A San Diego police officer and the driver of another vehicle died when the driver collided with the officer’s car following a chase Monday night, police said.

A second officer, who was in the same police vehicle as the other officer, was injured and “fighting for his life” after being struck by the speeding car, Police Chief Scott Wahl said at a press conference Tuesday morning.

The fatal crash occurred after a police officer saw a vehicle “traveling at a high rate of speed” on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard and attempted to make a traffic stop, Wahl said.

The driver did not stop but sped away, leading to a brief chase before a supervisor called off the pursuit because of the dangerous speed, Wahl said.

“Two officers working together in a vehicle were searching for the fleeing suspect,” Wahl told reporters Tuesday. “And eventually, the suspect’s vehicle collided with the side of their own vehicle at a high rate of speed.”

The police officer killed was Officer Austin Machitar, a “boy from San Diego” who had been with the police for about five and a half years, Wahl said.

“Austin was the guy you wanted to have on your team,” Wahl said.

Machitar was a field instructor and trained the seriously injured officer, 29-year-old Officer Zach Martinez, in 2023, the police chief said.

Martinez is a Navy reservist and emergency medical technician from Texas who was on the force for about 1 1/2 years. “We’re optimistic he’s going to be OK, but he’s got a very long road ahead of him,” Wahl said.

The deceased driver of the suspect vehicle was not identified by police.

Wahl said that because of the emotions surrounding the officers’ deaths and serious injuries, the California Highway Patrol was asked to conduct an independent investigation.

This will include “a complete reconstruction of the exact events,” he said.

The fiery accident occurred on Monday around 11:30 p.m., reported NBC San Diego. A video from the station showed a silver sedan with a destroyed and dented front.

Two other vehicles were also involved in the accident, but both drivers were fine and suffered no significant injuries, police said.

“I can’t put into words the emotions that come up in a situation like this,” Wahl said. “When we have police officers who come to work to make a difference, to help those in need, and they put their lives on the line for people they don’t even know – and last night we lost a good police officer.”

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria expressed his condolences to the Machitar family and called him a hero. He said the city will stand by both the Machitar family and the Martinez family.

“I ask the people of San Diego to pray for Zach and his family. His wounds are extremely severe,” Gloria said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com.