Arraignment delayed again for driver in deadly Chatsworth Metro bus crash

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.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 

• Chatsworth bus crash: Arraignment for suspect charged with murder postponed for 3rd time
• Chatsworth Metro bus crash: Arraignment postponed for Simi Valley woman due to medical reasons
• Suspect in Chatsworth bus crash faces second-degree murder charges

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.

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. 

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.