LOS ANGELES — The driver of the SUV involved in the crash that was being covered by a reporter and the pilot of a helicopter that crashed has been charged with murder.
Authorities identified the driver as Bailee Lynn Rios. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said she was speeding and impaired when she drove the wrong way down a road, and eventually smashed into a bus on Sept. 15. She hit the bus so hard that it went into a utility pole, ejecting one person and partially ejecting another, KTLA reported.
In addition to the people killed on the bus, a helicopter from KNBC crashed while covering the incident, killing the reporter, pilot and a pedestrian on the ground.
Authorities removed the helicopter wreckage on Thursday. Federal safety investigators will continue their probe into the crash at a secure location, KNBC reported.
The Los Angeles Times said Rios’ SUV nearly disappeared inside the bus because of the force of the impact.
Two passengers were killed and six others were taken to a hospital.
Hochman said Rios had been under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash and narcotics were found inside her vehicle.
“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,” Hochman said, according to KTLA. “She chose, and that was a choice by her, to do what she did and that choice has resulted in deadly and destructive consequences.”
Rios is behind bars on a more than $4 million bail. She was injured in the crash but was treated at a hospital before she was taken into custody.
She is charged with second-degree murder, driving under the influence, and reckless driving and faces a maximum of life in prison without parole if convicted.
Rios’ mother spoke to The Associated Press, saying, “The fact that my daughter was involved and was the cause of it is just extremely disturbing. My daughter’s alive. People lost their lives.”
A friend of Rios’, Brad Aragon, told the California Post she had struggled with addiction and had been to rehab at least one time. NBC News found that she posted about recovery and addiction.
Court records obtained by NBC News showed Rios had been convicted of driving with a suspended license in 2022. She had also been charged with driving under the influence, drug possession, and carrying drug paraphernalia in the past, but those charges had been dismissed.
Hochman was still reviewing Rios’ record, NBC News reported on Thursday.
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