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2d ago

Procession Honors La Mesa Officer Killed Aiding I-8 Crash as CHP Probe Continues

Her death marked the department’s first line-of-duty loss, prompting tributes across the region.

La Mesa police Officer Lauren Craven.
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Flowers at the main entrance to the La Mesa Police Department on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025 in La Mesa, CA. La Mesa police Officer Lauren Craven, 25, came upon the crash and stopped to help the motorists. While she was taking the report of the initial accident, another car driving eastbound on I-8 struck the officer, CHP officials said. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Overview

  • Officer Lauren Craven, 25, was struck and killed Monday night after stopping to help at a rollover crash on eastbound I-8 near Fairmount in San Diego.
  • The California Highway Patrol described a five-vehicle chain reaction that left Craven and the overturned driver dead and sent others to hospitals, with the freeway reopened by early Tuesday afternoon.
  • Investigators have not released details about the motorist who struck Craven and are examining whether drugs or alcohol played a role.
  • Family identified the driver killed in the initial rollover as 19-year-old De’Veonte Morris, while officials noted Craven was returning from San Diego Central Jail when she stopped to render aid.
  • A law enforcement procession was held Thursday, flags at the State Capitol were lowered, and a Fund-a-Hero campaign for Craven’s family neared half of its $50,000 goal.