The elderly driver who allegedly crashed into a Chinatown building while parallel parking last month, killing one person and injuring another, was arrested for vehicular manslaughter Friday, and it turns out he crashed into the building from across the street.
The San Francisco Police Department announced Friday that 76-year-old Zhuo Ming Lu was arrested for vehicular manslaughter and driving at a speed greater than is reasonable in connection to the crash. As SFist previously reported, the collision occurred on the morning of March 27 near Grant Avenue and Jackson Street when the driver allegedly jumped the curb while parallel parking and crashed into New Lung Ting Cafe, also known as Pork Chop House.
Forty-nine-year-old pedestrian, Cutberto Zamora, a San Joaquin County resident who was in the neighborhood installing flooring in a nearby apartment, was killed, and another pedestrian was injured. Zamora was declared dead at the hospital, and the other victim was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
KTVU reported at the time that Lu was parking across from the scene of the collision before allegedly losing control and crossing the street directly into the restaurant.
"The gentleman was trying to park in a parking spot and lost control of his vehicle, drove across the street and unfortunately hit two folks on the sidewalk," said Capt. Christopher Del Gandio of the SFPD Central Station.
As the Chronicle reports, a GoFundMe has been set up for Zamora’s family.
Zamora’s death was the seventh pedestrian death in San Francisco in three months. The hit-and-run death in SoMa on Monday marked the city’s eighth pedestrian death in four months.
Additionally, the crash occurred less than a week following the sentencing of 80-year-old Mary Fong Lau in the 2024 deaths of Diego Cardoso de Oliveira, his wife, Matilde Pinto, and their two children at a West Portal bus stop. Many believed the sentence was too lenient, as Lau managed to dodge jail time and house arrest.
While Lau also avoided having to take the stand during the criminal trial by pleading “no contest,” she will be required to face relatives of the victims during the civil case, which was initiated last year and can now move forward following the conclusion of the criminal case.
The investigation remains active, and anyone with information is asked to contact the SFPD at 1-415-575-4444 or Text-A-Tip to TIP411, beginning the message with “SFPD.”
Image: Citizen
