Overview
- Jashanpreet Singh, 21, entered not guilty pleas to three counts of gross vehicular manslaughter and one count of DUI causing injury, and he remains jailed without bail with an ICE detainer lodged against him and a court date set for Nov. 4.
- Prosecutors allege he was speeding and impaired when his semitruck struck stopped traffic on Oct. 21 in Ontario, killing three and injuring at least three others, with dashcam video showing no braking before impact.
- The Department of Homeland Security says Singh is an Indian national who entered the U.S. illegally in 2022, and the Department of Transportation says he held a non‑domiciled CDL as an asylum-seeker.
- DOT says the California DMV removed a restriction and upgraded Singh’s CDL on Oct. 15 without applying emergency federal standards issued Sept. 26 that tightened eligibility for noncitizen CDLs.
- California officials contend federal employment authorization enabled the license under federal law, as state and federal investigations review the licensing timeline and compliance, with federal leaders warning of consequences.