A 67-year-old man was seriously injured when he stepped in front of a truck in the Clairemont Mesa area Monday afternoon.

The collision took place around 2:20 P.M. on Monday at 6900 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, according to the San Diego Police Department.

A 68-year-old man driving a 2012 Ford F-150 truck reportedly struck the pedestrian after he stepped in front of the truck during the vehicle’s right-of-way on the off-ramp of the 805 to Clairemont Mesa Boulevard. .

The victim was taken to a hospital with a fractured skull. His injuries were non life-threatening, and alcohol was not a factor, police said.

Police asked anyone with information related to the collision to call SDPD or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

City News Service contributed to this report.

The county Medical Examiner’s Office Tuesday identified a motorist killed in a collision on a Clairemont-area freeway entrance that also badly injured another driver.

Officials said 39-year-old Andrea Zerlina Salinas suffered fatal injuries, as confirmed by paramedics.

The crash occurred at about 8:30 a.m. Monday when a 45-year-old man lost control of his Toyota Camry while exiting eastbound state Route 52 at Regents Road, according to the San Diego Police Department.

The car veered across the city street, crossing over a roadway divider before colliding with a Hyundai Elantra on an on-ramp to the freeway, SDPD Officer Lawanda Fisher said.

Salinas, the Elantra driver, died at the scene of the accident. Paramedics took the other motorist to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla for treatment of serious but non-life-threatening injuries, Fisher said.

–City News Service

A collision on a Clairemont-area freeway entrance left one motorist dead Monday and another badly injured, authorities reported.

The fatal crash occurred about 8:30 a.m., when a 45-year-old man lost control of his Toyota Camry while exiting eastbound state Route 52 at Regents Road, according to the San Diego Fire- Rescue Department.

The car veered across the city street, crossing over a roadway divider before colliding with a Hyundai Elantra on an onramp to the freeway, SDPD Officer Lawanda Fisher said.

The 39-year old driver of the Elantra died at the scene of the accident. Her name was withheld pending family notification.

Paramedics took the other motorist to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla for treatment of serious but non-life threatening injuries, Fisher said.

Updated at 3:57 p.m. Oct. 3, 2022

— City News Service

 A group of civic and health leaders Monday announced the imminent opening of a Monoclonal Antibody Regional Center in the Clairemont area to provide on-site COVID-19 testing and early treatment at no cost for anyone who is medically eligible, regardless of health insurance or immigration status.

“This site is incredibly important for our city, county and region,” Mayor Todd Gloria said.

“While vaccinations are the main weapon in the fight against COVID- 19, providing early antibody treatment alongside testing will ensure that those who do test positive receive immediate care,” he said. “This site is crucial in the fight against COVID-19, relieving the burden on local hospitals and benefiting nearby schools that rely on regular testing to remain open.”

MARC sites are intended to provide early antibody treatment that can help COVID-19 patients fight the virus without having to go to a hospital. The treatment has been authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat people with mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19.

Post-exposure prophylaxis is a preventive treatment started after exposure to prevent illness. However, monoclonal antibodies are not a replacement for vaccination.

“Monoclonal antibodies are a good reason to trust science,” said Nathan Fletcher, chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. “Since February, more than 1,600 people have received monoclonal antibody treatment at seven treatment centers the County of San Diego has opened. This new treatment center will save more lives from COVID-19 and is another example of how Mayor Gloria is committed to the city and county working together to take actions that meet the needs of our communities.”

The site is located at the Cathy Hopper Clairemont Friendship Center at 4425 Bannock Ave. and is anticipated to open next week to provide treatment to all medically eligible individuals. Onsite testing will be provided soon afterward.

“Prevention by vaccination is best way to protect our community from COVID-19,” said Council President Jennifer Campbell. “However, if you are infected with COVID-19, the monoclonal antibody treatment saves lives and reduces suffering. This new center will give our neighbors convenient access to this treatment.”

Other MARC sites are available in Escondido, at Vista Community Clinic and through Family Health Centers of San Diego in Hillcrest and Chula Vista.

“Having the Cathy Hopper Friendship Center now serve temporarily as a Monoclonal Antibody Regional Center truly shows how we as a city are able to partner, evolve and meet the needs of our residents,” said Councilman Chris Cate.

–City News Service

A man accused of trying to gun down a pair of police snipers during a 2016 Clairemont-area SWAT standoff explicitly stated his intent to kill officers, a prosecutor alleged Tuesday, while a defense attorney maintained that mental illness coupled with an act of excessive force sent his client over the edge.

