Indian-origin truck driver facing homicide charges in US denied bond

New York, Aug 23 (PTI) An Indian-origin truck driver, accused of causing a deadly crash that killed three people on a Florida highway, was denied bond on Saturday, according to a media report.

Harjinder Singh, 28, faces three counts of vehicular homicide for allegedly making an illegal U-turn in his tractor-trailer that caused the deadly crash in Fort Pierce on August 12.

A minivan then slammed into the trailer, killing all three people inside. Singh and a passenger in his truck were not injured.

St. Lucie County Judge Lauren Sweet ruled that Singh is an “unauthorised alien” and a “substantial flight risk”, Fox News reported.

The judge also found probable cause for all six charges against Singh and classified them as forcible felonies under Florida law.

"There are no conditions of release that will ensure your appearance at trial. Therefore, sir, I’m setting your bond on each charge at no bond," Sweet ruled.

Singh appeared virtually from the St. Lucie County Jail, with the help of an interpreter.

He was arrested in California’s Stockton last week and extradited back to Florida.

Singh crossed into the US illegally in 2018 and obtained a commercial driver’s license in California, Fox News reported.

The accident sparked a clash between the US Department of Homeland Security and California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.

"He thought he could run. @GovRonDeSantis and I brought him back to face justice," Lt Governor of Flordia Jay Collins, a Republican, said in a post on social media.

Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said in a social media post that issuing a commercial license to someone in the country illegally is "asinine".

"3 innocent people were killed in Florida because Gavin Newsom’s California DMV issued an illegal alien a Commercial Driver’s License - this state of governance is asinine," McLaughlin said.

"How many more innocent people have to die before @GavinNewsom stops playing games with the safety of the American public? We pray for the victims and their families," she added.

Over a week after the incident, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a pause to all issuances of commercial truck driver work visas.

“The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on US roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” Rubio posted on social media. PTI GSP GSP