A woman was taken into custody on suspicion of murder after allegedly crashing her SUV into a city bus in Los Angeles, resulting in the deaths of two individuals and injuries to six others. The incident was followed by a tragic event involving a TV news helicopter that crashed while covering the collision.
Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, from Simi Valley, was arrested on Monday and is currently held in a Los Angeles jail on a $4 million US bail. The case has been referred to the district attorney’s office for potential charges to be filed.
The helicopter, operated by NBC and Telemundo, went down approximately two hours after Rios reportedly drove her 2004 Ford Expedition in the wrong direction on a busy street, ran a red light, collided with a vehicle, and struck the bus. Police reported that one bus passenger was fully ejected, while another was partially ejected.
During live broadcasts, Colleen Williams, an anchor for NBC4 Los Angeles, confirmed that two individuals aboard the crashed helicopter lost their lives. Additionally, one person on the ground was also killed according to a spokesperson from the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting an investigation into the helicopter crash and emphasized the importance of video footage from the crash scene and onboard the aircraft. The NTSB investigator noted that sounds captured on the video indicated changes in the helicopter’s engine speed and likely advisory signals for the pilot.
The individuals who perished in the helicopter crash were identified as Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw, both employees of Angel City Air. Moreno, originally from Orange County, had joined the Angel City Air team in 2010 after earning a degree in broadcast journalism and political science. Marciniw, a Southern California native, graduated from Burbank High School in 1974.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expressed sorrow over the loss of lives and emphasized the impact on the Chatsworth community. The fiery crash resulted in damage to several vehicles and storage containers on the ground, with two individuals taken to a hospital for treatment.
Authorities from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are set to investigate the cause of the helicopter crash. Past incidents involving news helicopters in the U.S. have resulted in fatalities, including midair collisions in Phoenix in 2007 and a fatal accident involving a Seattle news helicopter in 2000.
