CHATSWORTH, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A woman was arrested in connection with a violent crash involving an SUV that slammed into a Metro bus in Chatsworth, killing two people, authorities said.
The driver of the SUV, identified as Simi Valley resident Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, was booked Wednesday morning on suspicion of murder, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed. Her bail was set at $4 million.
Two people were killed in the violent wreck, which happened shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday on Nordhoff Street near De Soto Avenue.
The L.A. County medical examiner’s office identified the two victims as Gage Weida, 31, and Daniel Castillo, 46.
The Metro bus was crossing the intersection when it was T-boned by a gray 2004 Ford Expedition, sending both vehicles onto the curbside.
“The impact fully ejected one passenger from the bus and partially ejected a second,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release.
A witness told Eyewitness News the SUV swerved into oncoming traffic, sped through a red light and slammed into the side of the bus.
The car reached “freeway speed” before impact, said the witness, who gave her name only as Debbie, adding that the collision generated “the loudest sound I could imagine.”
The third person who was killed in an NBC4 news helicopter crash in Chatsworth, which also killed a reporter and pilot, has been identified.
Debris from the collision also damaged a blue 2024 Honda CR-V that was stopped, facing northbound, on De Soto Avenue at Nordhoff Street, according to police.
Paramedics were seen treating multiple patients on the sidewalk. The Los Angeles Fire Department said there were eight total patients. Of the injured, six people were taken to different hospitals, and two were pronounced dead at the scene.
The LAPD said one of the passengers was severely injured and five other passengers suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. At least 60 firefighters responded to the scene.
Around two hours after the deadly bus crash, an NBC4 news helicopter crashed in the 9100 block of Mason Avenue, near the site of the bus collision. Three people were confirmed dead at that scene, according to LAFD, including one person who was on the ground before the crash, the helicopter pilot and a reporter.
Anyone with information about the bus crash is asked to contact LAPD Officer Reyes at (818) 644-8114 or Officer Lozon at (818) 644-8117, or the LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division at (818) 644-8114. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877) 527-3247.
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