Arraignment delayed again for driver in deadly Chatsworth Metro bus crash
Metro bus crash suspect may be formally charged today
Bailee Rios remains jailed in lieu of $4.1 million bail.
LOS ANGELES - The formal arraignment for the driver accused of causing a deadly collision with a Metro bus in Chatsworth was delayed once again on Tuesday after she did not appear in court due to her medical condition.
What we know:
Bailee Rios, 36, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder, one felony count of driving under the influence causing injury, and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving, along with allegations of causing great bodily injury. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated that Rios was impaired by drugs during the Tuesday, Sept. 15 incident and that narcotics were recovered from her vehicle.
Authorities report that Rios was driving a gray 2004 Ford Expedition southbound in the northbound lanes of De Soto Avenue shortly after 5 p.m. when she ran a red light, nearly struck another vehicle, and collided with the side of a Metro Line 166 bus near Nordhoff Street. She was arrested later that evening on suspicion of murder.
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The impact of the crash fully ejected one bus passenger and partially ejected another.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner identified the victims killed in the crash as 46-year-old Daniel Castillo and 31-year-old Gage Weida. Castillo died inside the bus, while Weida died on the street after being thrown from the vehicle.
Six individuals, including Rios and the Metro bus driver, required hospitalization.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Arraignment for Chatsworth bus crash suspect delayed again
An arraignment for Bailee Rios, the Chatsworth bus crash suspect, has been postponed for the third time due to medical reasons, officials said.
Outside the courthouse on Friday, Sept. 18, a cousin of Castillo expressed the family's grief, stating, "Danny was loved by everybody," and adding, "She broke our family ... she needs to come and face what she did." Castillo was a father of four whose daughter, Johaunna Castillo, remembered him on a GoFundMe page as "truly an amazing person who had a way of bringing laughter and light into every room he walked into."
In a separate but related incident shortly before 7 p.m. the same evening, an NBCLA news helicopter covering the collision crashed nearby, resulting in three fatalities and two injuries.
Federal agencies are currently investigating the cause of the aviation accident.
What we don't know:
Authorities have not publicly specified the exact types of narcotics recovered from Rios’s SUV.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Driver charged in Chatsworth bus crash due in court
Bailee Rios could make a plea on Monday.
Additionally, federal investigators have not yet released findings regarding the cause of the NBCLA helicopter crash, leaving it uncertain whether prosecutors will establish a legal connection between that incident and the criminal charges against Rios.
What they're saying:
Hochman described the collision as a "preventable tragedy" caused by drug impairment.
Regarding the surrounding events, Hochman noted that his office will review the results of the federal investigation into the helicopter crash to determine "whether there is any connection that could affect the prosecution of Rios."
What's next:
Rios remains held on $4.1 million bail and faces a potential maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
The Source: This report is directly based on official statements and filings from the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, alongside verified court proceedings presided over by Judge Patrick Hare at the San Fernando courthouse. Victim identifications and fatal injury details were established through the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner, complemented by direct on-scene family statements and public memorial records. City News Service contributed.