A blood drive and a rally will be held in support of the veteran police officer who was targeted and struck by a driver while on duty in Oceanside, according to the Oceanside Police Officers' Association.
"As a community, we need to join together and condemn these acts of violence against law enforcement and, in particular, our fellow officer who lies in the hospital struggling to recover from serious injuries he sustained when a suspect drove his car directly into him," said Martin Morabe, President of the Oceanside Police Officer Association and fellow motorcycle officer, in a statement.
"We condemn this apparent act of violence toward one of our officers and urge the community to support him and his family," said Morabe.
Brad Hunter, a 29-year veteran of the department, was intentionally run over by a driver while he was conducting a traffic stop on another vehicle. He was seriously injured and flown to Scripps Memorial Hospital by an air ambulance.
The suspect was arrested shortly after, and faces charges of attempted murder.
At the hospital, Hunter was placed in a medically-induced coma.
He is beginning to show signs of improvement and should be released from the hospital soon, according to prosecutors.
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"Fortunately, Officer Hunter is now conscious and is doing well and is expected to be able to be discharged from the hospital at some point in the near future," said Deputy District Attorney Keith Watanabe.
The association is still working out the event details for the blood drive and rally. They will release more information soon.
"We need to send a strong message to all who wish to cause harm to those who protect us that we will not tolerate such egregious acts here in Oceanside or anywhere else in this great country," said Morabe.
