Authorities Wednesday publicly identified two sheriff’s deputies involved in an on-duty shooting that left a vehicle-theft suspect and a police officer wounded in El Cajon last week.
San Diego County sheriff’s Deputies David Lovejoy and Jonathon Young opened fire on 31-year-old Erik Talavera last Wednesday when he allegedly confronted them with a knife in his hand and refused to drop it during a multi-agency traffic stop in the 1100 block of Decker Street, according to the El Cajon Police Department.
Talavera was hospitalized in stable condition. Also suffering non-life-threatening injuries during the encounter was a National City police detective assisting in the enforcement operation.
The events that led to the gunfire began about 10:15 p.m., when undercover investigators with the San Diego Regional Auto Theft Task Force requested assistance from uniformed sheriff’s personnel to conduct a stop on a van pulling a stolen trailer, ECPD Lt. Randy Soulard said.
Authorities have yet to disclose exactly how the National City police officer, whose name has not been released, wound up wounded by gunfire during the encounter with Talavera. Police did not report, however, that any personnel at the scene other than Lovejoy and Young fired their guns.
Lovejoy has been with the sheriff’s department for eight years, and Young for about six. As is standard protocol in cases of law enforcement shootings, they will serve administrative assignments until they are cleared to return to field duty, officials said.
