Drug-impaired driver charged with murder after deadly L.A. bus crash kills two

Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, faces two counts of second-degree murder after driving under the influence into an L.A. city bus, killing two passengers. A TV news helicopter covering the crash also went down, killing three more.

Murder charges filed against SUV driver in fatal Los Angeles bus collision

Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, was charged with two counts of second-degree murder on Thursday after prosecutors said she drove her SUV while impaired by drugs, ran a red light and struck a Los Angeles city bus, killing two passengers, abc7news.com reports.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman told a news conference that Rios was speeding and under the influence when she drove her 2004 Ford Expedition the wrong way down a busy avenue, struck a vehicle, and then ploughed into the city bus on Tuesday.

The two people killed on the bus were identified as Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31.

Rios is being held on $4.1 million bail and is scheduled to appear in court Friday. Online court records did not list a defence attorney representing her, and the public defender's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Her mother, Cindy Rios, told reporters on Wednesday that she was shocked and saddened by the events. She said she had not spoken to Bailee Lynn Rios since her arrest and had not been contacted by law enforcement.

The crash drew further tragedy when a TV news helicopter that had been covering the collision subsequently went down. The helicopter crash killed pilot George Marciniw and reporter Eliana Moreno, as well as a man on the ground identified as Edy Gutierrez Mejia. At least four cars and two storage containers burned after the aircraft caught fire.

Source: Google News MT