Police Officer Arrested After Crash on I-8 Kills 2

An off-duty San Diego police officer was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter after the car he was driving crashed late Thursday night on Interstate 8 in Imperial County, killing two other men in the car as they headed for a weekend of dove hunting.

Arrested by the California Highway Patrol was Kevin Rausis, 28, a seven-year veteran of the San Diego Police Department currently assigned to its traffic division.

The one-car accident killed Rausis’ brother, Kenneth Rausis, 38, and a brother-in-law, John Walker, 27. Another brother-in-law, Michael Walker, 40, was flown by Life Flight to UC San Diego Medical Center, where he was listed Friday night in critical condition with head and chest injuries.

All four men were from San Diego.

A CHP spokesman said Rausis, who was treated for minor injuries at El Centro Regional Medical Center, was released on his own recognizance pending an investigation and an analysis of his blood for the presence of alcohol.

A blood sample was taken from Rausis and was being kept by authorities until it could be tested, CHP Officer Dave Watts said.

The four men were eastbound on I-8 about 11:30 p.m. Thursday when Kevin Rausis, who was driving the four-wheel-drive station wagon, reportedly got distracted while trying to change a tape in his cassette player, Watts said.

Rausis, who was traveling about 65 m.p.h.--legal for that stretch of highway--looked up and saw a slower-moving car ahead of him, Watts said. Rausis tried to swerve to miss the slower vehicle, and his own vehicle skidded and overturned, ejecting the Walker brothers, Watts said.

Investigators at the scene detected an odor of alcohol and an empty beer bottle, Watts said, and arrested Rausis.