Valley Village Man Charged With Murder in North Hollywood Crash That Killed 3 Women

A 61-year-old Valley Village man has been arrested on three counts of murder after police say he drove under the influence and crashed into pedestrians and a food vendor near a North Hollywood Metro station, killing three women and critically injuring two others.

The Los Angeles Police Department identified the driver as Ihor Demianenko. Investigators determined he was impaired at the time of Tuesday evening’s crash. He was booked on three counts of murder, and his bail was set at $6.03 million, police said.

According to an LAPD news release, the crash occurred around 5:55 p.m. Tuesday when Demianenko was driving a white Toyota Sienna minivan southbound on Lankershim Boulevard, just south of Chandler Boulevard.

Police said the vehicle veered right at an unsafe speed, striking a food vendor and pedestrians near the sidewalk before continuing on and becoming trapped inside a structure.

Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics pronounced three women dead at the scene. Police described the victims as Hispanic women between 40 and 60 years old; their identities have not been released pending notification of their families.

Two other women, also Hispanic and between 50 and 55 years old, were taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Demianenko suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment before his arrest, police said.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass offered condolences to the victims’ families in a statement posted on X.

“I’m heartbroken for the families of everyone impacted. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.”

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell told reporters the department would conduct a careful and extensive investigation into the crash.

“It’ll be a prolonged but a very deliberate investigation to determine what happened here. Our hearts go out to the families of the victims that were struck here tonight.”

The LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division is leading the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call investigators at 818-644-8114 or 818-644-8117.