Alhambra community mourns police officer killed in pursuit crash

ALHAMBRA, Calif. -- A memorial at the Alhambra Police Department continues to grow for the 28-year-old officer killed after a chase ended in a violent crash.

Community members Friday dropped off flowers at the makeshift memorial to honor Alec Sanders, an officer who had been with the Alhambra Police Department for only eight months.

"I've been crying since yesterday," Alhambra resident Marian Lovoy told Eyewitness News while visiting the memorial. "I've lived here my entire life. For 61 years I've lived in this city, and I just wanted to show my respect."

Angelica Casas dropped off an arrangement from her flower shop.

"This officer was just doing his job," she said.

Sanders died in an early-morning crash Thursday when he was chasing a stolen Hyundai and collided with the vehicle at the intersection of Edgewood Street and Valley Boulevard.

A passenger, Gabriela Moreno, 42, was killed after she was ejected from the Hyundai.

Two others in the suspect vehicle were injured, including the driver - 27-year-old El Monte resident Steven Zapata. Zapata was taken to a hospital with moderate injuries and arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, according to the California Highway Patrol. He will be booked once he's medically cleared.

Sanders was covering the shift of a colleague when he was fatally injured. Sanders, who previously worked for about a year with the Long Beach Police Department, leaves behind a fiancée, two younger sisters and a brother.

City News Service contributed to this report.