NBC News
By NBC 7 Staff and Eric S. Page:
SAN DIEGO (NBC San Diego) — A funeral procession and heartfelt services were held Tuesday morning for Lauren Craven, a young La Mesa Police Department officer who was fatally struck by a car a week ago while she was assisting a motorist at the scene of a College-area freeway accident.
More than 700 law enforcement vehicles and thousands of officers and mourners took part in the procession to honor Craven, traveling from Snapdragon Stadium in Mission Valley to Rancho San Diego.
Craven was from Bend and a 2019 graduate of Summit High School.
Services at the Skyline Church in Rancho San Diego began shortly after 10 a.m.
The motorcade ended its sorrowful journey at the house of worship, where a pair of fire trucks had extended their ladders with a flag hanging below, the hearse slowly passing beneath.
Assembled nearby were a color guard, which led the casket as it passed hundreds of officers from scores of law-enforcement agencies from the county, state and nation standing at attention, saluting Craven’s flag-covered casket as it was borne past.
In the distance could be heard the mournful wail of bagpipes.
Inside the church, the casket was brought toward the altar, where pictures of Craven and flower arrangements were lit up by blue light stands. Before the other mourners arrived, Craven’s family stepped forward, her mother reaching out to touch the casket at one point, then reaching out to comfort her daughter.
A little before 10:30, other mourners began to file in, accompanied by acoustic versions of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Let it Go” and other songs playing on the church’s sound system.
While it’s unknown how many people attended the funeral for Craven, the church accommodates up to 2,500 worshippers during Sunday services, according to its website.
The services were begun by Skyline Church’s pastor Tobin Wilkins, who welcomed those assembled.
“We recognize the sacrifices that [law enforcement] makes on a daily basis, the courage it takes to protect and serve our communities, the hours, the unseen burdens, and today we want to tell you how much we appreciate you,” Wilkins said.
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 policeofficer]. 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.”
La Mesa police chief Ray Sweeney then talked about the heroism of his young officer, who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“Lauren saved lives that fateful night,” Sweeney told the mourners. “She ran toward the danger and did not hesitate. So today we gather with heavy but full hearts to honor a remarkable police officer, colleague and friend,” adding, “she didn’t just serve, she connected.
“Lauren, her smile and her resiliency is a light that will shine forever on our La Mesa community,” Sweeney told the gathering. “She loved what she did. She loved the community she served.”
Also paying tribute to Craven was a tearful San Diego Sheriff’s deputy, Jordan Edwards, who said Craven was one of her best friends.
“When we met in the academy, we started talking about why we wanted this career,” Edwards said, her uniform crisp, her badge bearing its black memorial band honoring her fallen friend. “Lauren spoke, with certainty in her voice, that she was going to be the officer that anyone could rely on, no matter the situation. She wanted to be the peace and strength for people in their hardest moments. And she was.”
While Craven’s life partner of four years, Miles Melendres spoke, her mother, Belle Craven, comforted him, rubbing his back as he became emotional and his voice broke. After he left the podium, Belle shared tender reminders of her daughter and their profound connection.
“At this stage in her life, she was very happy,” Belle said. “She was confident, she loved being a police officer and all that came with it. She loved the people around her, and she was truly coming into her own.
“For this, I will always be grateful,” Belle said, becoming overwhelmed with emotion. “And although there will always be a hole in my heart for my dear, sweet Lauren, I will try to stay open to the joy that I know she would have wanted for all of us.”
Craven’s father, David, wearing a simple black suit and maroon tie, was one of the final speakers, other than a pair of chaplains from the La Mesa and San Diego police departments. He spoke at length, recalling Lauren’s tenacity and drive to become an officer after some interactions with detectives — some good, some bad, he said — following an incident involving her in college.
“I’m gonna miss the hugs, the visits, the trips, most of all those calls at 6:30 in the morning: They were like gold,” David said. “I’ll have my memories, but, most of all, we can all take comfort that she reached her dream. With the help of the academy [training officers] and for the training from her fellow officers, she became a fully fledged officer of the La Mesa Police Department and all the opportunities to serve with compassion that come with that. Nothing else would have made her half as happy.”
A lengthy slideshow followed, highlighting all parts and times of the young officer’s life, with musical accompaniment by Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love,” concluding with a scripted onscreen statement from Lauren: “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.”
Following the service, there were two flag presentations to honor Craven, the officers solemnly folding the flags, all uniformed officers exiting the chapel first, other than LMPD, assembling outdoors on the patio outside the church doors, followed then by command staff and elected officials, and, finally family and LMPD.
