North Hollywood Vendor Crash Driver Faces Murder Charges

Ihor Demianenko, 61, of Valley Village, was charged with three counts of murder on Friday for a suspected drunk driving crash that killed three street food vendors outside the North Hollywood Metro Station on Tuesday night.

Police said Demianenko was driving a Nissan Sienna southbound on Lankershim Boulevard at an unsafe speed around 6 p.m. when the vehicle hopped the curb near Chandler Avenue. The car plowed into a row of blue and white tarps that housed vendors who had fed Metro commuters for years. The crash left three women dead and struck two other pedestrians.

The victims were identified by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office as Francesca Krystine Esker, 39, Teodora De Jesus Villalobos, 57, and Maria Angelica Peck, 73. One of the two surviving pedestrians remains in serious condition, according to LAPD Capt. Mike Bland. Demianenko remains hospitalized and was unable to appear in a Van Nuys courtroom on Friday.

A criminal complaint made public Friday stated that Demianenko’s blood-alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit. He faces life in prison if convicted on the murder charges. He is expected to be arraigned on Monday. State Department of Motor Vehicles records show he has no previous driving convictions or accidents in California, though he was involved in a car accident in 2024.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman issued a statement describing the crash as a trail of carnage on Los Angeles streets. He noted that the victims were simply trying to earn a living. Hochman expressed deep sympathy for the families of the three women and hope for the full recovery of the two seriously injured victims.

The food stalls outside the transit hub, which marks the end of the Metro B Line train and the G Line bus extension to Chatsworth, were known for selling hot dogs, tamales, coffee, and snacks to rush-hour commuters. Area residents described the women as beloved community members. On the night of the crash, coolers, soda cans, and racks of snacks were scattered across the sidewalk where the car came to rest under a tarp.

LaDuke Warwick, 47, said the women had been kind to him when he was homeless five months ago. He recalled one of the women telling him, “I haven’t watched you eat in three days,” and giving him a hot dog. Warwick said, “Everybody in this area loved them. They were such sweet souls.”

Fellow vendors continued to sell their wares to onlookers across the street hours after the crash. Kassandra Guzman, 12, said, “I’m just glad it wasn’t my family, but it still hurts,” as her father served a smash burger. Demianenko had not previously been accused of any driving offenses in the state.