Toronto police officer arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol after accident in Pickering | The Canadian News

A Toronto police officer was arrested for driving under the influence Thursday after a collision in Pickering, authorities say.

In a news release, Toronto police said around 7 p.m., a man was driving east on Highway 401 through Pickering when he collided with a vehicle headed in the same direction.

Responding officers believed the man to be incapacitated, police said.

He was also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Superintendent Riyaz Hussein, 54, who has been with the Toronto Police Service for 33 years, was charged by the Ontario Provincial Police. He was not on duty at the time of the incident.

The Toronto police statement said Hussein was assigned to the Office of Disciplinary Hearings, which oversees police court matters.

“The Toronto Police Service recognizes the public interest implicit in the role of the Hearing Officer and is proactively disclosing this information to the public,” the statement said.

Hussein has been charged with operating a motor vehicle with more than 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, reckless driving, and having care or control of a motor vehicle with open alcohol.

He has been suspended with pay.