SUV Ploughs Into Pedestrians in North Hollywood, Killing Three
Three people were killed and three more were critically injured on Tuesday evening when an SUV mounted the pavement and ploughed into a group of street vendors and pedestrians near the North Hollywood Metro station in Los Angeles.
The crash happened shortly before 6pm local time on the 5300 block of North Lankershim Boulevard, one of the main roads through the NoHo commercial and arts district in the San Fernando Valley, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Firefighters arrived at about 5.55pm to find several victims on the ground.
Three people were pronounced dead at the scene. Two pedestrians and the driver of the vehicle were taken to hospital, the police and fire departments said, and the fire department said the injured were in a critical condition.
What happened on Lankershim Boulevard
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the SUV drove onto the pavement and struck a group of street vendors and pedestrians. Television station KCAL-TV, a CBS News affiliate, said the vehicle crashed into a food stand near a bus stop along Lankershim Boulevard.
Aerial news images from KCAL showed a small white, partly crumpled SUV up on the pavement beneath a blue canopy, pressed against the side of a mass-transit shelter structure.
Video obtained by KTLA showed a large emergency response at the scene, with fire crews and police officers working around the cordoned-off junction.
Cause still under investigation
Reuters reported that a police spokesperson said investigators had yet to determine whether the crash was accidental or deliberate.
No official details were immediately available about what caused the SUV to leave the road, and the authorities did not immediately release the names of those killed or injured, or any details about the driver.
City leaders respond
“I’m heartbroken for the families of everyone impacted,” Bass wrote on X, promising updates as more information came in. She added that first responders were on the scene and that her office was working closely with city departments.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement: “We need to understand exactly what happened and what led to this tragedy. I will be closely following the investigation and seeking additional information as the facts emerge.”
A busy transit hub at rush hour
The North Hollywood station is one of the busiest transit interchanges in the San Fernando Valley, serving the Metro B Line and bus routes through the NoHo arts district. The crash happened as the evening rush was under way, when the pavements around the station are busy with commuters, shoppers and street vendors.
The investigation is continuing, and the police are expected to release further details as the facts emerge. Federal road-safety regulators have separately opened a new inquiry into self-driving vehicles passing stopped school buses, a reminder that pedestrian safety around busy roads remains under close scrutiny.
The crash is also a reminder that, even as separate federal figures show violent crime fell by 25% in 2025, deaths and serious injuries on American roads remain a persistent toll.
How many people were killed in the North Hollywood crash?
Three people were killed and three more were taken to hospital in a critical condition, including two pedestrians and the driver of the SUV.
Where exactly did the crash happen?
On the 5300 block of North Lankershim Boulevard, near the North Hollywood Metro station and a bus stop in the NoHo arts district of Los Angeles.
Was the crash deliberate?
Investigators have not yet said. A police spokesperson said they had yet to determine whether the crash was accidental or deliberate, and the investigation is continuing.
