Accidente: Ford Expedition struck Metro bus at Chatsworth intersection

The accidente in Chatsworth involved a Ford Expedition striking a Metro bus at Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue, killing two bus passengers and injuring six others. Prosecutors later announced homicide and driving-related charges against the SUV’s driver, Bailee Rios, although reports differ on the number of homicide counts.

Ford Expedition struck Metro bus at Chatsworth intersection

The crash happened at about 5 p.m. on Tuesday at the intersection of Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue in Chatsworth. A security-camera video showed the Metro bus entering the intersection before the SUV hit its side at high speed, according to Telemundo 52’s report.

Police said the SUV was traveling south in the northbound lanes of De Soto Avenue and went through a red light. The vehicle was identified as a 2004 Ford Expedition driven by Bailee Rios, 36, of Simi Valley. The SUV first nearly struck another vehicle before hitting the Metro bus, according to a separate Telemundo 52 report.

The impact forced one passenger completely out of the bus and left another almost outside the vehicle. Six passengers were injured. The two people who died were identified as Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31. Reporting identified Castillo as being from Los Angeles, but it did not establish Weida’s city of residence.

Charges announced against Bailee Rios

Rios was injured in the collision and was later held on bail. Telemundo 52 reported that she faced charges of second-degree homicide, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and reckless or erratic driving. That report placed her bail at $4.1 million and said the charges were announced by Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.

The number of homicide counts is not consistent across the available reports. Univision reported that prosecutors announced three second-degree homicide counts, while Telemundo 52 described the case as involving the deaths of two passengers and reported second-degree homicide charges without specifying three counts. The supplied reporting does not resolve that discrepancy.

Rios was scheduled to appear in court but did not attend because of medical reasons, according to Telemundo 52. The reports do not establish the outcome of that hearing or provide information about an attorney who could speak on her behalf.

What the video and police account establish

The security footage shows the SUV entering the intersection and colliding with the side of the bus. Police attributed the sequence to the SUV traveling against traffic and running a red light. The footage and police account support the reported description of how the vehicles collided, but the criminal allegations remain allegations rather than a finding of guilt.

A news helicopter later crashed nearby while covering the bus collision, resulting in additional deaths. That was a separate event from the SUV–bus crash and is not included in the passenger death and injury figures above. The latest available reporting on the bus case confirms the collision, the identities of the two deceased passengers, six injuries, and the charges reported against Rios; it does not establish the final court status of those charges.