Prosecutors will now weigh whether to file charges after Los Angeles police arrested 36-year-old Bailee Lynn Rios and booked her on suspicion of murder, the department said. Rios is being held on $4 million bail while the case is reviewed by the district attorney's office.
Investigators allege Rios was driving a 2004 Ford Expedition the wrong way on a busy avenue, ran a red light, struck another vehicle and then collided with a Metro bus. The force of the impact ejected one passenger completely and partially ejected another. Authorities said the ground collision killed at least two people and injured six.
The roadway crash was being filmed from the air when, shortly before 7 p.m. on Sept. 15, NewsChopper4 crashed and exploded in flames a few blocks away. Reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw, both employees of Angel City Air providing aerial coverage for NBC4 Los Angeles and Telemundo 52, died in the helicopter impact. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner identified the third person killed as 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia.
Eyewitnesses said they heard an alarm inside the helicopter cockpit as the aircraft began to sway and move uncontrollably before it fell, and the resulting explosion ignited nearby vehicles and storage containers. On live footage captured before the crash Moreno is heard asking Marciniw, "You can't pull up?"
Mayor Karen Bass addressed the fatalities at a press conference, saying, "This is a heartbreaking night for our city, and my thoughts and prayers are first and foremost with the families and loved ones that we lost today. Our hearts are with those impacted by the bus collision and the helicopter crash, and with the entire community who lost members of their team while they were doing their job." Battalion Chief Rico A. Gross said emergency crews had more than 70 firefighters at the scene and added, "We did have a loss of lives of three members of the community, and two members transported to the hospital."
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the Sept. 15 crash of a Eurocopter AS 350 B2 in Chatsworth. NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 issued a joint statement, "We are deeply saddened to share that a helicopter providing aerial news coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 was involved in a fatal accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives."
Authorities said they are continuing separate probes into roadway collision and the helicopter accident. The district attorney will determine whether to bring formal charges against Rios as investigators compile evidence from the crash scenes and the aerial footage.
