Lauren Craven La Mesa police officer was ‘living her dream’ according to her dad, when she was struck and killed by an oncoming vehicle while assisting victims of a crash scene along Interstate 8 near San Diego, near Granville, California, Monday night.
A California police officer was struck and killed by an oncoming vehicle while responding to a fatal traffic collision along a San Diego freeway, moments earlier, Monday night.
La Mesa Police Officer Lauren Craven had stopped to assist a person whose vehicle had overturned along Interstate 8 northeast of San Diego in Granville just before 10:30 p.m., Monday, officials said.
La Mesa Police Officer killed in line of duty was a recent recruit
It was while taking a report that Officer Lauren Craven, 25, and one of the two drivers involved in the initial crash were fatally struck by a third vehicle on eastbound Interstate 8 at Fairmount Avenue, according to the La Mesa Police Department.
Craven and the driver of the flipped vehicle, De’Veonte Morris, were pronounced dead at the scene, NBC7 San Diego reported.
‘Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of La Mesa Police Officer Lauren Craven, who tragically lost her life, late Monday night while serving others. The CHP Border Communications Center stands with her family, friends & fellow officers during this difficult time,’ the CHP said in a statement.
Craven who originally hailed from Bend, Oregon, joined the department in February 2024, and was assigned to the Patrol Division.
At the time of the tragedy Officer Craven was traveling back from the San Diego Central Jail when she came across the multi-car crash in the middle of the busy highway, five miles west of La Mesa.
She reported the incident over the radio before stepping out and walking toward a car that had flipped over.
Craven along with the driver of the flipped car who she was taking a report from were struck by another car, which triggered a chain reaction, smashing into the vehicles involved in the initial crash.
The second crash led to a total of four others being injured, with one person remaining in hospital Tuesday afternoon, FOX 5 reported.
The cause of the initial crash is being investigated by the California Highway Patrol.
La Mesa police officer was living her dream
The young police officer, who had celebrated her birthday on Oct. 7, was remembered for her final act of compassion.
‘Officer Craven’s actions in her final moments exemplified her unwavering dedication to service and the safety of others — a reflection of how she lived every day,’ the La Mesa Police Department wrote on Facebook. ‘Officer Craven was known for her tenacity, courage, and compassion — qualities that inspired her peers and strengthened her community.’
Craven was inspired to go into law enforcement after she was ‘traumatically assaulted in college’ and a detective offered her compassion, her father, David Craven, told ABC10 San Diego.
‘Lauren thought so much of the difference between those two that she said right then and there, ‘I want to dedicate my life to being that good cop for anybody who needs me,” the father said.
‘I thought, ‘Damn, you just turned your biggest fear into a source of motivation. Nothing’s gonna stop you,’ and it didn’t,’ he added.
A full freeway closure was in effect Tuesday morning on eastbound Interstate 8, with all eastbound traffic diverted to southbound Interstate 15 due to the late-night crash. Traffic in both directions of I-15 to eastbound I-8 was being diverted off at Fairmount Avenue and Montezuma Road.