Hayden Abraham Gerson, 36, is accused of firing on two police snipers who were positioned on the roof of a home adjacent to his residence, as well as choking a lawman and a police dog and punching another officer on Dec. 12, 2016.

He faces 44 years to life in prison if convicted of 11 felony counts, including attempted murder of a police officer, interfering with an officer and harm to, or interference with, a police dog causing great bodily injury.

Deputy District Attorney Oscar Hagstrom said in his closing argument that two officers responded to Gerson’s home due to a number of disturbing the peace calls, some of which indicated that domestic violence might be involved. One of the calls was placed by Gerson himself, who told officers he was only joking and there was no emergency.

Around 9:30 p.m., officers found Hayden’s ex-girlfriend in front of the home. She told the officers that Gerson was on drugs and believed he was the Hindu god Lord Shiva, according to the prosecutor.

Gerson was eventually contacted and asked the officers several times why they were there, Hagstrom said. The officers tried to detain Gerson, but he refused, and was subsequently zapped with a stun gun, which was ineffective, according to body-worn camera footage played for the jury.

Gerson then choked one of the officers “nearly to unconsciousness” and punched that officer’s partner in the face, Hagstrom alleged. He said Gerson only released his grip on the officer’s throat when the lawman’s partner struck Gerson in the head with a baton.

“I will (expletive) murder you,” Gerson can be heard saying on the body camera footage. “Call it in, see what happens. I’ll (expletive) you up.”

Hagstrom said Gerson’s statements were “some of the best possible evidence regarding someone’s intent that you can get in an attempted murder case.”

Gerson then retreated back into his home and emerged with what turned out to be an unloaded gun, which prompted a SWAT team response.

About two hours after the initial response, Gerson opened fire on officers out of his bedroom window and the officers returned fire, but no one was struck, Hagstrom said. A short time later, police fired tear gas into the home and Gerson came out of the residence unarmed, but choked a police dog prior to being arrested, the prosecutor said.

Multiple weapons and “more than 600 rounds of ammunition” were discovered inside the home, according to Hagstrom, who said Gerson was “preparing for war.”

Defense attorney Michael Pancer told the jury that Gerson did not fire directly at the officers but rather into the air, in just one of a series of irrational actions he engaged in that night, illustrative of his delusional thought process.

In addition to suffering from bipolar mania and psychosis, Pancer said that the baton blow to the head and use of a stun gun left Gerson with a traumatic brain injury, which had to be taken into account when explaining his behavior that night.

A number of bizarre claims Gerson made in the months leading up to the shooting were on display throughout the trial, including beliefs that he was God and that he could control events such as volcanoes and earthquakes with his mind.

The attorney said that despite those delusions, Gerson generally functioned well, was successful both in his work and in raising his daughter, and was not a violent person. However, he said Gerson’s various bizarre statements were more than adequate evidence that the defendant suffers from mental illnesses and was not fully conscious of his actions.

Hagstrom alleged that excessive drug use fueled those delusions. The prosecutor also denied that the actions of the officers exacerbated Gerson’s mental condition, stating there was ample evidence of his erratic behavior dating well before the shooting.

Pancer alleged that the standoff escalated because Gerson’s ex- girlfriend had “an agenda to have him committed” and the attorney accused her of filing a false police report.

Pancer said the ex-girlfriend unsuccessfully tried to have Gerson involuntarily placed in a mental hospital that night, and when that failed, alleged that he’d been violent with her to prompt a police response.

When officers arrived, Gerson asked why they were at the home, but the officers tried to detain him without explaining why they were there, making their actions unlawful, the defense attorney said.

Jurors will begin deliberations on Wednesday morning.

— City News Service

A young man suffered major leg injuries Tuesday when his SUV veered off Interstate 805 in the Clairemont area and overturned.

The crash about 2 a.m. on the southbound I-805, south of Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, California Highway Patrol Officer Jake Sanchez said.

The 20-year-old driver lost control of his 2006 Jeep Liberty or unknown reasons and the SUV went off the side of the freeway and overturned, Sanchez said.

The unidentified motorist, who was the lone occupant of the SUV, was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego with major but non-life- threatening injuries to his right leg, Sanchez said.

Updated at 10:55 a.m. Sept. 25, 2018

–City News Service