A 36-year-old Simi Valley woman pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder and DUI charges stemming from a crash that killed two Metro bus passengers in Chatsworth. Bailee Lynn Rios is accused of speeding through a red light in a Ford Expedition while allegedly impaired, striking the side of a Metro bus and ejecting one passenger from the vehicle. Two bus passengers, Gage Weida, 31, and Daniel Castillo, 46, died in the crash, and five other people were hurt. Rios now faces two counts of second-degree murder, a felony DUI-causing-injury count and a misdemeanor reckless driving charge, and remains jailed on $4.1 million bail.
According to KTLA, Rios is charged with two counts of second-degree murder, one felony count of driving under the influence causing injury, and a misdemeanor count of reckless driving over the suspected DUI crash, and she pleaded not guilty during her Thursday court appearance in Los Angeles. ABC7 Los Angeles identified the two victims who died as Gage Weida, 31, and Daniel Castillo, 46, and reported that Rios is being held on $4.1 million bail. Investigators say the SUV ran a red light and struck the bus broadside near Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue, ejecting one passenger, according to ABC7’s reporting. The Los Angeles Police Department continues to investigate the exact cause of the crash.
