Relative of suspect in deadly Chatsworth bus crash speaks out
SUV driver held on $4M bail, 2 bus crash victims identified
Outside a home linked to Bailee Rios, the 36-year-old woman accused of causing a deadly crash involving a Los Angeles Metro bus, relatives were still processing what happened.
LOS ANGELES - Outside a home linked to Bailee Rios, the 36-year-old woman accused of causing a deadly crash involving a Los Angeles Metro bus, relatives were still processing what happened.
"Do you happen to know Bailee?" FOX 11's Matthew Seedorff asked one person outside the home.
"I’d like to not comment on that," the person responded.
Rios is accused of slamming her SUV into a Metro bus Tuesday, killing two people and injuring at least six others.
One of Rios' uncles, identified as Paul, agreed to speak exclusively with FOX 11.
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"It really isn’t a story. She was a good little girl when she was young, and she started partying, and no one has really been around her for 15 years," Paul said.
Paul said Rios struggled with substance abuse.
"She literally, when she was young, tried something once and never came back," he said.
FOX 11 asked Paul if he was referring to substance abuse issues.
"Yes," he said.
Court records show Rios has previously faced misdemeanor cases involving allegations including theft, shoplifting, burglary, controlled-substance possession, driving without a license and speeding.
LAPD says Rios was driving the wrong way Tuesday, ran a red light and crashed into the Metro bus. Police arrested her on suspicion of murder.
As reporters gathered at the crash scene, another tragedy unfolded.
An NBCLA news helicopter covering the crash fell from the sky, killing three more people.
"How do you even respond to what happened Tuesday?" Paul said. "People lost their lives. I don’t even know what to say," he said.
A growing memorial has formed near the crash scene, with friends and strangers stopping to pay their respects.
"I don’t know what was going on. I feel like the devil was loose, one thing after another," one woman at the memorial told FOX 11.
The two Metro bus victims were identified as 31-year-old Gage Weida and 46-year-old Daniel Castillo.
Paul said he was struggling to understand how the crash happened.
"I think what happened is terrible," he said.
Paul also criticized the criminal justice system, saying people struggling with drugs can face consequences without addressing the underlying problem.
"Instead of fixing the problem early, it just keeps going on," he said.
FOX 11 asked Paul whether he blamed the courts.
"A little bit, yeah," he responded.
"She had too many chances?" FOX 11 asked.
"I think a lot of these people do," Paul said.
The Source: This report is based on direct on-the-scene reporting and an exclusive interview with the suspect's uncle outside a family-linked residence. Key factual details regarding the collision, criminal charges, and victim identities were verified through official Los Angeles Police Department statements and public court records.