Woman arrested for murder over deadly LA bus crash which sparked chain reaction leading to TV helicopter catastrophe

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a deadly bus crash in Los Angeles, California killed two people.

In what sparked a horrifying chain reaction, an NBC news helicopter covering the road accident dramatically plummeted to the ground live on air, killing a reporter, pilot, and pedestrian.

Gage Weida, 31, and Daniel Castillo, 46, died when a speeding SUV smashed into a Los Angeles metro bus at around 5pm on Tuesday in Chatsworth, northwest of central Los Angeles.

Around two hours later, reporter Eliana Moreno, 38, pilot George Marciniw, 70 were killed in the chopper, alongside pedestrian Edy Fernando Gutierrez Mejia.

Mejia was a Guatemalan national who had only been in Los Angeles for two days before the tragedy, according to NBC Los Angeles.

Now, SUV driver Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, has been arrested on suspicion of murder, with bail set at $4million, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said.

The Metro bus was crossing the intersection as it was hit by a grey 2004 Ford Expedition, sending both vehicles careening onto the pavement.

"The impact fully ejected one passenger from the bus and partially ejected a second," the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement.

Six other people, including Ms Rios herself, were hurt in the bus crash.

A witness of the initial bus accident told ABC News the SUV had swerved into oncoming traffic and allegedly sped through a red light before the collision.

She described the car as driving at "freeway speed", adding that the crash was the "loudest sound I could imagine".

The Chatsworth area of Los Angeles fell into chaos after the NBC helicopter crashed into two shipping containers and several vehicles in a self-storage facility car park as it covered the earlier bus collision.

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"You can't pull up?" Ms Moreno told pilot Mr Marciniw as the chopper suddenly lose altitude, footage taken from the accident revealed.

Ms Moreno had been reporting from news helicopters since 2010, covering police pursuits, wildfires, traffic and major local events, and was soon to marry her boyfriend Robert Barrientos, 47.

The 70-year-old Mr Marciniw logged more than 14,000 hours in a helicopter and had been flying with the reporter since 2023.

The shocking incident is now being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), saying in a statement it was probing the September 15 crash of an Airbus Helicopters AS350 B-2.

Investigators from the agency hope to obtain "pristine" audio of the crash to be put through "sound spectrum analysis".

"We are clearly hearing sounds that are consistent with the engine changing its speed," NTSB senior air safety investigator Fabian Salazar told reporters on Wednesday.

After the tragedy, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said on social media: "My thoughts are with those impacted by the bus collision and the helicopter crash, and with the entire NBC4 family who lost members of their team while they were doing their jobs.

"I'm deeply grateful to our firefighters, paramedics, and police officers who responded immediately to two incredibly difficult scenes to save lives and render aid."

NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo said in 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."