A law enforcement roadway procession took place Thursday in honor of a young La Mesa police officer who was fatally struck by a DUI suspect’s vehicle as she was assisting a motorist at the scene of a series of chain-reaction College-area freeway crashes.
Police personnel from an array of local and out-of-town agencies took part in the late-morning motorcade, accompanying a hearse bearing the body of 25-year-old Lauren Craven from the Kearny Mesa headquarters of the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office to El Camino Memorial Park in Sorrento Valley.
Craven, a Bend, Oregon, native who celebrated her most recent birthday Oct. 7, was hit by a Toyota Camry shortly before 10:30 p.m. Monday while aiding a motorist who had gotten involved in a five-vehicle pileup that left his Mazda 3 overturned on the eastbound side of Interstate 8 at Fairmount Avenue in San Diego, according to the La Mesa Police Department.
Also struck by the car was the driver of the Mazda, 19-year-old De’Veonte Morris of San Diego. Both Craven and Morris died at the scene of the accident.
The 38-year-old La Mesa man who had been driving the Toyota was taken to a hospital for treatment of moderately serious injuries and later arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, CHP public affairs Officer Michael Wessendorf said. The suspect’s name has not been released.
Several other people involved in the series of crashes also suffered non-life-threatening injuries, the Highway Patrol reported.
Craven’s death prompted profuse expressions of sorrow and support from the agency she served, as well as from other area law enforcement officials and community leaders.
“On behalf of the entire La Mesa Police Department, I want to offer my deepest condolences to Lauren’s family and friends,” LMPD Chief Ray Sweeney during a news conference Tuesday afternoon. “We grieve with you, and we will stand with you in the days and years to come.”
Sweeney described Craven, a 2023 Loyola Marymount University graduate who joined the LMPD in February 2024 and was assigned to its patrol unit, as “a light.”
“Her positivity was immediate and genuine,” he said. “Whether helping a colleague, answering a stranger’s question or stepping up into a difficult case that she was working, she led with compassion, courage and professionalism.”
During Craven’s hiring process, Sweeney told reporters, she wrote, “It has always been my passion to serve others, and there has never been a doubt in my mind that being a law enforcement officer is what I was meant to do.”
“That’s who Lauren was, and that’s how she served and how she will be remembered,” the chief said. “She was tenacious and resilient.”
Other area law enforcement officials offered their condolences to the young officer’s loved ones and colleagues as well.
“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 Highway Patrol stated. “The CHP Border Communications Center stands with her family, friends and fellow officers during this difficult time.”
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office likewise lamented the “heartbreaking loss” of the young officer.
“Officer Craven’s bravery and dedication to serving others exemplify the highest values of law enforcement. … Her courage and sacrifice will never be forgotten,” the agency stated.
Gov. Gavin Newsom also expressed his and his wife’s sorrow over Craven’s death in the line of duty.
“Officer Craven served her community with pride and dedication,” Newsom said. “Jennifer and I are heartbroken by her loss and the significant impact her passing leaves on the larger San Diego community. We join her family, friends, and fellow officers in mourning. May her memory never be forgotten.”
San Diego civil rights advocate Shane Harris said he and his colleagues were “deeply saddened by the tragic loss” of Craven.
“Her bravery and service exemplify the highest ideals of law enforcement,” Harris stated. “My office extends our sincere condolences to Officer Craven’s family, friends and the La Mesa Police Department during this difficult time.”
The LMPD issued a statement thanking the public for its “unwavering support.”
“We ask that the La Mesa community keep Officer Craven, her family and the La Mesa Police Department in their thoughts and prayers,” the agency stated.
Craven’s father said she had wanted to dedicate her life to being “that good cop” for anybody who needed her.
“Every day we would talk on her way home from work, which was six in the morning, or on the way to work,” David Craven said. “She loved it. She loved getting up to go to work. She was excited to get out there and serve.”
The grieving father said he was trying not to “focus on all the decades more that she should have had.”
“I’m trying to focus on the fact that everything in her life was thumbs-up as she progressed through this journey,” he explained. “Personal relationships, everything. The way she viewed the world.
“She had a goal that (initially) seemed impossible. Not physically qualified — changed that. Became physically qualified in an environment that’s male dominated, pushed right through it, became respected. All with a goal to help with compassion.”
The mother of the young man who also died in the accident said her late son had been her “rock.”
“I don’t even know how I can even live or think or eat or drink or sleep without him,” Annesha Meekie said, adding that her son had been a “beautiful soul” who was always respectful and responsible. “He was heaven on earth.”
Morris’ father, Tyree, reportedly died on the same date three years ago.
The La Mesa Police Officers’ Association has begun a donation campaign with a goal of raising $75,000 to help support Craven’s family financially.
As of late Thursday afternoon, the effort had garnered $26,091, according to the union.
–City News Service
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