A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has ordered an El Monte man to stand trial for allegedly leading Alhambra police on a pursuit that ended in a crash killing a rookie officer and a 42-year-old passenger last November. Steven Ara Zapata, 28, who was on parole at the time, remains jailed on bail of just over $4 million as he awaits arraignment.
Judge Adam Y. Chang rejected a motion from Deputy Public Defender Elizabeth Lashley-Haynes arguing there was insufficient evidence to proceed, according to MyNewsLA. Zapata is scheduled for arraignment on Dec. 1 at the Alhambra courthouse, where he faces two counts each of murder and fleeing a pursuing peace officer causing death.
How the Chase Unfolded Before Dawn
The pursuit and crash happened just after 3 a.m. on Nov. 20, 2025, at the intersection of Edgewood Drive and Valley Boulevard in Alhambra. Alhambra police officer Sebastian Pimentel had received a notification about a stolen vehicle and briefly pursued the Hyundai SUV, estimating it was traveling about 60 mph, the outlet's report states. In court, Pimentel identified Zapata as the man he had seen driving the SUV.
Deputy District Attorney Eric Siddall said Zapata turned off the vehicle's lights, ignored stop signs and drove through a red light in an effort to evade police, per the same account. The crash fatally injured Alhambra Officer Alec Sanders, 28, and ejected 42-year-old passenger Gabriela Moreno, who died at the scene. Another passenger in the SUV was also injured in the crash and told investigators he did not know who had been driving. Zapata himself sustained facial injuries, the report notes.
Data Recorders Detail Speeds Before Impact
CHP investigator Marc Pielock testified that the Hyundai's data recorder showed braking about 2.5 seconds before the crash, followed by acceleration to 48 mph, with the vehicle traveling 47 mph at the moment of impact. Pielock also testified that the officer's patrol vehicle had slowed from between 98 and 100 mph five seconds before the crash to 90.7 mph at impact, the investigator's testimony showed.
CHP investigator Carlos Oviedo testified that Zapata's parole officer said he was on parole and had missed a reporting appointment on Nov. 17, 2025, just days before the crash. The criminal complaint also alleges a 2021 robbery conviction tied to Zapata, according to the report. Sanders and Moreno both died from blunt-force injuries, per Los Angeles County medical examiner records cited in the same account.
Conflicting Accounts of Charges and Potential Sentence
Reporting on the case has diverged over time. ABC7 reported last November that Zapata was charged with an additional count of reckless driving on a highway causing a specified injury, but the more recent MyNewsLA report states that prosecutors opted not to proceed with that fifth count. Estimates of Zapata's potential sentence also differ: the Los Angeles Times reported he could face at least 80 years in prison if convicted, while MyNewsLA's more recent account says he could face a potential life prison term if convicted as charged.
Remembering a Rookie Officer Covering a Colleague's Shift
Sanders had served with the Alhambra Police Department for eight months and was covering a colleague's shift when he was fatally injured, the outlet's report states. He had previously served about a year with the Long Beach Police Department and is survived by a fiancée, two younger sisters and a brother. Law enforcement officers, dignitaries, relatives and friends gathered in Porter Ranch last December to pay tribute to him.
Alhambra Police Chief Garrett Kennedy described Sanders as “known for his unwavering reliability,” saying he responded to every call, whether dispatched or not. Kennedy also said Sanders was passionate about fitness and was respected for his intelligence, work ethic and steady presence, according to the same report. Zapata's case now moves toward arraignment next month as the competing accounts of his charges and potential sentence remain unresolved.
