An SUV driver involved in a collision with a Los Angeles Metro bus has been charged with second-degree murder, according to CTV News. The crash happened before a news helicopter covering the incident crashed. The charge was reported on Friday, September 18, 2026.
NBC News also reported the second-degree murder charge against the driver. The New York Times identified the driver as an SUV driver charged in the Los Angeles bus crash. CTV News described the driver as having slammed into the bus before the helicopter crash.
A vigil was held in California for the victims of both the Metro bus collision and the news helicopter crash, Yahoo News Canada reported. AP News noted that the helicopter went down in a place it described as the birthplace and, arguably, the epicenter of "eye-in-the-sky" reporting — a reference to the region's long association with airborne news coverage.
The sequence of events drew attention because the helicopter was airborne to report on the bus crash when it crashed. Details on casualties, the identities of those involved, and the circumstances of the helicopter's downing were not available in the source material.
What to watch next: further reporting on the murder charge and the investigation into the helicopter crash.