Teodora Villalobos’s family has revealed she regularly fed the hungry for free at her longtime North Hollywood food stand.
Villalobos, 57, was one of three street vendors killed Tuesday evening when a minivan jumped the curb near the North Hollywood Metro station. The Salvadoran immigrant, known to locals as Doris or “La Güerita,” sold pupusas, tamales and hot dogs at the busy corner of Lankershim and Chandler boulevards.
“She had a heart of gold and was always willing to help others,” her family wrote on a GoFundMe page launched after her death. “Even when someone didn’t have money to pay, she would still give them food.”
The fundraiser, created to cover unexpected expenses, paints a portrait of a woman who persisted through her own struggles. Villalobos continued working despite facing health challenges and physical difficulties, her relatives noted, never letting her own hardships stop her from looking out for others.
“She believed in giving, helping, and making sure others were taken care of, never expecting anything in return,” the family continued on the campaign page.
To the regulars who passed through her corner, Villalobos was more than a vendor. “To some, she was the lady who made their favorite pupusas,” her family wrote. “To others, she was someone they could count on, someone who always had a kind word or a helping hand.”
Villalobos leaves behind three children. She was not the only vendor killed in the crash. Maria Peck, 73, and a third unidentified vendor also died at the scene during the rush-hour incident that unfolded just before 6 p.m.
The driver, Ihor Demianenko, 61, of Valley Village, was formally charged Friday with three counts of murder. Prosecutors also filed one count of driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage causing injury and one count of driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08% or higher causing injury.
Investigators allege Demianenko was speeding in a white Toyota Sienna and swerved around another vehicle before losing control and careening onto the sidewalk where the vendors were working. Police initially arrested him on suspicion of DUI at twice the legal limit. He remains held on $6 million bail.
The crash has devastated a tight-knit community of street vendors who have long operated near the transit hub, many of them immigrants who built livelihoods selling food to commuters and neighbors. Villalobos had become a familiar presence at the intersection, her stand a fixture for locals seeking a warm meal.
Demianenko has not yet entered a plea to the charges against him.