Bailee Lynn Rios is being held on suspicion of murder after an SUV struck a Metro bus, killing two passengers.
LOS ANGELES, CA — A relative of the woman arrested after a deadly collision with a Metro bus in Chatsworth said she had a history of substance abuse, adding new background as investigators examine a crash that killed two passengers and injured six others.
Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, of Simi Valley, was arrested after Tuesday’s collision and booked on suspicion of murder, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. FOX 11 reported Wednesday that a relative said Rios had a history of substance abuse and prior misdemeanor cases. The relative’s account does not establish whether drugs or alcohol played a role in Tuesday’s crash, and authorities have not publicly announced a finding that Rios was impaired at the time.
The collision happened around 5 p.m. Sept. 15 at De Soto Avenue and Nordhoff Street. Police said a gray 2004 Ford Expedition was traveling south in the northbound lanes of De Soto Avenue before running a red light at Nordhoff Street and nearly striking another vehicle. The SUV then collided with a Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus that was traveling east through the intersection.
The impact threw one passenger completely from the bus and another partially from it, police said. Debris also damaged a 2024 Honda CR-V that was stopped at the intersection. Los Angeles Fire Department crews reported eight patients in all. Six were transported to hospitals, while two adult passengers were pronounced dead at the scene.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office identified the people killed as Gage Weida, 31, and Daniel Castillo, 46. Weida’s family told ABC7 that he was headed to work when the collision occurred and described him as kind, caring and selfless. Castillo’s daughter told the station that her father was deeply loved by his family. Castillo was the father of four children, according to The Associated Press.
Public records reviewed by ABC7 show Rios previously pleaded guilty to misdemeanor drug possession in Ventura County in 2016. She was charged with the same offense in 2022, but that charge was dismissed, according to the report. Records also showed a 2022 conviction for driving with a suspended license. Those prior cases are separate from the current investigation and do not establish what caused Tuesday’s collision.
Rios was being held with bail set at about $4 million. The district attorney’s office was reviewing the case to determine what charges, if any, should be formally filed in court, The Associated Press reported. Information about an attorney who could speak on Rios’ behalf was not immediately available in the reports reviewed.
Rios’ mother, Cindy Rios, told The Associated Press that she was shocked by the events and had not spoken with her daughter since the arrest. She expressed sympathy for the families of those who died, saying her own daughter survived while other families had lost loved ones.
The bus collision also preceded a separate disaster in Chatsworth later Tuesday. A news helicopter used in coverage by NBC4 and Telemundo 52 crashed about two hours after the bus collision, killing reporter Eliana Moreno, pilot George Marciniw and Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29, who was on the ground. Federal investigators are examining the helicopter crash separately.
Police continue to investigate the cause and circumstances of the Metro bus collision. Authorities have described Rios as a suspect and have not released a final determination on whether impairment contributed to the crash. Any criminal allegations against her remain subject to review and adjudication in court.
Author note: Last updated September 17, 2026.