impacted," Bass said on X, in a statement reported by CNN. She said her office is coordinating closely with authorities as they work to determine the cause of the "horrific incident." "We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available," she added.

The station sits at 5350 North Lankershim Boulevard, at Chandler Boulevard, and serves as a major transfer point for Metro rail and bus riders in the San Fernando Valley. The crash brought a large response from firefighters, paramedics and police officers to the transit hub on Tuesday evening, USA TODAY reported, citing footage from local television station KTLA 5.

What officials have not said

Authorities had not released the identities of the people killed or injured on Tuesday night. Officials did not say what caused the crash, and the circumstances leading up to the collision were not immediately known, the fire department said. FOX 11 in Los Angeles reported that officials did not say what happened to the driver beyond the hospital report carried by CNN, and that the investigation is ongoing. Police and fire officials said the case remains under investigation.

This is a developing story. Orbit Post will update this article in place if officials release the victims' identities, a cause, or a change in the condition of the injured.