Bailee Lynn Rios Charged With 2 Murder Counts in Fatal Metro Bus Crash

Q: What caused a speeding SUV to wildly swerve into oncoming traffic and violently T-bone a Los Angeles Metro bus during rush hour?

The cause had not been determined at the time of the reports. What is known is that witnesses said the Ford SUV was speeding, swerved into oncoming traffic, ran a red light at Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue, and slammed broadside into the Metro Line 166 bus during the evening commute. Investigators had not publicly identified why the SUV driver lost control or made those maneuvers. The official accounts cited in the coverage make clear that authorities were still reconstructing the sequence of events, including whether the swerve was caused by driver error, a medical episode, impairment, mechanical failure, or another factor. The available evidence points only to the immediate chain of events, not the underlying reason. AIR7 and other aerial footage showed the SUV embedded in the side of the bus, and firefighters had to extricate trapped victims. Los Angeles Fire Department officials reported eight patients in total, with two people killed at the scene and six taken to hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to critical. So, the short answer is that the SUV’s sudden swerve and impact were witnessed, but the underlying cause remained unknown pending the official investigation.

Q: Was the tragic victim found outside the wrecked Metro bus an ejected passenger or an innocent pedestrian caught in the sudden chaos?

It was not confirmed at the scene. Authorities and witnesses gave conflicting accounts, so the person found outside the Metro bus could have been either an ejected passenger or a nearby pedestrian. Early reporting from the Los Angeles Fire Department and local TV coverage said one of the two people killed was possibly ejected from the bus, while another died inside the bus. But witnesses also told reporters that the victim found outside may have been walking near the intersection or bus stop just before the crash. That uncertainty was reflected across multiple reports. Some outlets described the victim as “possibly ejected,” while others said police had not yet determined whether the dead were bus riders, SUV occupants or pedestrians. Investigators were still sorting out the sequence of events after the SUV allegedly swerved into oncoming traffic, ran a red light and slammed into the bus. So the most accurate answer is that officials had not publicly established the victim’s identity or exact role at the time of those reports. Until investigators or the coroner released a definitive finding, it remained unresolved whether the person outside the wreckage was thrown from the bus or was an innocent pedestrian caught in the crash.

3 articles · Updated · Los Angeles Times · Sep 16

Los Angeles prosecutors on Thursday charged 36-year-old Bailee Lynn Rios with two counts of second-degree murder, DUI and reckless driving after Tuesday’s Chatsworth crash killed Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31.
Prosecutors said Rios was high, had narcotics in her SUV, drove the wrong way on De Soto Avenue and ran a red light before broadsiding a Metro Line 166 bus at about 5 p.m.
Video and witness accounts show the 2004 Ford Expedition did not appear to brake before the T-bone impact; one passenger suffered severe injuries and five others were hospitalized with less serious wounds.
Rios missed a scheduled Thursday arraignment because of a medical event and is now expected in court Friday; if convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Investigators are reviewing security footage and the SUV’s event data recorder to support an implied-malice murder theory, while prosecutors said she is not charged in the nearby helicopter crash that later killed three people.