SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Mourning family members and law enforcement colleagues came together Tuesday to honor the life, service and ultimate sacrifice of a young La Mesa police officer who was fatally struck by a DUI suspect's car last week as she was assisting a motorist at the scene of a College-area freeway accident.
A ceremonial motorcade consisting of hundreds of police vehicles from an array of agencies traveled from Mission Valley to Rancho San Diego prior to the late-morning church funeral services for Officer Lauren Craven, who died late on the evening of Oct. 20 at the scene of the wreck on Interstate 8 near Fairmount Avenue.
At the memorial, La Mesa Police Chief Ray Sweeney praised Craven as a "remarkable police officer, colleague and friend."
"Lauren, her smile and her resiliency is a light that will shine forever on our La Mesa community," Sweeney told the gathering at Skyline Church on Campo Road. "She loved what she did. She loved the community she served."
The chief quoted a statement that Craven wrote during her hiring process: "It has always been my passion to serve others, and there has never been a doubt in my mind that being in law enforcement is what I am meant to do."
"These are Lauren's words," Sweeney said. "And if you ever had the privilege to work with her, alongside her, you knew it wasn't just a line. It was the truth. From day one, Lauren carried herself with the quiet confidence of someone who'd already figured out what she was meant to do. She didn't stumble into this career. She ran towards it -- towards the danger, not away from it."
@abc10news "She loved being a police officer" -- The mother and daughter of fallen La Mesa officer Lauren Craven spoke at her funeral, reflecting on her positive spirit and the tribulations they'll face now that she's gone.
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La Mesa Mayor Mark Arapostathis told the gathering that Craven, whom he'd met shortly after she was hired and interacted with as she worked various civic events, was always "personable, professional, kind (and) approachable," adding that she cared (and) she wanted to help.
"It was clear that she was motivated and that she had a calling," Arapostathis said. "And it was (because of) that and the love of her family and a sense of real duty that she achieved her goal (of being a police officer). She joined the La Mesa Police Department and immediately started making a difference. ... Her dedication and her genuine care for others has touched so many lives."
Also killed in the crash that took Craven's life was the stranded motorist she was helping, 19-year-old De'Veonte Morris of San Diego, who had gotten into a five-vehicle pileup that left his car overturned on the freeway. Several other people involved in the series of collisions suffered non-life- threatening injuries, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The 38-year-old La Mesa man who had been driving the sedan that struck Craven and Morris 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.
The La Mesa Police Officers' Association is conducting a donation campaign with a goal of raising $75,000 to help support the family of Craven, who is survived by her parents and younger sister. As of Tuesday morning, the effort had garnered $55,626.
RELATED COVERAGE:
- Community honors fallen La Mesa Officer Lauren Craven at heartfelt vigil & fundraiser
- Driver who caused crash that killed police officer & 19-year-old charged with DUI
- Procession held for 25-year-old La Mesa police officer killed in line of duty
- Officer Lauren Craven served San Diego families as childcare worker before joining LMPD
- Father of fallen La Mesa Police Officer speaks out
- Family, friends remember 19-yr-old killed in I-8 crash
- La Mesa Police officer, another driver killed in multi-vehicle crash on I-8
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