Semi-truck driver arrested in lethal crash on Southern California freeway was in U.S. illegally, DHS says

A semi-truck driver who was arrested for driving below the affect following a lethal crash on the ten Freeway in Ontario on Tuesday is in the USA illegally, based on officers with the Division of Homeland Safety. 

They advised CBS Information that 21-year-old Jashanpreet Singh is an Indian nationwide who entered the nation by crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in 2022. He’s a resident of Yuba Metropolis, California, which is positioned in Sutter County, about 120 miles northeast of San Francisco. 

Singh was arrested on Tuesday by California Freeway Patrol officers in reference to an eight-vehicle collision that included 4 business autos. The crash left three folks lifeless and 4 others hospitalized in various circumstances. The entire victims had been adults, Ontario Fireplace Division crews mentioned. 

San Bernardino County jail information present that Singh stays detained on Wednesday evening on the West Valley Detention Middle in San Bernardino with out bail. He has been charged with driving below the affect of medication inflicting bodily damage and gross vehicular manslaughter whereas intoxicated. He is anticipated in court docket on Thursday on the Rancho Superior Court docket in Rancho Cucamonga. 

CBS Sacramento reporters spoke with Singh’s greatest buddy, Gurjot Malhar, on Wednesday night. He advised them that Singh got here to the U.S. in the hunt for a greater life. 

“He is a tremendous man. … He would discuss usually, fortunately, at all times with love and care,” Malhar mentioned. “Coming from India, it is gonna be arduous to make {dollars} right here. … So, he wished to maintain going.”

It is unclear if Singh at present has authorized illustration. CHP officers advised CBS LA that they had been investigating if Singh was driving with a sound business driver’s license on the time of the crash.

In August, the U.S. authorities stopped issuing employee visas for business truck drivers. On the time, a State Division spokesperson mentioned that the pause was put in place “in an effort to conduct a complete and thorough evaluate of screening and vetting protocols used to find out the {qualifications} for a U.S. visa.”

“As we have now seen with latest lethal accidents, overseas truckers can pose dangers to American lives, U.S. nationwide safety, and overseas coverage pursuits,” the State Division spokesperson mentioned. “Making certain that each driver on our roads meets the very best requirements is essential to defending the livelihoods of American truckers and sustaining a safe, resilient provide chain.”

California and Washington had been sued by Florida final week for a crash that occurred in August that left three folks lifeless after the driving force of a semi-truck tried to carry out an unlawful U-turn on the Florida Turnpike in St. Lucie County. The driving force in that crash, Harjinder Singh, additionally entered the U.S. illegally and obtained a business driver’s license from California, U.S. Marshals advised CBS Information Miami in September.

The lawsuit alleges that each states have did not adjust to federal security and immigration-status necessities when issuing business driver’s licenses. The swimsuit says that California and Washington “selected to disregard these requirements and authorize unlawful immigrants with out correct coaching or the power to learn highway indicators to drive business motor autos.”