The driver of an allegedly stolen SUV that collided with a police cruiser, killing one of his passengers and a 28-year-old Alhambra police officer, was charged Monday with murder and other counts.
Steven Ara Zapata, 27, of El Monte, was charged with two counts of murder, one count of reckless driving on a highway causing a specified injury and two counts of fleeing a peace officer’s motor vehicle causing death.
The charges stem from a Thursday pursuit and crash that killed Alhambra police officer Alec Sanders, 28.
One of Zapata’s passengers, 42-year-old Gabriela Moreno, was ejected from the silver Hyundai SUV in the crash and died at the scene, officials said.
It was unclear when Zapata — who was also injured along with another passenger in the Thursday crash — would appear in court for arraignment.
The crash occurred around 3 a.m. Thursday at the intersection of Edgewood Street and Valley Boulevard. Police said officers initially responded to the area of Valley Boulevard and Fremont Avenue regarding a pursuit.
It was unclear if Sanders was involved in the pursuit or was responding to it when the crash occurred. It was also unclear if the cruiser had lights and sirens on at the time.
The crash left both the Alhambra police SUV and the Hyundai SUV severely damaged, with airbags deployed.
The cruiser came to rest in the westbound lanes of Valley Boulevard, west of Edgewood, while the Hyundai careened into a parking lot behind a fast-food eatery west of Edgewood.
Video from the scene showed the officer appearing to be unconscious as he was taken in critical condition to Los Angeles General Medical Center, where he died.
Zapata sustained moderate injuries and was taken to a hospital, where he was later arrested.
A second passenger in the SUV, a 52-year-old man whose name was not released, sustained more serious, but non-life-threatening, injuries and was also taken to a hospital, the CHP reported.
Sanders, who had been with the Alhambra Police Department for just eight months, was covering the shift of a colleague when he was fatally injured. He previously worked for about a year with the Long Beach Police Department.
He is survived by a fiancée, two younger sisters, and a brother.
A candlelight vigil honoring Sanders is planned for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Alhambra Police Department headquarters, 211 S. First St.
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