LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities have identified two of the three women killed when the driver of a minivan crashed outside a Los Angeles metro station this week.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner identified the women as Teodora Villalobos, 57, and Maria Peck, 73. Both were killed on the sidewalk Tuesday by blunt force injuries, the medical examiner's office said.
Authorities did not immediately release the identity of the third victim, pending
the notification of family, the medical examiner's office said in an email on Thursday.
Peck and Villalobos were food vendors in Los Angeles' North Hollywood neighborhood who were killed when the minivan plowed into a busy intersection during the height of the evening commute. Friends and family members built a memorial to the women, who were widely known for selling hot dogs and other street food, by leaving flower bouquets, notes, photos and candles on the sidewalk where they were struck.
Police arrested the driver, 61-year-old Ihor Demianenko, for investigation of driving under the influence and three counts of murder. His bail was set at $6 million. It was not immediately known when he would appear in court.
Melissa Villalobos told KABC-TV that her mother worked hard and tried to help those in her community.
“When she sold here, if people didn't have money to pay for the food, she would still give food to those who didn't have anything,” she said.
Peck worked as a vendor for more than a decade six days a week, even on holidays, according to a GoFundMe page set up to support her family. The page said Peck found joy in being part of the community and didn't want to scale back her hours even as she aged.
