LOS ANGELES, CA – Bailee Lynn Rios, the 36-year-old woman charged in connection with a deadly collision between an SUV and a Metro bus in Chatsworth, arrived at the San Fernando courthouse on a gurney Friday, but a judge postponed her arraignment after determining she was not medically able to participate in the proceeding.
Rios is accused of driving a Ford Expedition into the path of a Metro bus on September 15, killing two passengers and injuring others in a violent collision at De Soto Avenue and Nordhoff Street.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has filed two murder counts against Rios, along with felony driving under the influence of a drug causing injury and misdemeanor reckless driving. The charges remain allegations, and Rios is presumed innocent unless and until she is convicted.
Her arraignment was postponed for a second time and was scheduled to return to court Monday, September 21, barring another medical issue.
Rios arrived at San Fernando courthouse by ambulance
Rios was transported to the San Fernando Courthouse, where she was brought inside on a gurney while receiving medical care for injuries suffered in the crash.
The courthouse is located at 900 Third Street and handles criminal matters as part of the Los Angeles Superior Court system. The court provides an online system for the public to check available criminal case information and future hearings by defendant name or case number.
Rios did not enter a plea Friday because the judge determined that she was not medically fit to proceed with the arraignment.
The postponement means the court has not yet taken a plea from Rios on the charges filed by prosecutors.
Her next scheduled appearance is expected to address the formal reading of the charges and other initial matters in the criminal case.
What prosecutors allege happened
According to prosecutors, Rios was driving alone in a gray 2004 Ford Expedition at a high rate of speed shortly before 5 p.m. on September 15.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office alleges that she was driving on the wrong side of De Soto Avenue when she approached Nordhoff Street, ran a red light and collided with an in-service Metro bus carrying passengers.
The collision occurred at the intersection of De Soto Avenue and Nordhoff Street in Chatsworth.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s Valley Traffic Division said the Expedition was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of De Soto Avenue before entering the intersection and striking the Metro bus as it traveled eastbound on Nordhoff Street.
LAPD said the impact fully ejected one passenger from the bus and partially ejected another. Debris from the collision also struck a blue 2024 Honda CR-V that was stopped on De Soto Avenue.
The circumstances described by investigators are the basis for the criminal allegations now facing Rios. The evidence will ultimately have to be tested through the criminal court process.
Two Metro passengers were killed
Two people aboard the bus died in the collision.
They were identified as Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31.
LAPD initially said the victims were adult passengers whose names would be released after notification of their families. Prosecutors subsequently identified Castillo and Weida when announcing the criminal charges against Rios.
The impact was severe enough to eject one passenger and partially eject another, according to police.
Five other people were injured in addition to the two people who died, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Two of those injured passengers were reported to have suffered critical injuries. LAPD said six people were transported to different hospitals for treatment; that figure includes Rios, who was also taken for medical care after firefighters removed her from the SUV.
The distinction explains why early accounts of the number of injured people varied: the police account included everyone transported, while the District Attorney’s description focused on the other people injured in the crash.
Rios was also rescued from the SUV
Rios did not leave the crash scene under her own power.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Los Angeles firefighters extricated Rios from the SUV, and she was taken to a hospital for injuries before being arrested.
That rescue was necessary because of the extent of the damage to the vehicle following its collision with the bus.
LAPD later identified Rios as the driver and booked her on suspicion of murder. Police said the case was then forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration.
The District Attorney’s filing later formalized the case as two counts of murder, DUI causing injury and reckless driving.
Prosecutors allege drug impairment
Drug impairment is a central allegation in the case.
Prosecutors allege that Rios was driving under the influence of a drug when the collision occurred. The filed charge specifically alleges driving under the influence of a drug causing injury.
The District Attorney’s Office also said narcotics were found in the SUV.
Importantly, the charging document does not mean a court has determined that Rios was impaired. The allegation will have to be established through evidence in the criminal proceedings.
The California Office of Traffic Safety notes that impaired driving can involve alcohol, prescription medications or other drugs and can affect a driver’s ability to safely operate a vehicle. That broader safety guidance provides context for why prosecutors have included a DUI allegation in this case, but it does not independently establish the circumstances of Rios’ driving.
Bail requested at $4.1 million
The District Attorney’s Office has asked the court to set bail at $4.1 million.
If Rios were ultimately convicted on all charges as filed, prosecutors said she could face a maximum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole. That is a potential sentence under the charges and is not a prediction of the eventual outcome.
The case is identified as 26SFCF01880.
The Los Angeles Superior Court’s criminal case system allows members of the public to search for criminal case numbers by defendant name. The court notes that its online information should be checked against official court records for accuracy.
Metro bus collision happened before separate helicopter tragedy
The Chatsworth bus collision was followed roughly two hours later by a separate and fatal helicopter crash in the area.
A news helicopter that was covering the initial collision crashed nearby, killing three people. That aviation accident is being investigated separately from the criminal case against Rios.
Rios has not been charged in connection with the helicopter crash. The criminal charges filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office concern the deaths and injuries resulting from the Metro bus collision.
That distinction is important because the two incidents occurred close together in time and location but are separate investigations.
The bus crash is being investigated by LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division, while the helicopter crash falls under a separate aviation investigation.
Investigation and court proceedings continue
The District Attorney’s Office said LAPD is investigating the Metro collision, while Deputy District Attorney Ryan Gould of the DUI Training and Prosecution Section is handling the prosecution.
Investigators will continue examining the circumstances surrounding the collision, including the SUV’s movements before impact, the roadway evidence and the condition of the vehicles involved.
The Los Angeles County Superior Court explains that a criminal case proceeds through a series of court stages after charges are filed, beginning with proceedings such as arraignment and continuing through subsequent hearings if the case moves forward.
Rios’ arraignment has now been postponed twice because of medical concerns.
As of the latest available information, she is scheduled to return to the San Fernando courthouse on Monday, September 21, when the court is expected to address the charges, provided her medical condition permits the proceeding to go forward.
For now, the criminal case remains unresolved. The prosecution has filed serious charges based on allegations stemming from the September 15 collision, while Rios remains entitled to the presumption of innocence unless the allegations are proven in court.
