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A driver under the influence of alcohol killed three people and critically injured at least two others when his SUV mounted a sidewalk near a busy Los Angeles metro station during Tuesday evening rush hour. The crash occurred at approximately 5:55 p.m. on November 10, 2026, outside the North Hollywood Metro Station.
SUV Strikes Pedestrians and Street Vendors
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, a white Toyota Sienna was traveling southbound on Lankershim Boulevard at an unsafe speed when it veered right and left the road. The vehicle struck a traffic light, then plowed into several pedestrians and food vendors standing on the sidewalk near the station. The force of the collision threw people and nearby property in multiple directions before the SUV came to rest under a food vendor’s tent.
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Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics arrived on scene and pronounced three women dead. The victims were between 40 and 60 years old. Their identities have not yet been released, pending notification of their next of kin by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. Two additional women, both Hispanic and between 50 and 55 years old, were transported to a local hospital in critical condition.
Driver Arrested on Murder Charges
The driver, identified as Thor Demianenko, 61, remained trapped inside the vehicle until paramedics and police freed him. He suffered minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Investigators determined he was under the influence at the time of the crash.
Authorities later arrested Demianenko on three counts of murder. He is currently held on $6 million bail.
Investigation Underway
Police have not yet confirmed whether the crash was intentional. “We don’t know if it was done intentionally, if it was done by accident,” said LAPD Captain Warner Castillo at a news conference. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said investigators would review video footage of the crash frame by frame. “It will probably be a prolonged but very deliberate investigation to determine what happened here,” he said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expressed her condolences following the incident. “I am heartbroken for the families of everyone impacted,” she wrote in a post on X. Bass added that her office was closely coordinating with city departments as authorities worked to determine the cause of the crash.
The LAPD also used the incident to issue a public safety reminder. The department urged drivers to maintain safe speeds in crowded areas and to avoid driving under the influence. “Drinking and driving combined with speed kills innocent lives and carries serious consequences,” the department said in a statement. The investigation remains ongoing.
