[LA MESA, Calif. — Wed Jan 1, 1:18 a.m.]
A pedestrian was killed early Wednesday morning in a hit-and-run crash on Interstate 8 eastbound near Jackson Drive, leading to a multi-hour freeway shutdown during the investigation.
According to California Highway Patrol dispatch logs, officers were first called to the area just after 1:18 a.m. for a reported hit-and-run with injuries. Within minutes, the incident was upgraded to a vehicle-versus-pedestrian collision, with reports of a man walking in freeway lanes.
Fire crews were notified and responded to the scene. CHP later confirmed the collision as a fatality, triggering a hard closure of all eastbound lanes just west of Jackson Drive as traffic control points were established.
A white small sedan was described in early radio traffic, but no suspect information or arrests were announced during the closure. La Mesa Police assisted with shutting down the Spring Street on-ramp while CHP and Caltrans coordinated traffic breaks from multiple locations to manage the backup.
Eastbound lanes of I-8 remained closed for several hours while investigators worked the scene and crews cleared the roadway. Traffic was allowed to reopen shortly after 3 a.m.
The identity of the victim has not been released, and the investigation into the hit-and-run remains ongoing.
