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A preliminary hearing is scheduled for next month for a Stockton man charged with manslaughter for allegedly causing an early-morning crash on the Altamont Pass that killed another driver almost exactly one year ago.Â
Isac Damian Lopez remains in custody at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, where he has been housed since his first court appearance in the criminal case Aug. 27, according to jail and court records.
Lopez, 23, has pleaded not guilty to the lone felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. His public defender, Seth Morris, did not respond to a request for comment from the Pleasanton Weekly earlier this week.
California Highway Patrol officials initially reported they suspected Lopez was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the collision on Interstate 580 east of Livermore that led to the death of 66-year-old Tracy resident Akram Ghazal.
The crash occurred at about 4:45 a.m. on Sept. 21, 2025 on eastbound I-580 west of Grant Line Road, with Ghazal’s black Tesla Model Y rear-ended by a white Honda Accord driven by Lopez, according to CHP Officer Alberto Reyes. The force of the collision sent Ghazal’s SUV rolling down an embankment on the right shoulder.
The victim was critically injured and still alive when officers arrived, but he succumbed within an hour at the scene despite life-saving efforts by emergency personnel, Reyes wrote in his probable cause declaration filed with the court.
The officer reported interviewing Lopez at the scene and the driver denied alcohol use. The officer also said he explained a series of field sobriety tests for Lopez to perform, but the court document does not confirm whether the tests actually happened that morning.
The CHP did say at the time that the surviving driver was taken to a hospital for treatment of moderate crash injuries. Reyes confirmed he placed Lopez under arrest for alcohol DUI and vehicular manslaughter that morning.
The Stockton man remained out of custody while the investigation continued well into 2026. The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office ultimately filed a single felony count against Lopez on July 30, and he was notified by mail to appear in court to answer the charge in August, according to court records.
Lopez had his first court hearing on Aug. 27 and was remanded into jail custody that day with bail set at $75,000. He has had multiple court appearances in the weeks since, including this Tuesday for a pre-trial hearing, according to court records.
His next court date is scheduled for Nov. 3 at 9 a.m. at the East County Hall of Justice in Dublin for more pre-trial matters. His preliminary hearing is set for the following week, Nov. 10, at which a judge would weigh initial testimony to determine whether there is enough evidence to order Lopez to stand trial.
