Driver who killed woman while doing stunts gets 1 year in jail, 5 years probation after no contest plea

A Carson man, who police say was performing stunts in a West Long Beach intersection when he caused a deadly crash , was sentenced to 1 year in county jail and 5 years of probation as part of a plea agreement with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Saul Alfas, 21, pleaded no contest Thursday to one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence in connection to the crash that killed Long Beach resident Jacqueline Zamarripa on June 16, 2023. If a defendant is convicted at trial, vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence typically carries a sentence of 2, 4 or 6 years in prison.

As part of his sentence, 21-year-old Saul Alfas will have to perform 200 hours of community service through a nonprofit program called Street Racing Kills , which teaches young drivers about the dangers of illegal street racing and reckless driving. He’s also required to write a letter of apology to Zamarripa’s family.

“It’s the opportunity to apologize to them for all the anguish and harm you’ve caused them,” Judge Christopher Frisco told Alfas in court Thursday afternoon. “You think long and hard about what you want to write.”

“You destroyed these people’s lives.”

Police say Alfas was doing donuts at the intersection of Willow Street and Caspian Avenue around 11 p.m. on June 16, 2023, when he struck a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado truck that was approaching the intersection.

The impact of the crash, according to police, caused the driver of the truck, Jose Menjivar, to lose control and crash into a tree.

Zamarripa, who was a front passenger in the truck, was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene, police said.

Alfas fled, according to police, but he turned himself in the following day. He’s been free ever since posting $50,000 bail on Dec. 21, 2023, records show.

Menjivar, meanwhile, remained at the scene following the crash and cooperated with the investigation. He was later arrested in connection to the crash and charged with one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, but prosecutors dropped the charges against him after they were unable to proceed with the case “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

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