SAN FRANCISCO – The 76-year-old man arrested for a March 27 crash in San Francisco’s Chinatown that left a man dead has been charged with vehicular manslaughter.

Zhuo Ming Lu on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, and denied the allegations against him, according to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.

In addition to the charge of vehicular manslaughter, Lu is charged with driving a vehicle in the commission of unlawful acts and driving at unsafe speed without gross negligence.

The crash

The backstory:

Authorities said Lu was attempting to park near Grant Avenue and Jackson Street when his vehicle jumped the sidewalk and crashed into the landmark New Lung Ting Cafe, also known as the Pork Chop House. The vehicle struck two pedestrians: Cutberto Zamora-Martinez, 49, of San Joaquin County and a second person who has not been identified.

“The victims were transported by paramedics to a local hospital. Despite the lifesaving efforts of first responders and medical staff, one of the victims was declared deceased at the hospital,” a release from the district attorney’s office states. “Another adult victim was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.”

One fatality

Dig deeper:

Zamora-Martinez had been working in the area, according to a GoFundMe page. A San Francisco Police Department source close to the investigation told KTVU the victims were carpet installers arriving for work.

The fundraising page described Zamora-Martinez as a husband and father who was the sole provider for his family and “a humble man who wanted the best for his family.”

Police said Lu remained at the scene of the crash and cooperated with investigators. 

Court date

What’s next:

Lu was arrested in April, and was later released on his own recognizance. He was ordered not to drive, and to surrender his driver’s license and passport. The court also ordered the Department of Motor Vehicles to suspend Lu’s license.

He is scheduled to appear for a pre-trial hearing on Sept. 30.

The San Francisco Mayor’s Office says news numbers show the city now has the lowest homeless population it has seen in more than a decade.

Mayor Daniel Lurie on Tuesday held a news conference to announce the milestone.

“I am here to announce some incredible progress,” Lurie said. “Unsheltered homelessness in San Francisco is now at its lowest level in 15 years.”

According to data from the city’s 2026 point in time count, the number of unhoused people living in tents on the streets of San Francisco has dropped by 22% since the last count in 2024.

The mayor is crediting a focus on getting people off the street, into treatment and into more stable housing.

But there is one category that did not see a drop: The number of families who are homeless have increased by 15%. It’s a problem city leaders said they are working hard to address.

NBC Bay Area’s Sergio Quintana has more in the video above.