A 30-year-old Indian national accused of fleeing the scene of a fatal multi-vehicle crash in California earlier this year was arrested in Utah last month after a routine traffic stop, according to The Daily Wire, which first reported the case.
Chamkaur Singh was taken into custody on September 1 in Moab, Utah, when police pulled over the semi-truck he was driving for speeding. A check revealed an active California warrant for his arrest in connection with a March 29 collision in Ontario, California, that left two people dead.
Body camera footage of the Utah stop, described by The Daily Wire, shows officers placing Singh in handcuffs and telling him he was wanted in California. “We got in touch with California, San Bernardino County, they confirmed it is you on that warrant, so at this time you are under arrest. So you are going to jail today,” an officer says. Singh appears to make an unintelligible sound but otherwise does not react.
A Deadly Chain of Events
The Ontario crash unfolded as Singh approached an existing accident scene and rear-ended a sedan, killing a passenger and leaving the driver critically injured, according to KSL Utah. He then triggered a multi-car pileup before driving onto the right shoulder, where he struck a disabled vehicle. That impact pushed the disabled car into a pedestrian, killing them. Two other individuals also died in the incident, which involved a firearm, the Salt Lake Tribune reported, citing local police.
Singh allegedly fled before authorities could arrive. He remained at large for five months until the Utah traffic stop.
Immigration History and Licensing Questions
Singh crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in August 2021 by scaling the wall in Arizona, according to law enforcement sources cited by The Daily Wire. Border Patrol agents apprehended him but released him shortly afterward. He required a Punjabi translator to communicate with agents and told them he had left India in December 2020, traveling through Dubai, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico before reaching the U.S. border in July 2021. He said he intended to find work in California.
By January 2024, an immigration judge had ordered Singh’s deportation, according to immigration court records. He appealed the removal order, and that appeal remains pending.
Despite the deportation order, Singh obtained a California Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) on May 10, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told The Daily Wire. His driving record includes three convictions — for improper lane or location, following too closely, and speeding — yet the CDL remained active.
Political Fallout
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin seized on the case to criticize California’s sanctuary policies and the Biden administration’s border handling.
“Due to the Biden Administration’s open borders and Gavin Newsom’s sanctuary policies, this criminal was released into our country and granted a commercial driver’s license,” Mullin said in a statement. “DHS is calling on Gavin Newsom and other sanctuary politicians to eliminate these deadly sanctuary policies that give handouts to illegal aliens at the cost of American lives. Illegal aliens have no right to be in our country or on our roadways.”
The California governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Federal Detainer and Ongoing Investigation
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a detainer for Singh on September 2, asking local authorities to hand him over to federal custody if he is released. He is currently being held at the Grand County Jail.
The Department of Transportation has opened an investigation into the trucking company that employed Singh, a department official said.
The case highlights persistent tensions over sanctuary jurisdictions and the vetting of commercial drivers. It also raises questions about how an individual with a pending deportation appeal and multiple driving convictions was able to obtain and keep a commercial license.
Singh’s next court appearance in California has not been announced. The Daily Wire’s report did not indicate whether he has entered a plea or retained legal counsel.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-illegal-immigrant-trucker-caught-months-after-killing-two-people-in-california-hit-and-run