North Hollywood, California (CNN) — A minivan driver has been arrested on three counts of murder and driving under the influence after crashing into street vendors and pedestrians near a Metro entrance in Los Angeles’ North Hollywood neighborhood Tuesday night, police said Wednesday.
Police identified the driver as Ihor Demianenko, 61.
Three women, ages 40 to 60, died at the busy intersection, and two other women in their 50s were taken to local hospitals in critical condition, the Los Angeles Police Department said. All five victims were Hispanic, according to police. Demianenko was also taken to a hospital with minor injuries, police said.
The victims’ names have not been released by police.
Demianenko remains in custody, with bail set at $6.03 million, according to the LAPD.
It is unclear whether Demianenko has an attorney.
The crash happened around 5:55 p.m. when the Toyota Sienna that Demianenko was driving struck the victims, the LAPD said.
Investigators initially described the vehicle as an SUV.
Demianenko was talking after being pulled from his vehicle, but seemed to be in shock, LAPD Capt. Warner Castillo said at a news conference Tuesday at the scene.
“We don’t know if it was done intentionally or it was done by accident,” he said Tuesday night.
Demianenko was driving the minivan at “an unsafe speed” when it veered right, left the road and struck pedestrians and food vendors on the sidewalk near the Metro station, police later said.
Aerial video from KCBS/KCAL showed a white minivan stopped beneath a blue canopy next to a covered Metro entrance, with debris scattered nearby. Fire trucks and police cars blocked the intersection as crews responded to the crash.
Witness Angela Parker recalled hearing a loud bang from the crash as the chaos unfolded.
“The car goes into the glass … all the glass is falling down,” she told CNN affiliate KABC.
She said she knew four women caught up in the crash, identifying them as food vendors who would hand out food to people in need.
“They were so kind to me,” she said.
“I’m heartbroken for the families of everyone impacted,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on X, adding that 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.
Investigators are looking for security camera footage from the bus station, police said.
“It’ll be a prolonged but a very deliberate investigation to determine what happened here,” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said. “Our hearts go out to the families of the victims that were struck here tonight.”
Bouquets of flowers and candles formed a makeshift memorial to the victims at the scene Tuesday.
Candy Gamboa told CNN the women killed in the crash were an important part of the community and that she saw them working every day, including nights and weekends.
“Every day you would pass by and they were the first people with a smile, greet you, say hi,” Gamboa said. “They were just a pillar of the community for years.”
Jesse Avila also spoke about the women’s impact on the community.
“They were the sweetest ladies ever,” he said. “We’re all pretty devastated; the whole community is devastated. It’s a pretty sad day for North Hollywood.”
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