LOS ANGELES â Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder after prosecutors said she drove a Ford Expedition while impaired, traveled the wrong way on De Soto Avenue and crashed into a Los Angeles Metro bus in Chatsworth, killing two passengers and injuring several others.
Woman who slammed into LA Metro bus, killing 2 before deadly helicopter crash, was allegedly high on drugs https://t.co/Gmdw8Zy9Pm pic.twitter.com/8hJBmrRrad
— New York Post (@nypost) September 17, 2026
The September 15 crash killed Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31. The case has now moved from a deadly traffic investigation to a murder prosecution, with Rios facing additional DUI and reckless-driving charges and a potential life sentence if convicted as charged.
How the deadly Chatsworth Metro bus crash unfolded
The collision happened at about 5 p.m. at De Soto Avenue and Nordhoff Street in the San Fernando Valley.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, Rios was driving a gray 2004 Ford Expedition southbound in the northbound lanes of De Soto Avenue.
Police said the SUV ran a red light at Nordhoff Street, nearly struck another vehicle and then slammed into an eastbound Metro bus.
The impact was powerful enough to fully eject one passenger from the bus and partially eject another. Debris also damaged a 2024 Honda CR-V stopped at the intersection.
Six people were transported to hospitals. LAPD said one passenger suffered severe injuries, while the other hospitalized passengers had injuries described as non-life-threatening.
Daniel Castillo and Gage Weida killed
Authorities identified the two people killed as Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31.
Both were passengers aboard the Metro bus. Castillo’s family said he regularly used public transportation while traveling between home and his job at a car-parts warehouse.
The deaths of Castillo and Weida form the basis of the two second-degree murder charges filed against Rios.
Prosecutors allege Rios was impaired by drugs
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said investigators detected drugs in Rios’ system and found narcotics inside her SUV.
Authorities had not publicly identified the specific substances when the charges were announced. Detailed toxicology evidence is expected to become an important part of the criminal case.
Along with the murder counts, prosecutors charged Rios with felony driving under the influence of a drug causing injury and misdemeanor reckless driving.
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Rios faces two second-degree murder counts
A fatal DUI crash does not automatically result in a murder charge in California. Prosecutors may pursue second-degree murder when they believe the evidence supports implied malice â conduct showing conscious disregard for human life.
In this case, prosecutors are expected to focus on the alleged combination of impairment, wrong-way driving, speed and running a red light before the collision.
Those allegations must still be proven in court. Rios is presumed innocent unless convicted.
Rios held on multimillion-dollar bail
Rios was injured in the crash and received medical treatment before being taken into custody.
LAPD initially listed bail at $4 million. Subsequent reporting put the amount at about $4.1 million after prosecutors filed the additional charges.
If convicted as charged, prosecutors say she could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The case follows other serious U.S. transportation incidents covered recently, including the Miami cargo jet crash investigation, where investigators also had to reconstruct a fast-moving sequence of events involving multiple vehicles.
Helicopter crash remains a separate investigation
About two hours after the Metro collision, a news helicopter covering the scene crashed nearby.
Pilot George Marciniw, reporter Eliana Moreno and pedestrian Edy Gutierrez Mejia were killed. Federal investigators are examining the helicopter crash separately.
Rios has not been charged in connection with those three deaths. The Chatsworth news helicopter crash investigation remains focused on determining why the aircraft lost altitude.
Court case now becomes the focus
The next stage will center on toxicology findings, surveillance video, vehicle evidence, witness accounts and reconstruction of the Expedition’s movements before impact.
For the families of Castillo and Weida, the criminal case could be lengthy. For prosecutors, the central question will be whether the evidence supports the higher legal threshold required for second-degree murder rather than only DUI-related charges.
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