Officials then staged ceremonial honors for Craven outside, bagpipers playing the tribute song, “Going Home.” A riderless horse then passed through the proceedings, a custom to honor those fallen in the line of duty. The United States Border Patrol Rifle team then commenced a 21-gun salute, with seven honor-guard members firing three shots each, an honor only extended to police officers who have died in the line of duty, the bugle notes of “Taps” soon rending the air, a flag at half-staff visible on the grounds, all officers saluting.
Finally, the casket was escorted by pallbearers to the hearse, the bagpipers playing “Amazing Grace.”
After the outdoor ceremony, Craven was moved back to El Camino Memorial on Carroll Canyon Road in Sorrento Valley for a private ceremony for family members.
A second, earlier procession for Craven was held on Thursday, when Craven’s body was brought from the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s office to El Camino Memorial.
A nighttime candlelight vigil at police headquarters on University Avenue on Monday for Craven was held by LMPD and began at 6:30 p.m. Candles were lit for Craven, with speakers providing brief remarks before the vigil concluded with a moment of silence.
The flames flickering were described as a symbol of the light that the fallen officer brought to others. San Diego Regional Training Academy Officer Ricardo Pinon said her life is now used to inspire cadets.
“The life she lived is an inspiration for us all,” Pinon said. “We want each and every one of them to have her heart, to have her passion and have the love that she has for the community, and the service to the family, because we could respect the things she has done.”
Abigail Hentschae, one of Craven’s best friends, recalled their talks in college about Craven’s desire to become a police officer.
“She expressed that she wanted to be there to help the victims of crimes, to be, you know, light on people’s worst day of their life,” said Hentschae, who’s now an EMT.
As one of her favorite songs, “Say Yes to Heaven” played, there were hugs, tears and heartache. But family, friends and colleagues say despite her death, her life, service and sacrifice will live on.
“She had all that talent, and we are so blessed to have known her, so blessed to have her, and we love it and miss her,” Pinon said.
Another vigil and fundraiser was held Friday in La Mesa at the Pink Rose Café on La Mesa Boulevard and was attended both by members of the police department as well as supporters.
“Just like the police department supports us, we want them to know that we support them, and 100 % of the proceeds today will be donated to the family,” cafe owner Nadia Zamora said on Friday.
“I think we really come together when times are tough, and this is just another example of that,” said Bonnie Hayman, a La Mesa resident who stopped by to offer her support.
THE FATAL CRASH
Craven, 25, was killed late last Monday night when a Toyota Camry driven by a DUI suspect struck her and 19-year-old De’Veonte Morris of San Diego, who had gotten into a five-vehicle pileup that left his car overturned on eastbound Interstate 8 near Fairmount Avenue. Both Craven — a Bend, Oregon, native who celebrated her most recent birthday Oct. 7 — and Morris died at the scene of the crash.
The suspect, a 38-year-old La Mesa man who was driving the Camry, 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.
FAMILY MOURNS THEIR LOSS
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 6 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,” Craven 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.”
Craven wants to make sure his daughter’s memory stays alive. He told NBC 7 how her plan to wear a badge evolved from her own personal trauma in Los Angeles. It was an incident, he said, that began with a spiked drink and ended with help from detectives and police.
“ ‘I want to be that person for other women and others — anybody in trouble that needs me,’ ” Craven remembered her saying. “She decided right then and there: ‘I’m going to become a police officer.’ “
Craven’s father also shared a story about how her perseverance got her through the police academy a second time when the first pass didn’t work out. He also talked about the praise she received from fellow officers when she assisted in a high-speed chase, still as a trainee. NBC 7 cameras were rolling that day in May 2025, during a breaking news incident.
“I hate that she’s not able to continue her career, but I’m focused on the fact that she got to her dream,” Craven said. “It was the start of it, and she was never happier.”
The La Mesa Police Officers’ Association is conducting a donation campaign with a goal of raising $75,000 to help support Craven’s family. As of Monday morning, the effort had garnered $49,751.
TRIBUTES FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT
Craven’s death in the line of duty 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 said at a news conference last 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 CHP said in a statement released last week. “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.”
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.
The last memorial services for a fallen police officer in San Diego County took place in September 2024, for SDPD officer Austin Machitar, who was killed in the line of duty in a fiery crash in Clairemont on Aug. 26. Craven was the first LMPD officer ever killed in the line of duty, according to La Mesa police.
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