PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (WSVN) — New body camera video shows the truck driver involved in a fatal Turnpike crash that killed three Floridians speaking English to an officer after the deadly crash was caught in the political crosshairs by state and federal officials.
The new video shows 28-year-old Harjinder Singh speaking with an officer after he was pulled over for speeding near Santa Fe, New Mexico, in July.
“Would you like to go to court or would you like to pay the fine?” the officer is heard asking Singh.
“Pay the fine,” Singh said.
The traffic stop occurred just weeks before Singh attempted an illegal U-turn near Mile Marker 171 on Florida’s Turnpike in St. Lucie County, just before 3 p.m. on Aug. 12.
“I hate to be the first guy to write you a ticket,” the officer told Singh.
Singh’s English comprehension came into question after officials from the Department of Homeland Security said he entered the United States illegally back in 2018 and obtained a commercial license in California in the years after.
Florida officials criticized him being permitted to drive.
“Someone that never should’ve been given a driver’s license, much less a CDL license to drive larger commercial vehicles, engaged in reckless behavior that took three lives,” said Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
Gov. Ron DeSantis also questioned why Singh would be allowed to obtain a commercial license if he wasn’t proficient in English.
“Why would they put someone behind the wheel of one of those things when this guy can’t even communicate and doesn’t understand English?” said DeSantis.
The new video appears to show Singh having some degree of understanding and speaking in broken English with the officer, who asked him to repeat something after not understanding something he said.
It comes after the deadly crash gained widespread attention outside of Florida, sparking discussion about how much English Singh could speak and understand, including from the Trump administration.
At his first court appearance last weekend, Singh opted to use a translator and was mostly nonresponsive to the judge’s questions.
The New Mexico State Police chief said the traffic stop would not have triggered an English-language proficiency test. Those are only required when there’s an issue with communication.
A human rights lawyer also met with Singh earlier in the week, who said the driver is deeply remorseful over what happened.
“As soon as the incident happened, he came out of his seat, went to that van, broke open the window of the glass and held the hand and told him, ‘Help is on the way, please stay with me,'” said Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who works for Sikhs for Justice.
Officials for Sikhs for Justice also confirmed they planned to commit $100,000 to support the relatives of the three people killed in the crash.
Singh remains behind bars in St. Lucie County after being denied bond following his extradition from California.
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