A California woman has been charged with second-degree murder and driving under the influence after being accused of driving her SUV into a bus in Los Angeles and killing two people, shortly before a news helicopter reporting on the crash went down nearby.
Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, was the driver of an SUV that plowed into the Metro bus at about 5 p.m. local time on Sept. 15 in Chatsworth, killing two people and injuring five others, authorities said.
She is accused of speeding while driving the SUV on the wrong side of the road, running a red light and crashing into the bus with passengers on board. Footage from the scene showed the SUV, a Ford Expedition, lodged into the side of the bus. Police said one passenger was ejected from the bus and another was partially ejected.
The two people killed were Gage Weida, 31, and Daniel Castillo, 46, officials said. Five others were injured, two critically, authorities said.
Rios was charged with two counts of murder, one felony count each of driving under the influence of a drug causing injury and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving on a highway, announced the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. She could face up to life in prison if convicted, District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.
Court records did not list an attorney who could comment on Rios’ behalf. USA TODAY has reached out to the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office.
“What is particularly tragic about this case is that this is a preventable tragedy,” Hochman said Sept. 17 during a news conference. “People on that bus at about 5 p.m. were either going to work or maybe coming home from work. They might be going to get a bite to eat, to see family or friends. What they did not expect is what was about to happen.”
SUV crashes into bus before deadly news helicopter crash
The bus crash was the start of a deadly chain of events. Later the same day, just before 7 p.m., an NBC 4 Los Angeles/Telemundo 52 news helicopter carrying a pilot and a reporter was getting aerial footage of the bus crash scene when it crashed, killing both on board and one person on the street.
Eliana Moreno, a reporter; George Marciniw, the helicopter pilot; and 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29, were identified as the victims of the helicopter crash.
A cause of the helicopter crash wasn’t clear, and authorities with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating, a process that could take over a year to complete. Footage shot live from the helicopter in its final moments showed an overhead view of the SUV and Metro bus, as an alert can be heard, before the camera appeared to shake up and down and cut off.
Hochman acknowledged the helicopter crash while announcing Rios’ charges. Rios hasn’t been charged in connection to the chopper crash. The prosecutor said his office would consider conclusions from federal investigators when they become available and whether there is any connection to Rios’ case.
SUV driver under the influence of drugs, prosecutor says
Rios is expected to face arraignment in court on Sept. 18. She was extricated from the SUV at the scene and arrested, and was taken to a hospital for injuries, authorities said.
Hochman said Rios was found to be under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash and had narcotics in the car.
Rios was driving “well beyond the speed limit” when she entered into the opposing lane because traffic was stopped for the red light, Hochman said.
“At full force, she plunged into that Metro bus, killing two individuals,” he said. “That was a choice by her to do what she did. And that choice has resulted in deadly and destructive consequences.”
Rios’ bail was set at $4.1 million, Hochman said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Driver charged with murder in bus crash before news helicopter wrecked
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