Driver arrested on murder charge after SUV collides with Metro bus in Chatsworth, killing two
Police have charged a 36-year-old woman with murder after her SUV struck a Metro bus in Chatsworth, resulting in two fatalities and multiple injuries.
Los Angeles police arrested Simi Valley resident Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, on suspicion of murder following a crash in which her 2004 Ford Expedition hit a Metro bus on Nordhoff Street near De Soto Avenue shortly after 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Rios was booked Wednesday with bail set at $4 million.
The collision killed 31-year-old Gage Weida and 46-year-old Daniel Castillo, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office. Police said the bus was T-bodied by the SUV, sending both vehicles onto the curb. > "The impact fully ejected one passenger from the bus and partially ejected a second," the department said in a news release.
A witness identified as Debbie reported that the SUV entered oncoming traffic, ran a red light and was traveling at high speed before striking the bus. Debris also damaged a parked Honda CR-V on De Soto Avenue.
Emergency responders treated eight patients at the scene; six were transported to hospitals and two were pronounced dead on site. At least 60 firefighters were dispatched.
Separately, about two hours after the bus crash, an NBC4 news helicopter crashed nearby, killing three people, including the pilot and a reporter, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Police are asking anyone with information about the bus collision to contact LAPD officers Reyes or Lozon, or the Valley Traffic Division.