The Los Angeles Police Department reports that a suspected intoxicated driver struck pedestrians on Colfax Avenue, just north of Calvert Street, early on Sunday morning in North Hollywood, killing two people. On April 12, 2026, at around 2:25 a.m., two individuals who had just gotten out of a parked Toyota Camry were struck by a gray Acura moving at what authorities regarded as an unsafe pace.
Police said the pedestrians had stepped out of the rear driver’s side of the Camry when the Acura barreled into them, throwing both victims northbound before they hit the pavement. The Acura then struck the Camry itself, which had three occupants inside, before continuing forward into a private driveway and crashing into several unoccupied parked vehicles.
One of the pedestrians, 50‑year‑old Azusena Barragan, was rushed to a hospital but later died from multiple blunt‑force traumatic injuries. The second pedestrian, a male victim, 35-year-old Nefi Lopez Gutierrez of El Monte, also suffered multiple blunt-force traumatic injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics.
The suspected driver, identified as Vidal Cruz Jr., 32, of Pacoima, was arrested at the scene. Investigators said he was driving northbound at a dangerously high speed while under the influence of alcohol. The Los Angeles County District Attorney later announced that Cruz Jr. had been charged with two counts of murder in connection with the deadly collision.
According to prosecutors, Cruz Jr. continued driving after striking the pedestrians, crashing into additional parked vehicles and even colliding with a house before coming to a stop. Officials described the crash as “outrageous and preventable,” emphasizing that the defendant chose to drive drunk through a residential neighborhood, resulting in the deaths of two innocent people.
Cruz Jr. was booked into the Van Nuys Jail and is being held on $4 million bail as the investigation continues. Police are urging anyone who witnessed the crash or has additional information to contact the LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division. The case remains active as detectives review surveillance footage, vehicle data, and witness statements to determine the full sequence of events.