Mountie arrested in fatal crash present at airport Taser death

AnRCMP officer who allegedly failed a breathalyzer test after being arrested following a fatal crash in Delta, B.C.,on Saturday night was also present when a Polish immigrant died at Vancouver airport last October, police confirmed Tuesday.

Police have not released the name of the officer, who has not been charged in either incident. Orion Hutchinson, 21, was killed in the crash.

But RCMP Sgt. Tim Shields confirmedthe officerwas one of four present when Robert Dziekanski died shortly after being shot with a Taser stun gun by police at Vancouver International Airport on Oct. 14, 2007.

"I can also confirm that this particular off-duty RCMP member was one of the members who were involved with the incident at the airport that resulted in the death of Mr. Dziekanski," Shields said.

"On behalf of all RCMP members and employees from across Canada, we'd like to state that this is the most unimaginable heartbreak ever and we are sick about it. We'd like to let the Hutchinson family know our most heartfelt and sincere condolences are with you," he said.

The officer was arrested on Saturday night after a fatal traffic accident in Delta left one man dead. Police said the driver of a Jeep failed a breathalyzer test following his arrest.

Hutchinson was westbound on his motorcycle on 6th Avenue in Tsawwassen,a community inDelta,when he collided with the eastbound Jeep at the intersection of Gilchrist Drive, according to a statement released Tuesday morning by Delta police.

Hutchinson was thrown from his bike, suffered traumatic injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Nearby residents heard the crash and rushed to the scene, said a woman who lives nearby. She saw the Jeep driver exit the vehicle and hand his driver's licence to a bystander, she said.

"He fled long before any emergency vehicle even showed up. He didn't even go to see how the victim was," said the woman, who asked not to be named.

"He just handed his licence and took off with a child in each hand. Now he's driving impaired, two kids in his car," she said.

Hutchinson's mother is a personal trainer and his father is a local firefighter. The pair were told by police not to speak to the media because it might interfere with the RCMP investigation.

A trust fund has been set up for the Hutchinson family ata TD Canada Trust branch in Tsawwassen.

Officer failed breathalyzer: police

An off-duty member of the RCMP was arrestedshortly after the crashand transported to the Delta police headquarters, where he took a breathalyzer test and failed, according to the Delta police statement.

The officer was later released without being charged on apromise to appear in Surrey provincial court on Jan. 15, Const. Paul Eisenzimmertold CBC News on Tuesday morning.

An earlier policepress release incorrectly stated the officer had been charged with impaired driving causing death and exceeding a blood alcohol level of 0.08.

Eisenzimmersaid those charges haveonly beenrecommended toCrown prosecutors. He saidthe incident remains under investigation and it will be some time before Crown prosecutors can determine whether to lay charges and if they do, which charges.

"Every occupation has people who are responsible and people who aren't. I hope that the public will look at it and say, 'Generally speaking, we still have faith in the police service,' " Eisenzimmer said.

Delta police said their victim services unit had been in contact with the Hutchinson family.