A fugitive trucker wanted in a fatal California pile-up was arrested in Utah after a routine traffic stop revealed an active commercial license and a nationwide homicide warrant.
Chamkaur Singh, 30, was pulled over by a Moab Police Department officer on Sept. 1 for allegedly driving 50 mph in a 30 mph zone on Highway 191 near 500 West, according to police. The Indian national, who the Department of Homeland Security says is in the country illegally, was behind the wheel of a semi-truck when the officer ran his California commercial driver’s license.
The check exposed a nationwide, no-bail warrant for homicide-vehicular manslaughter issued by the California Highway Patrol on April 4. Singh was arrested without incident, booked into Grand County Jail, cited for speeding, and his semi-truck was impounded. ICE lodged an immigration detainer against him the following day.
A Moab police sergeant confirmed Singh’s identity and determined he was wanted in connection with a deadly March 29 crash in Ontario, California. According to DHS, CHP officers were already responding to an earlier two-vehicle collision when a semi-truck traveling in the slow lane struck the back of a car, killing one passenger and critically injuring another person. The semi then hit another vehicle, killing a second person. Seven vehicles were ultimately involved in the crash, which also left two other people injured.
DHS said California issued Singh a commercial driver’s license on May 10, and that the license remains active. The agency noted Singh’s commercial driving record includes three convictions involving speeding, following too closely, and improper lane or location.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin criticized both the Biden administration’s immigration policies and California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s sanctuary policies in announcing the detainer. He called on California officials to change the state’s immigration policies.
According to DHS, Singh reported leaving India in December 2020 and traveling through several countries in South and Central America before crossing into Arizona in August 2021. US Border Patrol arrested Singh after he entered the country, but he was later released into the country.
Singh remains in custody in Utah with the immigration detainer and the California homicide warrant pending.