Man charged with three murders after suspected drunk-driving crash kills North Hollywood vendors

A 61-year-old Valley Village resident, Ihor Demianenko, was charged Friday with three counts of murder after a Nissan Sienna struck a row of food-vendor tarps near the North Hollywood Metro station on Tuesday night. Police said the vehicle left the roadway on Lankershim Boulevard, crossed the curb and collided with the tarps that housed vendors who regularly served commuters. The district attorney’s office reported Demianenko’s blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit.

LAPD Capt. Mike Bland, the department’s chief spokesman, said two additional pedestrians were injured, one of whom remains in serious condition. Demianenko, who was hospitalized after the crash, could not appear in a Van Nuys courtroom on Friday. The victims who died were identified as Francesca Krystine Esker, 39; Teodora De Jesus Villalobos, 57; and Maria Angelica Peck, 73.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman released a statement expressing sympathy for the families of the victims and wishing a full recovery for the injured survivors.

Demianenko is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday. It is unclear whether he has retained counsel. Records show he has no prior convictions or citations for driving offenses in California, though he was involved in a separate automobile accident in 2024.

According to police, Demianenko was traveling southbound on Lankershim at an unsafe speed around 6 p.m. when his vehicle struck the vendor stalls. The crash scattered coolers, soda cans and snack racks onto the sidewalk. Residents described the three women as long-time members of the community who sold hot dogs, tamales, coffee and other snacks to commuters.

Witnesses at the scene included fellow vendors who continued to sell food to onlookers after the incident. A 12-year-old girl, Kassandra Guzman, said she was relieved the victims were not her family but still felt the impact of the tragedy.