By admin 
LOS ANGELES (KABC) — The woman accused of slamming her SUV into a Metro bus in Chatsworth, killing two people and injuring six others was due in court Thursday, but her missed appearance was declared a medical miss-out by the court.
Read more Suspect in Metro bus crash that killed 2, injured 6 others in Chatsworth expected in court today
Bailee Rios, 36, was scheduled to appear in court at Los Angeles County Superior Court in San Fernando, located at 900 Third St., according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department jail records. However, she was unable to attend due to a medical event, but is expected to appear in court Friday.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman will provide an update on the deadly crash involving a Metro bus at a scheduled press conference at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Hall of Justice. He is expected to be joined by L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Stephanie Wiggins.
Rios was booked on Wednesday morning and is facing two charges of suspicion of murder, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed. Her bail was set at $4.03 million.
Rios allegedly drove a gray 2004 Ford Expedition south in the northbound lanes of De Soto Avenue just after 5 p.m. Tuesday when she ran a red light and nearly collided with an eastbound vehicle before hitting the side of the Metro Line 166 bus in the 20900 block of Nordhoff Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
“The impact fully ejected one passenger from the bus and partially ejected a second,” according to an LAPD statement. “Debris from the collision also damaged a blue 2024 Honda CR-V that was stopped, facing northbound, on De Soto Avenue at Nordhoff Street.”
Two people were pronounced dead at the scene and one suffered serious injuries, police said.
“The other passengers transported to local hospitals sustained non-life-threatening injuries,” police said, adding that a total of six patients were transported.
Rios was injured in the collision and treated at a hospital before being taken into custody, according to Metro spokesman Jose Ubaldo. Metro previously indicated that Rios had died at the hospital, but that report turned out to be unfounded.
The county medical examiner on Wednesday identified the victims as Daniel Castillo, 46, who died on the bus, and Gage Weida, 31, who died on the street nearby, having apparently been thrown from the bus during the collision.
Weida’s family describes him as a “kind, caring, and selfless son.” They said he was on the way to work at the time of the crash.
Read more Driver arrested on murder charge, 2 deceased victims ID’d after SUV slams into bus in Chatsworth
Castillo’s daughter tells Eyewitness News he was an amazing person.
Video from the scene showed Los Angeles Fire Department crews tending to multiple patients, and frantically working to free a woman who was trapped inside the bus. She was eventually freed and quickly loaded into an ambulance, having suffered with what crews on scene described as “crushing” injuries.
A white medical examiner’s tent was erected at the scene of the bus crash where the vehicle collided with the bus, video from later in the night showed.
A large number of ambulances and fire engines responded to the scene.
According to Ventura County court records, Rios was convicted of misdemeanor drug possession in 2016 after pleading guilty. Records show she was charged with the same offense in 2022, but the charges were dismissed. She was, however, convicted in the same 2022 case of driving with a suspended license.
An NBC4 helicopter crew that was reporting on the fatal bus collision crashed just blocks away shortly before 7 p.m., killing three people, including the reporter and the pilot onboard the helicopter and one person on the ground, and injuring two others.
A community vigil to honor the lives of all five victims killed in both the Metro bus crash and the helicopter crash will be held from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday at St. John Eudes Church in Chatsworth, eight blocks from where the helicopter hit the ground.
Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, whose Third District includes Chatsworth, said she was working with local authorities to understand what happened.
“I’m heartbroken by the devastating crash in Chatsworth. My thoughts are first and foremost with those who lost their lives, their families and loved ones, and everyone who was injured,” she said.
“My office is in close contact with local authorities and Metro as we work to understand what happened and ensure those affected have the support they need. Thank you to the first responders who rushed to the scene and are caring for those in need.”
Anyone with information about the bus crash is asked to contact LAPD Officer Reyes at (818) 644-8114 or Officer Lozon at (818) 644-8117, or the LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division at (818) 644-8114. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877) 527-3247.
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City News Service contributed to this report