Otay Mesa

A San Diego County deputy sheriff was wounded and a Mexican national was killed early Saturday in a shoot-out between the San Diego Border Crime Unit and a group of illegal aliens.

The border unit, composed of sheriff’s deputies and San Diego city police officers, were patrolling in the Otay River Valley about 1:30 a.m. when they spotted a man lying on the ground. As the officers approached, a second man with a gun appeared and ordered them to lie on the ground or be killed, a San Diego police spokesman said.

The second man fired a single shot and the officers returned the fire, killing the gunman. During the exchange of gunfire, Sheriff’s Deputy John Rahm was wounded in the leg, the police spokesman said. Rahm was taken by Life Flight helicopter to UCSD Medical Center, where he was reported in good condition Saturday.

The law enforcement team arrested two Mexican nationals, Jose Pinada, 19, and Herculio Gutierrez, 18. Both men were booked into County Jail on suspicion of robbery.

The dead man has not been identified, the police spokesman said.