OAKLAND — Prosecutors have reached a plea deal with a San Pablo man who allegedly drove drunk on the freeway, in the wrong direction, until he crashed and killed another motorist, court records show,
Erik Steverson, 36, pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and is set to be sentenced to six years in state prison on Oct. 6, court records show. Steverson was charged with killing 60-year-old Sean O’Brien, of Emeryville, in the Sept. 6, 2021 collision.
Police said at the time that at about 1 a.m., Steverson was driving the wrong way near the Interstate 80 and Interstate 580 eastbound interchange, and collided with O’Brien’s car. O’Brien was killed, and while Steverson was injured, he was still able to run to a nearby pedestrian and bike path, where police found him later that morning, according to court records.
Steverson was charged in 2022. He has been in jail since last year, and cannot be bailed out, court records show.