Assistant Chief Maurita Bryant, of the Pittsburgh Police Bureau, couldn't bring herself to describe a Crafton patrolman as "an officer" after he was arrested yesterday in connection with a fatal hit-and-run on the South Side in 2007.

Patrolman Donnie L. Breeden, 38, of Green Tree, a 15-year veteran of the force, surrendered to Pittsburgh police yesterday. Accompanied by an attorney, he was charged with one count each of involuntary manslaughter and an accident involving death or personal injury, police said.

The victim, David Hall, 24, of Moon, was killed July 20, 2007, as he was walking in the 1500 block of West Carson Street near the Duquesne Incline.

Chief Bryant, who announced the arrest at a news conference at police headquarters on the North Side, said the break in the case came from an anonymous tip four days ago.

"Homicide detectives have been interviewing people ever since then, and we were able to obtain enough probable cause to get an arrest warrant for ... I don't even want to say 'officer,' " she said. "For Breeden."

According to police reports at the time, Mr. Hall crossed West Carson Street on foot about 11:45 p.m. and approached a bus driver who was pulled over in front of the Duquesne Incline. Mr. Hall wanted to know which bus he should take to get back to his home in Moon.

But as he stepped back from the bus driver's window into the street, a dark-colored sport utility vehicle hit him.

Mr. Hall then was struck two more times by inbound traffic and died at the scene, police said.

At the time of the crash, it was believed that the driver of the SUV briefly returned to the scene, then left. (The other two drivers did stop.)

"But from our investigation we learned that it was an acquaintance of [Officer Breeden's] who actually returned to the scene," Chief Bryant said. "Witnesses remembered him asking questions about the victim's condition and what they saw."

Several other people, Chief Bryant said, have known of Officer Breeden's involvement in the accident, and there is a possibility that there might be additional arrests.

Police said Officer Breeden was driving the 2003 dark gray Chevy Trailblazer, suspected of being the vehicle involved in the accident, when he turned himself in yesterday.

"Just from initial observation by the detectives, they could tell that the vehicle had been repaired," Chief Bryant said. "The striping was different, the paint was different. The area where impact would have occurred had been repaired."

Chief Bryant would not comment on whether Officer Breeden was suspected of being intoxicated at the time of the accident, when he and some friends were traveling from Noblestown Road in Green Tree to the South Side.

"All we know is that he was headed to the South Side to meet friends at another bar or night club when the accident occurred," she said. "Some friends who had been following in a vehicle -- they were all going to the same location -- [were among] the people that stopped at the scene."

While describing the incident and the arrest, Chief Bryant did little to contain her contempt for Officer Breeden and his actions.

"He would have known better," she said. "But I guess he figured he'd take his chances since nobody at the scene really got a good look at him. Or at least he thought nobody did.

"This is like a slap in the face for every police officer who honors their badge. All he had to do was just stop. If he had been drinking or he hadn't been drinking, you stop, you render aid. You wait for police officers to arrive and report the information. He chose to keep going and keep it a secret for all this time."

Officer Breeden graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1992 with a degree in criminology. A 1993 graduate of the Allegheny County Police Academy, he served as a patrolman in Oakdale and Stowe before joining the Crafton Police Department in 1994. From 2002 to 2006, he was a member of the district attorney's Drug Task Force.

At a Jan. 24, 2007, meeting, however, the Crafton Borough Council voted 7-1 not to appeal a letter of reprimand placed in Officer Breeden's personnel file by the Civil Service Commission. The subject of the reprimand could not be determined last night.

Crafton Mayor Susan O'Connell last night said Officer Breeden remains on the force for now, but, "everything is under consideration" concerning his future with the department.

Officer Breeden was being held at the Allegheny County Jail last night. Chief Bryant said the investigation in the accident is continuing.