Video: Indian trucker high on drugs goes on ramming spree in US

A dashcam video of a 21-year-old Indian-origin truck driver, who ploughed his semi-truck into slow-moving traffic on a California freeway and left three people dead and four injured in a fiery chain-reaction crash, has emerged on the internet. The police said that at the time of the accident, Jashanpreet Singh was under the influence of drugs and that he did not apply the brakes despite ramming into multiple vehicles, according to a Fox News report.

Singh, an undocumented immigrant from Yuba City, California, was arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated after toxicology tests confirmed impairment.

The chaos unfolded Tuesday afternoon just east of the I-10 and I-15 freeways junction in Ontario, California. Singh, driving a Freightliner tractor-trailer, rear-ended an SUV amid congested traffic without braking, then rammed into eight vehicles, including four commercial trucks.

The crash sparked intense flames, engulfing multiple rigs and scattering debris across the interstate. Emergency crews rushed four victims to hospitals, while three people lost their lives in the crash, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) confirmed.

The initial impact was captured on a dashcam. Now, the dashcam video of the crash has gone viral.

ICE ISSUES A DETAINER AGAINST JASHANPREET SINGH

The driver has been identified as 21-year-old Jashanpreet Singh of Yuba City, California. He is an Indian national who reportedly entered the US illegally in early 2022.

Department of Homeland Security sources confirmed he is not in lawful immigration status and that ICE has lodged an immigration detainer following his arrest, Fox News reported.

Singh was released under the Biden administration’s 2022 “alternatives to detention” policy, according to Fox News.

The policy allowed certain migrants who cross the US border illegally to be released from federal custody while their immigration cases are pending, instead of being held in detention centers.

Singh remains in custody in San Bernardino County without bail while his next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday at Rancho Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga.

Authorities are probing whether he held a valid commercial driver’s licence, a requirement for operating heavy rigs.

ANOTHER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT FROM INDIA KILLED 3 IN US IN AUGUST

In August, another illegal immigrant, Harjinder Singh, from India killed three people while taking an illegal U-turn on a freeway in the US.

Harjinder Singh illegally crossed the border in 2018, secured a California CDL, and is charged with a fatal August crash in Fort Pierce, Florida, that killed three.

Officials investigating the wreck said Harjinder did not clear English proficiency and road sign tests.

A statement released by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Oct 15 points to a widespread issue among big rig drivers: inability to pass English language requirements, according to Fox News.

“I put states on notice this summer: enforce the Trump Administration’s English language requirements or the checks stop coming,” Duffy said.

“California is the only state in the nation that refuses to ensure big rig drivers can read our road signs and communicate with law enforcement. This is a fundamental safety issue that impacts you and your family on America’s road,” Duffy was quoted as saying by Fox News.

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