SUV Driver Charged With Murder In Los Angeles Bus Crash
Bailee Lynn Rios was charged Thursday with murder after prosecutors say her SUV broadsided a Los Angeles Metro bus on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, killing two passengers.[1]
Rios is being held on $4.1 million bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, September 18, 2026; online court records did not yet list an attorney.[1] Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman identified the two bus passengers killed as Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31.[1] Prosecutors publicly allege Rios was under the influence of drugs, was speeding, was driving the wrong way and ran a red light before hitting another vehicle and then broadsiding the bus.[1]
Castillo's daughter, Johaunna Castillo, said her father regularly rode the same bus home from his job at a car parts warehouse, favored the back seat to people-watch and spoke with her daily after work.[1]
The bus crash occurred the same day as a separate news helicopter crash that killed pilot George Marciniw, reporter Eliana Moreno and bystander Edy Gutierrez Mejia and destroyed at least four cars and two storage containers, investigators say.[1] Hundreds attended a Thursday evening candlelight vigil in the Chatsworth neighborhood to honor victims of both crashes, family members and neighbors said.[1] The National Transportation Safety Board said it was focusing on cockpit alarm audio from the helicopter as key evidence in that separate investigation.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- Prosecutors publicly allege that Bailee Lynn Rios was under the influence of drugs, was speeding, was driving the wrong way and ran a red light before hitting another vehicle and then broadsiding a Los Angeles Metro bus on Tuesday, September 15, 2026; see the MS NOW report on Bailee Lynn Rios (https://www.ms.now/news/driver-la-bus-news-helicopter-crash-charged-murder).
- Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman identified the two bus passengers killed as Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31, according to the MS NOW article (https://www.ms.now/news/driver-la-bus-news-helicopter-crash-charged-murder).
- Bailee Lynn Rios is being held on $4.1 million bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, September 18, 2026; online court records did not yet list an attorney, per MS NOW (https://www.ms.now/news/driver-la-bus-news-helicopter-crash-charged-murder).
- A Thursday evening candlelight vigil in the Chatsworth neighborhood drew hundreds to honor victims of both the bus crash and the related news helicopter crash, the MS NOW account reports (https://www.ms.now/news/driver-la-bus-news-helicopter-crash-charged-murder).
- Castillo’s daughter, Johaunna Castillo, described that her father regularly rode the same bus home from his job at a car parts warehouse, favored the back seat to people-watch and spoke with her daily after work, as reported by MS NOW (https://www.ms.now/news/driver-la-bus-news-helicopter-crash-charged-murder).
- The news helicopter crash killed pilot George Marciniw, reporter Eliana Moreno and bystander Edy Gutierrez Mejia, destroyed at least four cars and two storage containers, and the NTSB is focusing on cockpit alarm audio as key evidence, according to MS NOW (https://www.ms.now/news/driver-la-bus-news-helicopter-crash-charged-murder).
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Article confirms prosecutors publicly allege Bailee Lynn Rios was under the influence of drugs, speeding, driving the wrong way, and ran a red light before hitting another vehicle and then broadsiding the Los Angeles Metro bus on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
- Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman identified the two bus passengers killed as Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31.
- Rios is being held on $4.1 million bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, September 18, 2026; online court records did not yet list an attorney.
- The article describes a Thursday evening candlelight vigil in the Chatsworth neighborhood honoring victims of both the bus and news helicopter crashes, with hundreds attending.
- Castillo's daughter, Johaunna Castillo, provided detailed biographical context, including that he regularly rode the same bus home from his job at a car parts warehouse, favored the back seat for people-watching, and spoke with her daily after work.
- The piece reiterates that the news helicopter crash, which killed pilot George Marciniw, reporter Eliana Moreno, and bystander Edy Gutierrez Mejia, destroyed at least four cars and two storage containers and notes ongoing NTSB focus on cockpit alarm audio as key evidence.