Navy police officer charged with murder in death of LMPD officer pleads not guilty; bail set at $1M
Video capture of Antonio Alcantar, right, courtesy ECM news partner KGTV 10 NewsEast County News Service and news partner KGTV 10 News
Nov. 3, 2025 (San Diego) -- A United States Navy sailor accused of drunk driving and hitting and killing La Mesa Police Officer Lauren Craven on the freeway less than two weeks ago pleaded not guilty in San Diego County Superior Court last week.
Antonio Alcantar, 38, appeared in court last Thursday, Oct. 27, where a judge set his bail at $1 million and had him taken into custody.
Alcantar pleaded not guilty to murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in connection with the Oct. 20 death of Craven, 25. Craven, who had stopped on Interstate 8 heading east near Fairmount Avenue at around 10:30 p.m. to help someone who had been involved in an earlier crash, died while helping that driver, De'Veonte Morris.
Morris, 19, also died. Alcantar has not been charged in connection with Morris' death, as the investigation into the exact cause and factors of that fatality is still ongoing due to the complexity of the crashes.
Earlier last week Alcantar, who has served as a Navy sailor for 11 years and works as a master-at-arms, posted $110,000 bail. During his first court appearance, he was handcuffed in the courtroom as the judge ordered him into the County Sheriff's Department custody, where his bail was increased to $1 million.
The judget said that if Alcantar posts the $1 million bail, his conditions include abstaining from alcohol, attending bi-weekly self-help meetings and not driving.
Alcantar is due back in court in December.
Prosecutors say their investigation shows Alcantar was at a bar and then a restaurant the night of the crash. Tesla cameras from another car driving behind him show he made no attempt to stop or yield at the initial crash scene.
Alcantar's blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit at the time of the crash, prosecutors said.