LOS ANGELES (TNND) — A Los Angeles driver has been charged with murder after prosecutors said she drove the wrong way while impaired by drugs, ran a red light and crashed into a city bus, killing two passengers, according to prosecutors.
The collision was being covered by a TV news helicopter when it later crashed, killing three people: reporter Eliana Moreno, pilot George Marciniw and pedestrian Edy Gutierrez Mejia. The fiery crash also burned at least four cars and two storage containers.
Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, was arrested Monday night and remained in a Los Angeles jail on $4 million bail, according to police. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Rios was speeding and impaired when she drove her 2004 Ford Expedition the wrong way down a busy avenue, struck another vehicle and then plowed into the bus.
Rios faces two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of bus passengers Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31.
Surveillance footage obtained by NBC4 Los Angeles shows the helicopter descending at a slight angle before disappearing behind trees and nearby structures. Seconds later, black smoke and flames rise from the crash site.
Investigators have not determined what caused the helicopter to go down, but they said the crew’s final live video could prove critical.
NTSB investigator Fabian Salazar said Wednesday the recording is “probably the most important evidence that we have discovered so far.” The agency plans to send a high-quality copy to its recorder laboratory for sound-spectrum analysis after investigators heard what Salazar described as sounds consistent with the engine changing speed, as well as warning tones likely directed at the pilots.
In the final seconds, an alarm sounds in the cockpit as the helicopter pulls away from the bus collision and begins losing altitude. A woman can be heard saying, “Uh oh,” then asking, “You can’t pull up?” before the feed cuts out near the ground.
Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti told the Associated Press the warning tone could point to a loss of engine power and declining main-rotor speed. He said the pilot appeared to be attempting an autorotation, an emergency maneuver that uses airflow to keep the rotor turning.
The NTSB is separately investigating the bus collision.