A Tuesday evening crash in Los Angeles has turned into a criminal investigation after police arrested the driver of an SUV that allegedly traveled the wrong way down a busy street before striking a Metro bus.
Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, of Simi Valley, was booked on suspicion of murder after the September 15 collision in Chatsworth. Police say her gray 2004 Ford Expedition was traveling south in the northbound lanes of De Soto Avenue shortly after 5 p.m. before running a red light and crashing into an eastbound Metro Line 166 bus near Nordhoff Street.
The impact was severe.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the SUV nearly struck another vehicle before entering the intersection and hitting the bus. The force of the collision sent the SUV partially into the bus, while one passenger was fully ejected and another was partially ejected.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene as firefighters worked to reach people trapped inside the damaged bus.
Eight people were involved in the incident, with six transported to local hospitals for medical treatment. One passenger suffered serious injuries, while the other hospitalized passengers were reported to have injuries that were not considered life-threatening. Rios herself was also taken to a hospital for treatment before being booked by police.
Two Metro passengers, 46-year-old Daniel Castillo and 31-year-old Gage Weida, were identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office as the two people who lost their lives in the collision.
Weida’s family said he had been on his way to work when the crash occurred. His father described him as kind, caring and selfless, while relatives said he had been looking forward to celebrating his upcoming 32nd birthday with family.
Castillo was remembered by his daughter as a loving father who brought laughter and warmth to the people around him. He was a father of four and was known within his family for putting others first.
For both families, the focus has now shifted toward remembering the people they knew rather than the circumstances that suddenly changed their lives.
Why is the driver facing a murder allegation?
The decision to book Rios on suspicion of murder has become one of the central questions surrounding the case.
Police say the SUV was not simply involved in an ordinary traffic collision.
Investigators allege that Rios was traveling in the wrong direction on De Soto Avenue, entered the intersection against a red light and nearly struck another vehicle before hitting the Metro bus.
The LAPD has also indicated that reckless driving, the red-light violation and possible impairment are among the factors being examined. However, authorities have not publicly established what caused Rios to drive into the northbound lanes or whether toxicology results will ultimately show that alcohol or another substance played a role.
Those unanswered questions will be important as prosecutors review the evidence.
The LAPD has booked Rios under California Penal Code 187(a), and her bail was initially set at approximately $4 million. The case was being forwarded to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration.
As of Thursday, September 17, however, the case had not yet reached the stage of a completed criminal filing by prosecutors.
The District Attorney’s Office said it was reviewing the case and communicating with law enforcement.
Rios missed her scheduled court appearance
Rios had been expected to appear in Los Angeles County Superior Court in San Fernando on Thursday.
That appearance did not take place.
According to ABC7, the court classified the missed appearance as a medical miss-out after Rios experienced a medical event. She is expected to appear in court Friday.
That means another important stage of the case is still ahead.
Prosecutors will have to decide what charges, if any, they formally pursue in court, while investigators continue examining the evidence surrounding the crash.
Investigators are still trying to establish what happened
Surveillance footage from a nearby business has provided investigators with a view of the collision itself.
The video reportedly shows the SUV moving into the intersection before striking the Metro bus. Witnesses also described the SUV as traveling at a very high speed immediately before the impact.
But footage of the collision does not necessarily answer every question.
Investigators still need to establish what happened in the moments before Rios entered the wrong side of the road.
They have not publicly explained why she was traveling against traffic, why she continued through the intersection or whether a medical issue, impairment, mechanical problem or another circumstance contributed to the incident.
Those details could become significant as the case moves forward.
Police are asking anyone who witnessed the collision or has relevant video to contact the LAPD Valley Traffic Division.
Another tragedy unfolded nearby
The Metro bus collision also became connected to another major incident later that evening.
Approximately two hours after the bus crash, an NBC4 news helicopter covering the scene went down only a few blocks away.
Reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw were aboard the helicopter, while 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia was on the ground.
All three lost their lives in that separate incident.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the helicopter crash, while the Federal Aviation Administration is also involved. Investigators have said video captured from the helicopter before the incident could be particularly important in determining what happened.
The two incidents occurred only hours apart in the same Chatsworth area, creating an extraordinary night for first responders, investigators and the local community.
A vigil is scheduled for Thursday evening at St. John Eudes Church in Chatsworth to remember the five people who lost their lives in the two separate incidents.
What happens next?
For the Metro bus crash, the immediate focus is now on the criminal case against Rios.
She remains accused rather than convicted, and the allegations have not been proven in court.
Investigators are continuing to review surveillance footage, witness accounts and other evidence surrounding the collision. Prosecutors must then determine how the case will proceed and which charges will formally be filed.
The circumstances that led to the SUV traveling against traffic remain one of the biggest unanswered questions.
So does the question of whether impairment played any role.
For the families of Daniel Castillo and Gage Weida, however, the legal process is only one part of what comes next.
Castillo’s family remembers a father who brought laughter into their lives and made family time a priority.
Weida’s loved ones remember a son who was kind, caring and looking forward to another birthday with the people closest to him.
Their families are now waiting for answers while investigators continue piecing together the events of that Tuesday afternoon.
And as the case moves toward court, the central question will be whether the evidence ultimately supports the serious allegations now facing Bailee Lynn Rios.
For now, the investigation remains active, prosecutors are reviewing the case, and Rios remains entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty in court.