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Charges laid in limo driver death

A 20-year-old Calgary man is facing charges of impaired driving causing death, and dangerous driving causing death, in a Jan. 28 accident that killed 54-year-old limo driver Shafiqur Rahman of Delta.
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Photo by Bonny Makarewicz. bonmakphoto.com

A 20-year-old Calgary man is facing charges of impaired driving causing death, and dangerous driving causing death, in a Jan. 28 accident that killed 54-year-old limo driver Shafiqur Rahman of Delta.

Rahman, a married father of two, was driving for a Richmond-based company called Aerocar Service when he was killed.

The company's marketing and business development manager, Angela McKinnon, said after the announcement of the charges that her co-workers are happy the investigation is continuing on "the right track."

"We are anticipating closure once it is all said and done," said McKinnon. "This kind of came out of nowhere all of a sudden. There was a lull where not much was going on. As a company we're all still happy that it is moving in the right direction."

Doreen Ram, Aerocar's Chief Financial Officer, said at the time of the accident: "Mr. Rahman was respected as an excellent and professional chauffeur, who was well liked by his fellow chauffeurs, Aerocar's staff and all who knew him. "

The suspect, Jacob Mitzimberg, was driving northbound in his pickup truck when he crossed the centre line just south of the intersection at Function Junction and struck the limo head-on. The limo driver was trapped inside the burning vehicle and died as a result of injuries.

The police report alleges that drugs impaired the driver, who was 19 at the time of the accident. Court documents obtained by CBC news after the accident reported that the driver might have been on LSD and drinking when the accident occurred.

The suspect, who was not injured in the crash, also allegedly told RCMP that there were explosives in his truck, which is one of the reasons that all three lanes of the highway were closed for almost 10 hours.

"This investigation, involving the RCMP's Sea to Sky Traffic Services and North Fraser Criminal Collision Investigation Team, has included more than 50 police officers and has spanned two provinces," said Sergeant Peter Thiessen, speaking for the Lower Mainland District Regional Police Service.

Mitzimberg will make his first court appearance on Dec. 5 in North Vancouver.

-additional reporting by John French