CHATSWORTH, CA — A Simi Valley woman accused of driving under the influence of drugs and crashing head-on into a Metro bus in Chatsworth has been charged with two counts of murder, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday.
Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, also faces one felony count of driving under the influence of a drug causing injury and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving on a highway, prosecutors said.
The charges stem from the Tuesday crash at Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue that killed Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31, and injured at least five other people. The crash preceded a nearby news helicopter crash that killed two people.
Prosecutors claim Rios was driving an SUV at a high rate of speed on the wrong side of De Soto Avenue at about 5 p.m. when she ran a red light and crashed into an in-service Metro bus carrying passengers.
Police previously said Rios was headed southbound in a 2004 Ford Expedition on the northbound side of De Soto Avenue when she nearly struck another vehicle before colliding with the eastbound bus.
The force of the crash ejected one bus passenger and partially ejected another, police said.
Castillo died aboard the bus, while Weida was found dead in the street nearby after apparently being thrown from the bus, according to authorities.
Rios was trapped in the SUV and had to be extricated by Los Angeles firefighters. She was arrested at the scene and taken to a hospital for treatment of her injuries, prosecutors said.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said drugs were found inside Rios' SUV, though authorities have not publicly identified what kind.
"The deadly and destructive consequences of her actions will be felt for years to come," Hochman said. "My office will hold her accountable under the maximum penalty of the law which is life in prison."
KTLA reported that Rios has prior Ventura County convictions for drug possession and driving on a suspended license. Hochman said prosecutors were reviewing her criminal history.
Rios is scheduled to be arraigned Friday at the San Fernando Courthouse. Prosecutors have asked a judge to set bail at $4.1 million.
If convicted as charged, Rios faces a maximum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.
"This heartbreaking tragedy has devastated the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives and affected everyone who was on that bus," Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins said. "Our deepest sympathies are with the victims, their families and all those who were injured."
The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating the bus crash.
The collision drew television news crews to Chatsworth on Tuesday evening. Less than two hours later, an NBC Los Angeles news helicopter covering the crash went down between two nearby commercial buildings, killing reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw.
Federal investigators began examining both crashes Wednesday.
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