Elderly Driver Charged in Fatal Chinatown Crash

San Francisco prosecutors charged a 76-year-old driver this week in a March crash in Chinatown that killed one pedestrian and injured another, turning a neighborhood tragedy into a criminal case. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said on May 13 that Zhuo Ming Lu was charged with vehicular manslaughter and related traffic offenses after police said he lost control while trying to park. The crash happened on March 27 at about 7:43 a.m. near Grant Avenue and Jackson Street, according to police and prosecutors. Lu was arraigned on May 12 and pleaded not guilty to all charges, the district attorney's office said. ### Who is charged, and what exactly are the allegations? Zhuo Ming Lu, 76, is charged with vehicular manslaughter under California Penal Code 192(c)(2), the San Francisco District Attorney's Office said. Prosecutors also accused him of driving on the sidewalk and driving at an unsafe speed without gross negligence, according to the charging announcement. (sfdistrictattorney.org) May 12 was Lu's arraignment date, and he denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said. The court released him on his own recognizance and ordered him not to drive, to surrender his driver's license and passport, and directed the Department of Motor Vehicles to suspend his license if it had not already done so, the district attorney's office said. (sfdistrictattorney.org) ### What do authorities say happened on March 27? March 27 was the day police say Lu was attempting to park when his vehicle struck two pedestrians on the sidewalk and then hit a building in Chinatown. The San Francisco Police Department said officers responded at about 7:43 a.m. to the area of Grant Avenue and Jackson Street and found two injured victims. (sfdistrictattorney.org) NBC Bay Area reported that police said the vehicle then crashed into New Lung Ting Cafe, also known as Pork Chop House. ABC7 reported the impact damaged the restaurant and that one victim later died at a hospital while the second was expected to survive with injuries authorities described as non-life-threatening. Police said Lu stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators. (sfdistrictattorney.org) ### Who was killed in the crash? Cutberto Zamora-Martinez, 49, of San Joaquin County, was identified by the medical examiner as the man who died in the crash, according to KTVU and CBS Bay Area. Earlier local reporting said the victims appeared to be workers in the area, and NBC Bay Area cited a property manager who said one victim was delivering carpet. (nbcbayarea.com) Another adult victim was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, prosecutors said. Authorities have not publicly identified that injured person in the materials reviewed. ### Why did charges come weeks after the crash? April 17 was the date police announced Lu's arrest on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and unsafe speed after investigators said they had developed probable cause. (ktvu.com) The formal charging decision came later, with prosecutors announcing the filed case on May 13. (sfdistrictattorney.org) The district attorney's office said the investigation remains active even after charges were filed. Police asked anyone with information to contact the department's tip line or send a text tip, according to the prosecutor's statement. ### What happens next in court? September 30, 2026, is Lu's next scheduled court date for a pre-trial hearing, according to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office. (nbcbayarea.com) The case is listed under court number 26408762 in the district attorney's release. May 13 was the date Jenkins announced the charges, and the court restrictions imposed at arraignment remain a concrete marker of the case's next phase while prosecutors continue pursuing the investigation. (sfdistrictattorney.org)