OAKLAND – An El Cerrito man with three previous drunken driving convictions has been sentenced to six years in state prison for killing his friend while driving under the influence in 2022, court records show.
Nipun Ajmani, 44, pleaded no contest to drunken driving causing injury in connection with the March 12, 2022, crash in MacArthur Maze that killed 36-year-old Zeeshan Khan, a passenger in Ajmani’s car. He was formally sentenced in June but remains in the Santa Rita jail until further notice.
The story behind Ajmani’s arrest began an hour before the crashwhen he and Zhan were pulled over by police in a vehicle driven by a third person at 1:15 AM. Police determined Ajmani was too intoxicated to drive and drove him and Zhan to the 1000 block of University Avenue in Berkeley, where Ajmani owned a cellphone store, court records show.
Police estimated Ajmani would not be sober until around 11 a.m. and told him so, according to court records. Instead of heeding police advice, Ajmani got behind the wheel of another vehicle and gave Zhan a ride when they backed up a car on the maze around 2:20 a.m., authorities said.
Ajmani’s attorney, Seth Morris, wrote in a pretrial report that a collision expert concluded that the other vehicle created a “danger” by coming to a complete stop on the highway. He added that Zhan and Ajmani had been friends for 15 years.
“(Ajmani) is absolutely devastated by (Zhan’s) passing,” Morris wrote. “He is remorseful for his actions and wishes nothing but healing and recovery for Mr. Khan’s family.”
Ajmani was arrested after the crash and has been in jail ever since. He took classes to deal with alcoholism in prison and is being sued by Zhan’s relatives, according to court records.
Ajmani has three prior DUI convictions, all from 2003 to 2010, according to court records.