The Fresno Bee
A black band crossing his badge for the
third time in less than two years, Fresno
County Sheriff Richard Pierce struggled
to talk Thursday about another deputy
killed on duty.
"We lost another member of our family,"
Pierce said hours after detective Joshua
Clyde Lancaster was killed when his
unmarked car was hit broadside by a
speeding stolen car being chased by
Sanger police.
Lancaster, who turned 27 this month,
died a few minutes after midnight
Thursday at Adams and Maple avenues,
about three miles west of Fowler and
seven miles south of Fresno.
A 17-year-old girl riding in the stolen car
died about three hours later at University
Medical Center. The crash also claimed
her unborn baby.
The name of the Sanger girl was not
made public Thursday pending
notification of relatives.
Augustine Alejandro Zapata, 19, of
Sanger, the driver of the stolen car,
suffered major injuries and was reported
in fair condition Thursday evening at
UMC.
He was booked by proxy into Fresno
County Jail on suspicion of three counts
of murder as well as evading arrest,
driving a stolen vehicle, speeding and
other traffic violations.
He also was arrested on suspicion of
assault with a deadly weapon and
kidnapping—the alleged victim in a May 6
case was the 17-year-old passenger who
was killed, officials said.
Zapata's mother, Juana Zapata, said the
17-year-old was her son's girlfriend of
about six months. Her son was the father
of the girl's unborn baby, she said.
Zapata is believed to have been traveling
about 90 mph when the stolen car hit
Lancaster's vehicle on the driver's side.
Lancaster and his wife, Heather, 23, were
planning to move Thursday to a new
home in Clovis from the apartment they
shared near California State University,
Fresno.
Pierce said the apartment was filled with
packed moving boxes when he and other
deputies notified Heather Lancaster
about her husband's death.
Heather Lancaster, a teacher at Viking
Elementary, received a layoff notice this
week, said her uncle, Jim Lusk, who
works for the Fresno Police Department.
Heather was in shock Thursday night,
less than 24 hours after learning that her
husband was dead, Lusk said.
"She is having a difficult time accepting
the fact that Josh isn't coming home,"
Lusk said.
Pierce said Lancaster did not know of
and was not involved in the pursuit;
Sanger police hadn't told the Sheriff's
Department of the chase. Pierce said he
did not know why.
Pierce, stressing that he did not have all
of the details about the chase, said the
investigation continues and many
questions remain.
He said Sanger police told him that two
officers, assisted by a CHP helicopter,
were chasing Zapata when the crash
occurred.
The officers \a sergeant and a former
police academy classmate of Lancaster's
\were chasing the stolen car west on
Adams when Lancaster, southbound on
Maple, apparently stopped for a stop sign
at Adams and then pulled into the
intersection,
Pierce said. Lancaster was on duty at the
time, investigating a string of robberies.
The intersection is surrounded by
vineyards, and Pierce said he did not know whether Lancaster saw the stolen car approach.
He also said he did not know whether Lancaster saw the stolen
car approach.
He also said he did not know whether the
stolen car had its headlights on or
whether the Sanger police vehicles were
running with emergency lights and sirens
on.
Pierce said he was told the chase began
when Sanger police saw the stolen car,
but he was not sure where or at what
time.
Thursday morning, deputies helped move
Heather Lancaster into the new house
where she and her husband had planned
to settle. Later in the afternoon, deputies
gathered at the home, installing ceiling
fans and a garage door opener.
"This has been quite an ordeal; however,
the Sheriff's Department has been
fantastic," Lusk said.
The couple closed escrow on the house
in a new development a few days ago.
Joshua Lancaster's two Harley-Davidson
motorcycles were propped in a corner of
the garage, not far from drawers filled
with tools.
"That was his big passion, the Harleys
\the Harleys and his wife," said deputy
Scott Plann, 25, who attended the
sheriff's academy with Lancaster. The
two also worked the late shift together
during parts of the past two years.
"He was just looking forward to getting
into a house with Heather and having his
own garage where he could tinker around
with his bikes."
Lancaster often joked with other deputies
and helped everyone enjoy the job a little
more, Plann said.
"He liked to have a good time while he
was working. He was a good, fun-loving
guy."
Juan Espinoza, a field training officer, said
Lancaster also was a dedicated deputy.
"He put endless hours into the
robbery/burglary unit," said Espinoza, 37.
"He was a hard worker, and Josh was
pretty much a happy guy all the time. He
always brought a smile to everyone's
face."
Lancaster, who grew up in Bakersfield,
joined the department on April 16, 2001.
He went to college in Bakersfield, where
he earned his associate's degree. He also
attended Fresno State, where he majored
in criminology and met Heather, who grew
up in Fresno.
Before becoming a deputy, Joshua
Lancaster worked as an investigator for
the Fresno County District Attorney's
Office.
Pierce described Lancaster as "a shining
star" in the department who loved his job
and never failed to help other officers.
"People like Josh believe they can make
difference," he said.
The Sheriff's Department and members of
Lancaster's family are making funeral
arrangements.
Last year, on May 19, Deputy Dennis
Phelps, 47, was shot to death while
checking a suspicious vehicle north of
Clovis.
And in August 2001, Deputy Erik Telen, 26,
was fatally shot while investigating a
break-in in the mountain community of
Dunlap, east of Fresno.
Pierce, who wrote the department's policy
on pursuits when he was a captain under
former Sheriff Steve Magarian, said very
few pursuits can be justified if public
safety is put at risk.
All pursuits are different, he said, and that
is why departmental policy calls for a
supervisor to monitor all pursuits and
decide whether to continue or cancel.
Pierce said he was confident that Klose, a
former sheriff's sergeant, would conduct a
thorough investigation. "He's a
professional," Pierce said.
The Sanger department had at least one
previous run-in with Zapata.
Court records show that on Aug. 12, 2002,
he was charged with evading arrest,
vehicle theft and obstructing a police
officer. Two weeks later, he pleaded guilty
to evading arrest, and the two other
charges were dropped. Previous charges
of possession of drug paraphernalia and
giving false identification to police officers
also were dismissed.
He was sentenced in January to 36
months of probation and ordered to serve
30 days in jail, beginning on March 7.
Juana Zapata, the teen's 47-year-old
mother, said her son, the youngest of five
children, doesn't live with her. She said
she didn't know where he was going at the
time of the crash.
"For her, he was a good son," said Mayra
Carrizales, a family friend who translated
for the Spanish-speaking mother. "Maybe
he was in trouble on the street, but not in
her house."
The mother said her son attended
continuation school but didn't graduate.
He washed cars for a living but wanted to
get another job and a house for his
girlfriend and future baby.
The girlfriend had been living with
Augustine Zapata, who was renting a
room, the mother said.
Carrizales, 24, didn't know the girlfriend
well but said she seemed nice and was
excited to have her baby.
Juana Zapata, with tears welling in her
eyes, said she was concerned about her
injured son. Hospital officials, she said,
told her little about his condition.
The mother said her son would not
intentionally hurt someone.
"She's suffering for the family of the
girlfriend and the [officer]," Carrizales
said.
Flags at the state Capitol were lowered to
half-staff Thursday and will remain there
through Lancaster's funeral, Gov. Davis
announced.
"This is a dreadful tragedy and a great
loss. Sharon [Davis' wife] and I send our
heartfelt condolences," Davis said. "I am
asking all Californians to keep detective
Lancaster and his family in their prayers."