CHP Officer Shot During Struggle on San Diego Freeway

A California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer was shot on Wednesday evening while investigating a crash on a freeway in San Diego, authorities said.

The officer was shot once in the leg during a struggle with a "pedestrian" at about 6:15 p.m. on eastbound Interstate 8 in the Mission Valley neighborhood, CHP Capt. Michael Harris said at a news conference.

"The officer was investigating a traffic collision when he became involved in a struggle with a pedestrian resulting in a single gunshot," Harris said. "The officer was wounded in his right thigh."

The injured officer was in a serious but stable condition at Scripps Mercy Hospital in Hillcrest, Harris said outside the hospital.

His name was not released, but he is an eight-year veteran of the CHP, Harris said.

"We're all praying that he's makes for recovery swiftly," he added.

The suspect, a 25-year-old San Diego man whose name was not released, was taken into custody, Harris said.

"There is no threat to the public," he added. "He is currently in custody and he'll be booked on the appropriate charges once those are fully explored and determined."

Harris said it was not yet known whether the suspect was involved in the crash that the officer was investigating.

He also did not say whether the gunshot came from the officer's gun or whether the suspect had been armed. It "has yet to be determined" if the officer fired his gun, he said.

"Good Samaritans" who were at the scene had helped subdue the suspect until other officers arrived and arrested him, Harris said. "We're very very grateful for that," he added.

A man who stopped to help the officer after the shooting told KUSI-TV that he used his sweatshirt and the officer's belt to stop the bleeding.

The incident was the second shooting in four days involving CHP officers at the site of a collision on freeways, but the two incidents are not thought to be related.

Early on Sunday morning, a person in a passing vehicle fired shots as CHP officers and firefighters worked at the site of a crash where a pickup driver was killed on a ramp connecting Interstate 805 to Route 94.

No one was struck by that gunfire, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

"We don't have any information that leads us to believe that [Wednesday evening's shooting] is connected with any other incident," Harris said.

Interstate 8 was closed in both directions for several hours after Wednesday evening's shooting.

Update 4/28/22, 3:50 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.