The California Highway Patrol officer who was shot along the 8 freeway in Mission Valley Wednesday evening is recovering and was in stable condition and will survive.
A Go Fund Me page has identified the officer as 8-year veteran Tony Pacheco with a pregnant wife and they have two other young kids.
He was shot during a struggle with a motorist who the CHP says tried to grab the officer's gun. The CHP says 25-year-old Yuhao Du of San Diego crashed his vehicle on the eastbound 8 near the 805 overpass.
When the officer arrived to investigate the crash, Du attacked him without warning, ``lunging for his service gun'' and ``trying to take control of it,'' according to a CHP spokesman. During a struggle, the pistol went off hitting the officer in the thigh.
The CHP spokesman says several motorists stopped to help the injured officer and they restrained Du until additional officers arrived.
CHP Chief Scott Parker told reporters he was ``extremely grateful for the members of the public who put themselves in harm's way to help our officer....this incident could have ended in a greater tragedy had those individuals not intervened."
Du was booked into jail on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer, assault with a firearm causing great bodily injury and attempting to take a law officer's gun. He was scheduled for arraignment on Friday.
(Photo reporting partner 10News)