Driver Charged in Bus Crash Before Fatal News Helicopter Crash

A Los Angeles driver faces two second-degree murder charges after prosecutors say she drove the wrong way while impaired and struck a city bus, killing two riders. The collision was followed by a separate fatal news-helicopter crash as a local television crew covered the scene.

Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, is charged in the Sept. 15 bus collision that killed Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31. Prosecutors allege she was under the influence of drugs, speeding, traveling the wrong direction and ran a red light before the SUV hit the Metro bus in Chatsworth.

The two deaths on the bus were personal losses inside an event that quickly became even larger. AP reported that Castillo was riding home from his job at a car-parts warehouse on the same bus he regularly took, a routine his daughter said was part of his everyday life.

Murder Charges in the Bus Collision

Los Angeles County prosecutors charged Rios with two counts of second-degree murder. She also faces charges related to driving under the influence of a drug and reckless driving, according to People.

Rios was being held on $4.1 million bail after the crash. When she was brought to court days later, her attorneys said her injuries left her medically unable to participate in an arraignment, and the proceeding was postponed.

The charges concern the deaths of Castillo and Weida in the bus collision. They do not charge Rios with causing the helicopter crash that occurred later, and the two investigations should not be conflated.

A Second Fatal Event

After the bus collision, an NBC4 news helicopter was covering the scene when it crashed. Pilot George Marciniw and reporter Eliana Moreno were killed, along with Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29, who was on the ground.

Federal transportation investigators are separately examining what caused the helicopter to go down. AP reported that video and audio from the aircraft’s final moments were among the materials being reviewed.

The distinction matters legally and factually: prosecutors allege Rios caused the bus collision, while the helicopter crash remains the subject of an aviation-safety investigation. The second tragedy happened because the aircraft was covering the first event, but investigators have not said the SUV collision mechanically caused the helicopter to crash.

Families Mourn Five Deaths

Hundreds of people gathered for a candlelight vigil in Chatsworth after the two incidents, AP reported. Family members and friends brought photographs and remembered those who died in both crashes.

Castillo’s daughter described her father as someone who took the bus home from work and liked sitting in the back, where he could watch people. That ordinary detail captures how suddenly the first collision interrupted a familiar routine.

Rios has been charged but not convicted, and the allegations against her will be tested in court. The helicopter investigation is proceeding on a separate track. Together, the two events left five people dead and two different investigative systems trying to establish what happened in a matter of minutes on the same Los Angeles afternoon.

Two Investigations, Different Questions

The bus case is being handled as a criminal prosecution based on allegations about Rios’s driving before impact. The helicopter case is an aviation investigation focused on why the aircraft lost control while covering the aftermath. Keeping those tracks separate prevents the sequence of events from becoming an unsupported claim of direct causation.

AP reported that investigators were examining the helicopter’s live video and sounds from its final moments. Those materials may help explain the aircraft failure, while evidence from the roadway collision will be evaluated in the criminal case against Rios. The separate inquiries also involve different agencies, evidence and legal standards.

References: AP - Driver in Crash That Killed 2 People on an L.A. Bus Is Charged With Murder | People - Woman Accused in L.A. Bus Crash Wheeled Into Court on Gurney

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