Navy police officer accused in La Mesa police officer’s freeway death charged with murder

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KESQ) - A Navy police officer who allegedly drove drunk and fatally struck a La Mesa police officer who was responding to a crash on Interstate 8 pleaded not guilty today to charges of murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Antonio Alcantar, 38, is accused in the Oct. 20 death of Lauren Craven, who was killed while aiding a driver whose car had overturned that night amid a five-vehicle pileup on the freeway near Fairmount Avenue.  

Prosecutors allege that after a night of drinking, Alcantar got behind the wheel of his car and struck Craven, 25, while she was responding to the crash scene.

A motorist Craven was assisting, 19-year-old De'Veonte Morris, was also struck and killed, but Alcantar is not facing charges related to his death. Deputy District Attorney Spencer Sharpe said the investigation into Morris' death remains ongoing "due to the complexity of the accident."

Both Craven and Morris died at the crash scene.

Alcantar was hospitalized for injuries sustained in the crash and later arrested.

The prosecutor said his blood-alcohol-level was measured at twice the legal limit more than an hour after the crash. Sharpe also said video footage recorded from a Tesla that was behind Alcantar's vehicle showed he ``makes no attempts at all to avoid the emergency scene,'' while numerous other motorists slowed down and went around the stopped vehicles.   

Sharpe said the murder charge was filed because Alcantar's experience as a Master-at-Arms in the Navy afforded him specialized training and duties "that made him uniquely aware of the danger to human life that drinking and driving poses and he did it anyway."

Alcantar was initially released on $110,000 bail until his Thursday afternoon arraignment, when a judge ordered him remanded into custody on $1 million bail.

Alcantar's attorneys had asked for him to remain out of custody due to having no criminal record and his 11 years of military service.   

One of his attorneys, Samantha Greene, said, "He came into court today knowing that he was being charged with murder and showed up and is standing before the court because he 100% stands here to take responsibility for what happened and to fight this case."

If Alcantar does make bail, he is ordered to wear an alcohol-monitoring device, abstain from drinking and is prohibited from driving.

Another of Alcantar's defense attorneys, Dan Greene, said after the hearing that his client hoped the result of the case was ``the fair and the just one'' and ``not simply based on the fact that sadly and tragically, an officer was killed.''

He also said it should be noted that the crash happened in freeway lanes ``where people naturally, whether they're sober or otherwise, expect to be able to drive without impediment.''

Craven, a Bend, Oregon, native celebrated her most recent birthday on Oct. 7.

Following her death, Craven was remembered with candlelight vigils, a funeral procession earlier this week that stretched from Mission Valley to Rancho San Diego, and a memorial service attended by hundreds of law enforcement officers and other attendees.