DUI charge dropped against semitruck driver in deadly California crash

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. -- An archetypal DUI complaint against the motortruck operator successful past month's deadly eight-vehicle pileup crash has been dropped aft toxicology results came backmost antagonistic for drugs oregon alcohol.

Jashanpreet Singh, 21, pleaded not blameworthy to his caller charges successful a Rancho Cucamonga courtroom Tuesday. He's present facing vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and reckless driving charges successful transportation to the fiery clang successful Ontario that near 3 radical dead, including a Pomona High School hoops manager and his wife.

His defence lawyer calls the deadly pileup a tragic accident, but the prosecution says the driver's actions were reckless, and that helium saw the slowing and stopped postulation but continued on, plowing into the victims.

"There is nary intoxication which makes him importantly little of a information to the community," said Jason Tucker with the San Bernardino County Public Defender's Office.

Eyewitness News obtained dash camera video of the convulsive crash, showing Singh's semitruck plowing into respective stopped vehicles on the 10 Freeway.

His nationalist defender urged the justice to acceptable bail, calling the clang a tragedy, not a crime.

"This is an accident, it's a tragic accident, but it is an accident. It's not thing that's done connected purpose," Tucker said. "Notably, helium is 21 years old. He has nary record, and determination is nary denotation that helium is simply a formation risk."

But the prosecution pushed back, saying Singh's actions down the instrumentality were not lone reckless, but deadly.

"The suspect indicated that helium saw the stopped and slowing postulation successful beforehand of him and continued to drive, and that is the grounds we person successful beforehand of the court," said Jamie Cimino with the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office. "Three radical died, galore others severely injured. One of the victims was truthful severely injured that each azygous time aft the mishap for astir a week, she had large surgeries."

The prosecution besides questioned Singh's migration status, saying his constricted clip successful the U.S. makes him a imaginable formation risk.

Judge Peel denied bail, ruling Singh posed a imaginable hazard to the assemblage based connected what helium called "reckless actions." He's owed backmost successful tribunal connected Nov. 6 for a preliminary hearing.

How did the operator get his CDL?

Singh was capable to get his commercialized driver's licence (CDL) through some authorities and national processes that were successful spot astatine the time. However, those processes changed connected a national level connected Sept. 26, conscionable implicit a period earlier the deadly crash.

The Department of Homeland Security issued an migration apprehension detainer connected Singh, who they accidental entered the U.S. illegally from India successful 2022.

According to Department of Motor Vehicles records, Singh did person a valid commercialized driver's licence to run a semitruck.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) released what it calls a "bombshell" report, accusing California of violating national instrumentality by allowing Singh to proceed driving erstwhile helium should person been disqualified.

The study says the authorities failed to enforce an exigency regularisation issued successful September -- 1 that tightened licensing requirements for each non-U.S. citizens.

In June, California issued Singh -- who is an asylum seeker -- a restricted, non-domiciled CDL with a "K" restriction, limiting driving to in-state.

In September, the national authorities paused each issuances of non-domiciled CDLs.

In October, Singh turned 21, and his "K" regularisation was removed. DOT officials say, if California had followed the caller rule, Singh's licence would person been denied due to the fact that of his presumption arsenic an asylum seeker.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's bureau pushed backmost connected those claims, saying:

"The national authorities approved and renewed this individual's national employment authorization aggregate times - which allowed him to get a commercialized driver's licence successful accordance with national law."

According to the California State Department of Transportation, Singh was issued a national enactment licence authorization until 2030.

The DOT is threatening to withhold astir $40 cardinal successful backing for California if the authorities does not commencement complying with the caller rules enactment successful spot since September.