A woman driving an SUV has been arrested on murder charges after a deadly crash with a Metro bus in Chatsworth that killed two passengers. The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed Wednesday morning that the suspect in Tuesday’s wreck was taken into custody, and said the case will soon be submitted to prosecutors for filing.
The crash happened around 5 p.m. Tuesday at Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue in Chatsworth, when witnesses said the SUV was moving at extremely high speed and struck the side of Metro bus 166. The Los Angeles County medical examiner identified the victims as 31-year-old Gage Weida and 46-year-old Daniel Castillo. Metro later corrected earlier reports and confirmed that two passengers died.
The collision drew a large emergency response and, about two hours later, a separate tragedy unfolded nearby when an NBC4 news helicopter covering the scene crashed. That helicopter crash killed reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw, turning the evening into a second deadly incident in the same area.
Chatsworth is a neighborhood in the northwest San Fernando Valley, where Metro buses are a major part of daily transit for commuters. Police have not yet released the driver’s identity, but said the investigation remains active.
