SAN DIEGO -- San Diego police identified a 13-year veteran police officer who was run down during a pursuit of a man who allegedly stole a truck.

Terry Bennett -- the second San Diego-area law enforcement agent to die on the job this month, and the third this year -- was struck about 12:20 p.m. Thursday on Iona Drive, near Kenwood Street. Bennett, , (pictured, left), died in a hospital a short time later.

SLIDESHOW: See Images Of Crash

Suspect Kevin Williams, 25, was arrested in a nearby neighborhood minutes after Bennett was struck. He appeared to have deliberately run over the officer following the chase from the East Village district, according to police.

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Hear From Crash Witness Homicide Capt. Releases Deadly Pursuit Details

The patrolman was trying to dismount his motorcycle and get out of the path of the truck when Williams allegedly steered onto a sidewalk and drove directly at him, investigators said.

"We believe, at this point, that that act was intentional," SDPD homicide Capt. Mike McCulloch told reporters.

About 12:30 p.m., police captured Williams following a scuffle near Madera and 69th streets, about a mile northeast of the crash site, where he allegedly ditched the truck and tried to escape on foot.

"And he appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance, or some unknown drug," McCulloch said.

Officers arrested him on suspicion of auto theft and sent him to UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest for an evaluation.

"And we're currently investigating whether or not he will also be charged with additional charges that (will result) if he intentionally struck this officer," the captain added.

Video footage of the suspect's arrival at the hospital showed him bound onto a gurney, rolling his head back and forth in apparent delirium while moaning and repeating, "Don't let him touch me."

The pursuit, which began shortly after noon near 13th Street and Imperial Avenue in downtown San Diego, involved three non-injury collisions near the spot where the fatal crash occurred, according to investigators.

The SDPD officer's death came less than two weeks after Oceanside Police Department rookie Tony Zeppetella, 27, was gunned down during a late-afternoon traffic stop June 13.

A documented gang member with a long criminal history has pleaded not guilty to murdering Zeppetella, a charge that if sustained could result in the death penalty.

On April 15, SDPD Officer Gerald Griffin Jr., 42, suffered fatal injuries when a car struck him as he worked a speed-enforcement detail on a Pacific Beach thoroughfare.

The involved motorist has not been charged in the case, though the accident remains under investigation.

San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy Thursday expressed regret over the SDPD's latest "tremendous loss," which he called "doubly painful" since it came so soon after Griffin's death.

"Every day, the men and women of the San Diego Police Department risk their lives to protect us," he said. "So when we lose an officer, it's a tragedy for all of us."

On hearing of the killing, officers placed black tape over their badges, and the flag in front of police headquarters on Broadway was lowered to half staff.