Minivan crashes into people outside Los Angeles metro station, killing 3

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A minivan crashed into people outside a metro station in Los Angeles during rush hour Tuesday, killing three and critically injuring the driver and at least two others, authorities said.

The vehicle ended up under a food vendor’s tent after crashing at a busy intersection just before 6 p.m. in the North Hollywood neighborhood.

The driver, who is in his 60s, was taken out of the vehicle and was able to talk but appeared in shock, Los Angeles Police Capt. Warner Castillo said, adding that officials were not immediately able to determine the cause.

“We don’t know if it was done intentionally, if it was done by accident,” Castillo said at a news conference.

Investigators will go through video of the crash frame by frame, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said.

“It will be probably a prolonged but a very deliberate investigation to determine what happened here,” he said.

The minivan was on the sidewalk surrounded by debris Tuesday night with its driver's side door left open and an air bag deployed. Fire engines and emergency crews worked nearby as a helicopter flew overhead.

Luis Luna-Guzman was working at a burger stand nearby when he heard a loud boom and saw people on the ground along with food and cups. People nearby started running toward the crash.

As he moved closer, he found an injured woman lying near the bike racks, her face, arms and legs bloody, he said, recalling her eyes were closed as she moaned in pain.

“I told her, ‘Don’t move, help is coming,’” Luna-Guzman said, adding that he saw a woman's body nearby, while another woman was lying unmoving on the stairs leading to the station.

Mayor Karen Bass said the victims included street vendors and pedestrians.

“I’m heartbroken for the families of everyone impacted,” Bass said in a post on X.

Adrin Nazarian, a Los Angeles City Council member whose district includes North Hollywood, described the area as a close-knit community where there is always commotion and activity.

“This is a constantly very active place, so it’s extremely concerning when you hear something like this happen,” he said.

One entrance to the metro remained closed Tuesday night, but otherwise the property wasn't impacted and the stations for the bus and subway were open, according to Jose Ubaldo, spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Golden reported from Seattle.

A damaged vehicle lies at the scene of a vehicle crash, involving multiple fatalities, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/David Swanson)

A police officer works at the scene of a vehicle crash, involving multiple fatalities, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/David Swanson)

People gather at the scene of a vehicle crash, involving multiple fatalities, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/David Swanson)

A damaged car lies at the scene of a vehicle crash, involving multiple fatalities, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/David Swanson)

This photo made with a smartphone, shows the scene of a vehicle crash, involving multiple fatalities, on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/David Swanson)

This photo made with a smartphone, shows the scene of a vehicle crash, involving multiple fatalities, on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/David Swanson)

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — The African Union's top representative for South Sudan urged the United Nations to help ensure that a critical election in the conflict-torn East African nation next month passes peacefully and without violence.

Despite a 2018 peace agreement that ended a five-year civil war, South Sudan still sees armed fighting, violence and displacement of people — and there are concerns that elections could further unravel the fragile peace.

Jakaya Kikwete, the AU’s top envoy for South Sudan and Tanzania’s former president, made the appeal for assistance in a video call to the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday.

He pressed for security reforms and dialogue among all parties after the election to “help heal the nation.”

If the vote is not conducted properly and peacefully, "you cannot contemplate what would happen,” he said. The country could face an even “bigger political and security crisis.”

South Sudan has repeatedly delayed elections since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011. A civil war erupted in 2013 and some 400,000 people were killed before the 2018 peace agreement that brought President Salva Kiir and rival Riek Machar into an interim, power-sharing government.

Kiir dissolved the transitional government in September, removed his deputies and appointed a caretaker administration. The national legislature and state governments were also dissolved.

Machar remains under house arrest and on trial on charges that include treason over an attack on a military garrison that authorities allege he helped orchestrate. His allies deny the allegations.

Many are concerned the Dec. 22 elections may be too soon for the fragile country.

Murithi Mutiga, the International Crisis Group’s Africa director, said the rushed vote could be “a final blow” to the 2018 peace agreement and “would open the door to a return to sustained large-scale violence.”

Last month, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a report to the Security Council that the electoral framework could “alter the foundations of the transition” agreed by the peace deal’s signatories.

“This increases uncertainty at a time when confidence-building and inclusive engagement are essential to safeguard the transition and prevent wider conflict,” Guterres said.

Kiki Gbeho, the U.N.’s special envoy for South Sudan, expressed her doubts about the election.

While Kiir’s party — the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement — was conducting nationwide primaries, Gbeho added, other parties have shown “very limited electoral activity."

“These developments are creating momentum toward elections,” she said, but whether they can be held on the planned date remains uncertain, as does their inclusivity.

South Sudan’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Sabino Amaikwey, defended the Dec. 22 vote, and said it was time to stop further postponements of the election.

“Elections are not an obstacle to peace. They are an essential part of its consolidation and provide the people of South Sudan with the opportunity to determine their political leadership and future,” he said.

South Sudan’s National Elections Commission chairman, Gabriel Bol Deng, said the commission would treat all parties fairly and remain impartial, according to a statement shared with The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The commission has not announced a start date for parties to register for the elections or responded to AP questions about whether preparations for the vote can be completed before Dec. 22.

Gbeho said Machar’s party maintains that his release from house arrest remains a prerequisite for its participation in dialogue.

The humanitarian situation in South Sudan, a country with an estimated population of 12.5 million people, also continues to worsen, Gbeho said, with more people at risk of famine and 10 million people needing assistance, including an estimated 7.5 million facing food insecurity.

Lederer reported from the United Nations.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at U.N. headquarters, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir attends the plenary session of the Russia-Africa Summit at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. (Yuri Kochetkov/Russia-Africa Summit, Economic and Humanitarian forum host photo agency via AP)