Bus crash suspect Bailee Rios appeared dazed and bloodied in new Chatsworth footage

New video shows Bailee Rios, 36, bloodied and disoriented seconds after her SUV struck a Metro bus in Chatsworth, killing two passengers. She faces two counts of second-degree murder.

New footage shows suspect dazed and bloodied after fatal Chatsworth bus crash

New video published by ktla.com shows Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, bloodied and visibly disoriented in the immediate aftermath of Tuesday's collision in Chatsworth, in which her SUV struck a Metro bus and killed two passengers.

In the footage, witnesses approach Rios' vehicle and ask whether she is unharmed. "Huh?" she responds breathlessly. Blood runs from a wound near her right eye. When a bystander asks whether she can breathe and speak, she replies with a faint "Yeah." The same bystander tells her the fire department is on its way.

The recording also captures the extent of damage to both vehicles — shredded metal and shattered glass spread across the scene.

Two victims named, five others injured

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman identified the crash victims on Wednesday as Gage Weida, 31, and Daniel Castillo, 46. Five other people were injured in the collision, including two passengers who were thrown from the bus.

Castillo's family released a statement describing his impact on those around him. "Our dad brought so much love, laughter, joy, and light into our world. We are incredibly blessed to have loved him and to have been loved by him," the family said. Weida's family described him as a "kind, caring, and selfless son." A memorial for both victims was held Thursday evening.

Castillo's longtime partner, Autumn Raiff, told NBC LA she had hoped for many more years with him. "He was one in a million. He deserved so much better. We were planning so much for our lives," she said.

Murder charges and maximum sentence of life in prison

Rios was charged Thursday with two counts of second-degree murder, driving under the influence, and reckless driving. She did not appear at her scheduled arraignment in Los Angeles County Superior Court because she remained under medical care following injuries sustained in the crash.

Hochman said prosecutors allege Rios was under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident and that suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia were found in her vehicle. Sources with knowledge of the investigation disclosed those details to the California Post.

If convicted on all counts, Rios faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Hochman was direct in his assessment of her conduct. "Miss Rios did not have to get behind the wheel while impaired. She did not have to drive on the other side of the road. She did not have to blow through the red light at full force and drive her SUV right into a Metro bus. That was all preventable," he said.

Wider chain of events: helicopter crash kills three more

The bus collision set off a chain of events that culminated in the crash of an NBC news helicopter in the vicinity, killing a reporter, her pilot, and a pedestrian on the ground. Across both incidents, five people lost their lives in total.

Friend says Rios had 'big concerns' before the crash

Close friend Brad Aragon told the California Post that Rios had expressed anxiety in the hours before the collision. A text message Rios sent Aragon at 1:24 p.m. on Tuesday — hours before the crash — read: "Brad, it's not a joking matter on this bf thing its serious and im honestly scared but yes of course imma come see you."

Aragon said Rios had been spending time with people she should not have been associating with. "She was saying lately that she was associating with certain people that she shouldn't be associating with. I was going to help her with that," he told the California Post.

Source: Google News MT