DURHAM — The police officer charged Thursday with driving while impaired while on duty has been fired.

The officer, Kevin Adrian Stewart, 24, had been placed on administrative leave after rear-ending another car while driving his police cruiser Thursday morning.

"He has been dismissed due to a violation of the substance-abuse policy," said city spokeswoman Beverly B. Thompson. "It was a direct violation."

Stewart had been on the Durham police force since January 2009.

The accident that led to Stewart's dismissal happened just after 9 a.m. Thursday at Fayetteville Street and Timothy Avenue. Stewart, driving north on Fayetteville, collided with a 1999 Ford driven by Jose Carlos Martin-Vargas of 4311 Emerald Forest Drive, who was stopping for a red light.

According to the accident report, Stewart claimed he tried to stop but could not. He was treated for minor injuries at Duke Hospital, where he was charged with DWI. His blood-alcohol level has not been released.

Martin-Vegas was not hurt. The car he was driving belongs to Yamilka Esther Rosario Rosario of Raleigh.

Besides DWI, Stewart has been charged with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, according to Police Department spokeswoman Kammie Michael.

The accident report estimates damage to each vehicle at $4,500. The original estimate police reported Thursday was $2,500 each.