Driver Arrested for DUI and Murder After Fatal Los Angeles Crash

A 61-year-old driver faces murder charges following a crash outside a Los Angeles metro station that killed three women and critically injured two others.

Ihor Demianenko, a resident of the Valley Village neighborhood, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and three counts of murder, according to Los Angeles police. The incident occurred around 6 p.m. on Tuesday during the height of the evening commute in the North Hollywood area, when a white Toyota Sienna veered off the road and struck pedestrians and food vendors at a busy intersection.

3 dead after car crashes into pedestrians in North Hollywood — LiveNOW from FOX

The crash has stunned the local community, transforming a routine evening commute into a scene of chaos and tragedy. As the Associated Press reported, the vehicle collided with a light before coming to rest under a food vendor’s tent, the force of which threw victims in multiple directions.

“I told her, ‘Don’t move, help is coming,’” said Luis Luna-Guzman, who was working at a nearby burger stand when the collision occurred. Luna-Guzman told the Associated Press that he found an injured woman lying near some bike racks with her face, arms, and legs bloody, while he also observed a woman’s body nearby and another woman lying unmoving on the stairs leading to the station.

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Demianenko was booked early Wednesday morning, and his bail was set at just over $6 million. While he was treated for minor injuries at a hospital, his arrest carries serious legal consequences under California law.

In California, drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol can be charged with murder under specific legal circumstances. The prosecution must often demonstrate a level of culpability that goes beyond simple negligence. This stems from a 1981 California Supreme Court ruling, which established that drivers can be charged with second-degree murder if they act with “wantonness and a conscious disregard for life,” a standard known as implied malice.

Deadly California crash: Three dead after driver plows into pedestrians in North Hollywood — KHOU 11

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office had not received the case for review as of Wednesday afternoon, according to spokesperson Venusse Dunn. The investigation remains active as authorities work to piece together the exact sequence of events.

“It will be probably a prolonged but a very deliberate investigation to determine what happened here,” said Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell.

The victims of the crash included three women between the ages of 40 and 60, though police have not yet released their names. Two other women, both in their 50s, were critically injured in the collision.

The crash site remained a scene of intense emergency response well into Tuesday night. Investigators are currently reviewing video footage of the crash frame by frame to determine why the minivan, which police said was traveling at an “unsafe speed,” veered from the roadway.

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The economic and social toll on local vendors and commuters is immediate. For small business owners like Luna-Guzman, a sudden intersection tragedy disrupts not just the flow of foot traffic, but the sense of safety required for outdoor commerce in high-density transit hubs.

Police Chief Jim McDonnell said that investigators will continue their work to establish the precise cause of the vehicle’s sudden change in direction.