SAN DIEGO – The San Diego District Attorney’s Office has filed charges against 25-year-old Yuhao Du, who is accused in a shooting that left a California Highway Patrol officer wounded earlier this week.

The 25-year-old is being charged with attempted murder of a peace officer, assault on a peace officer, taking a firearm from a peace officer, and causing great bodily injury.

Du is a graduate student at the University of California San Diego, working with the Fogler Theoretical Physics Lab. One of his colleagues, Akhil Premkumar, tells FOX 5, “He always seemed cheerful and upbeat to me. I am absolutely shocked at what happened. I can’t imagine what could have caused him to act this way.”

Tony Pacheco was shot in the leg Wednesday along a San Diego freeway after the suspect allegedly lunged at him and attempted to take the officer’s gun. Pacheco was taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, where he remains in “stable” condition, according to CHP Capt. Taylor Cooper.

According to court documents, in 2018, Du plead guilty to a “disturbing the peace” misdemeanor charge, which he received a three-year probationary sentence for.

Du was scheduled to be arraigned Friday afternoon but due to him being in enhanced observation housing, the court moved his hearing to Tuesday, May 3.

FOX 5 reached out to the accused’s lawyers but they had no comment at this time.