Woman booked for murder in suspected DUI crash that killed 2 L.A. bus passengers
A woman suspected of driving under the influence has been booked for murder after driving an SUV into oncoming traffic and running a red light before crashing into a bus in Los Angeles, killing two passengers and injuring several more, according to police.
The crash happened at about 5 p.m. on Tuesday at De Soto Avenue and Nordhoff Street in Chatsworth, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
Police said a gray 2004 Ford Expedition was heading south in the northbound lanes of De Soto Avenue when it ran a red light, nearly hitting a vehicle traveling east on Nordhoff Street. The SUV then struck an eastbound Metro bus at the intersection.
The impact threw one passenger completely out of the bus and partially ejected another, according to the LAPD.
Two adult bus passengers were pronounced dead at the scene. The Los Angeles County medical examiner identified them as 46-year-old Daniel Castillo and 31-year-old Gage Weida.
One passenger suffered severe injuries, while the other passengers taken to hospitals had non-life-threatening injuries, police said. A total of six people were transported for treatment.
Police identified the SUV driver as Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, of Simi Valley. She was booked for murder, with bail set at $4 million.
The driver is suspected of reckless driving and running a red light, combined with possible driving under the influence, NBC LA reported, citing police. The case will be submitted to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for a decision on filing charges.
NBC LA reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw were covering the collision for NBC LA and Telemundo 52 when their helicopter crashed a couple of blocks away from the scene. Both were killed, along with 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia, who was in the parking lot where the helicopter went down.
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