Indian-origin trucker who killed 3 in California crash was sober
What's the story
Jashanpreet Singh, a 21-year-old Indian-origin driver who crashed his semi-truck, killing three people in California last month, was not inebriated, US investigators said, contradicting earlier reports. The case, however, remains a grossly negligent homicide, the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office said. Singh was initially arrested on October 21 on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) and was charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence as well as DUI causing injury in the multi-vehicle crash.
Legal proceedings
Charges against Singh
An updated complaint now includes three counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and a new charge of reckless driving on a highway causing specified injury. Eyewitness and dashcam footage showed Singh speeding into stopped traffic, raising questions about his driving behavior. "Frankly, it was easily avoidable...Had the rule of law been followed by State and Federal officials, the defendant should have never been in California at all," San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson had said.
Immigration concerns
Potential flight risk
Singh was not granted bail, and police have stated that they will continue to request no bail due to the gravity of the offense and his flight risk. According to a Fox News article from last month, Singh, an illegal immigrant, crossed the US's southern border in 2022 and was freed pending an immigration hearing.
Recurring incidents
Another Indian-origin driver involved in fatal crash
This is not an isolated incident. On August 12, another Indian-origin truck driver Harjinder Singh was involved in a crash in Florida, killing three people. Harjinder faces three counts of vehicular homicide for his actions. Following this incident, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a pause on issuing commercial truck driver work visas. "The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on US roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers," Rubio said.