Driver in suspected DUI crash that killed North Hollywood vendors charged with murder
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Set us as preferred A 61-year-old Valley Village man has been charged with three counts of murder for a suspected drunk driving wreck that claimed the lives of three street food vendors near the North Hollywood Metro station on Tuesday night, officials said.Ihor Demianenko faces life in prison if convicted as charged after his Nissan Sienna hopped the curb on Lankershim Blvd.near Chandler Avenue and plowed into a series of blue and white tarps that housed vendors who had been feeding Metro line commuters for years, according to a criminal complaint made public Friday.
His blood-alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit, according to a news release issued by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.Two other pedestrians were struck by the vehicle, and one remains in serious condition, according to LAPD Capt.Mike Bland, the department’s chief spokesman.
Demianenko remains hospitalized and was unable to appear in a Van Nuys courtroom on Friday, Bland said.The women who died in the crash were Francesca Krystine Esker, 39, Teodora De Jesus Villalobos, 57, and Maria Angelica Peck, 73, according to the district attorney’s office.
“Once again, an impaired driver has left a trail of carnage on our Los Angeles streets.The victims of this horrific crash included street vendors who were simply trying to earn a living when tragedy struck.
My deepest sympathies are with the families of the three women who lost their lives, and I hope the two other victims who were seriously injured make a full recovery,” Los Angeles County Dist.Atty.
Nathan J.Hochman said in a statement.Demianenko is expected to be arraigned on Monday.
It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.He has not been previously convicted or accused of any prior driving offenses in California, according to state Department of Motor V...