La Mesa Officer Killed in I-8 Crash Near Fairmount Avenue

SAN DIEGO — A La Mesa police officer and another driver were killed in a multi-vehicle collision late Monday night on Interstate 8 East near Fairmount Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The crash occurred around 10:22 p.m. when a car lost control, overturned, and stopped in the freeway lanes. Moments later, that vehicle was struck by another car traveling in the opposite direction, said Captain Reggie Williams of the CHP.

Officer Lauren Craven, 25, was responding to the initial crash on her way back from the San Diego Central Jail when she stopped to help. While she was attending to the scene, another vehicle hit her, according to the La Mesa Police Department.

Craven and the driver involved in the first accident were pronounced dead at the scene. Craven had joined the La Mesa Police Department in February 2024 and was assigned to the Patrol Division.

In a statement, the La Mesa Police Department expressed gratitude for the support from other agencies and urged the community to keep Officer Craven and her family in their thoughts and prayers.

A Sigalert was issued due to the crash, closing all eastbound lanes of I-8 between I-15 and Waring Road. The CHP confirmed that all eastbound traffic was being rerouted to southbound I-15. Traffic diversions were also in place at Fairmount Avenue and Montezuma Road.

The investigation is ongoing, and the CHP has not released further details about the second driver involved in the crash or the conditions of the other individuals at the scene.

“When you see lights on the roadway, please slow down and move over; that is the law,” Captain Williams said in a reminder to the public about road safety.